Jefferson refused to pin his hopes on the occasional success of honest and unambitious men; on the contrary, the great danger was that philosophers would be lulled into complacence by the accidental rise of a Franklin or a Washington. Any government which made the welfare of men depend on the character of their governors was an illusion.

— Daniel J. Boorstin The Lost World of Thomas Jefferson (1948)

More quotes by Daniel J. Boorstin

The Creators: A History of Heroes of the Imagination (1992)

The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America (1961)

The Republic of Technology (1978)

The Lost World of Thomas Jefferson (1948)

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Daniel J. Boorstin (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.