The crisis of the abuses of banking is arrived. The banks have pronounced their own sentence of death.

—Thomas Jefferson to Thomas Cooper, 10 Sept. 1814  {More}

It is incumbent on every generation to pay it’s own debts as it goes.

—Thomas Jefferson to Destutt de Tracy, 26 December 1820  {More}

The real credit of the United States depends on their ability, & the immutability of their will, to pay their debts.

—--Thomas Jefferson to C.W.F. Dumas, 3 June 1792  {More}

I am for a government rigorously frugal and simple, applying all the possible savings of the public revenue to the discharge of the national debt.

—--Thomas Jefferson to Elbridge Gerry, 26 Jan. 1799  {More}

…we shall all consider ourselves unauthorized to saddle posterity with our debts, and morally bound to pay them ourselves…

—Thomas Jefferson to J.W. Eppes, 1813  {More}

The fore horse of this frightful team is public debt. Taxation follows that, and in its train wretchedness and oppression.

—Thomas Jefferson to Samuel Kercheval, 12 July 1816  {More}

Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies…

—Thomas Jefferson to John Taylor, 28 May 1816  {More}

The enormous abuses of the banking system are not only prostrating our commerce, but producing revolution of property…

—--Thomas Jefferson to Richard Rush, 22 June 1819  {More}

The banks themselves were doing business on capitals, three-fourths of which were fictitious: and, to extend their profits they furnished fictitious capital to every man…

—Thomas Jefferson to Richard Rush, 22 June 1819  {More}

There does not exist an engine so corruptive of the government and so demoralizing of the nation as a public debt.

—Thomas Jefferson to Nathaniel Macon, 19 Aug. 1821  {More}