The democracy will cease to exist

From Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia

The following quotation is often attributed to Thomas Jefferson:

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."

No evidence has been found that Jefferson ever wrote this. The concept of taxing income was not unknown to Jefferson, but his writings on the topic of taxation indicate that he viewed taxation generally as a source of revenue for the government.

Further Sources

• University of Virginia EText Center. Thomas Jefferson on Politics & Government: Taxation and Fiscal Responsibility. http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/jefferson/quotations/