Who said “There is a natural aristocracy among men. The grounds of this are virtue and talents.”?

Verified

Thomas Jefferson. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceLetter to John Adams (28 October 1813)

Evidence: Wikiquote · How we check

Source checked · Something wrong? Report a correction

Authors A–Z

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Letter to John Adams (28 October 1813).

APA

Jefferson, T. (n.d.). There is a natural aristocracy among men. The grounds of this are virtue and talents. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/7089-there-is-a-natural-aristocracy-among-men-the/

MLA

Jefferson, Thomas. “There is a natural aristocracy among men. The grounds of this are virtue and talents.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/7089-there-is-a-natural-aristocracy-among-men-the/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Jefferson, Thomas. “There is a natural aristocracy among men. The grounds of this are virtue and talents.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/7089-there-is-a-natural-aristocracy-among-men-the/.

Related quotes

More quotes by Thomas Jefferson

“The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time.”
VerifiedSummary View of the Rights of British America (1774); The Writings of Thomas Jefferson (19 Vols., 1905) edited by Andrew A. Lipscomb and Albert Ellery Bergh, Vol. 1, p. 211 · evidenceDetails & citeLiberty
Report
All 116 Thomas Jefferson quotes →