Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States. He may not be as famous as George Washington and abraham lincoln, but all Harvard students have read the Declaration of Independence drafted by him. Although Jefferson was a figure more than 2 years ago, many Harvard students believe that many useful things can still be learned from him.
"Everyone is your teacher." This is Jefferson's most famous saying.
in 1743, Jefferson was born into a wealthy family. His father is a general in the army, while his mother comes from a noble family. No matter from his family background or education level, he belongs to the upper class of society. At that time, the nobles seldom talked to the general public except giving orders. But Jefferson didn't care about this. He could talk with the gardener, servants and waiters in the restaurant easily and happily.
It is a profound knowledge to make people talk with you easily and happily. Don't underestimate its value. Jefferson once said to Lafayette, a great French man, "You must go to the homes of ordinary people like me, have a look at their dishes and taste the bread they eat. Only when you do this can you understand the reasons for their dissatisfaction and understand the profound significance of the French revolution that is brewing. "
In Harvard University, a place where people gather together, everyone has something worth learning. Therefore, Jefferson's argument of "learning from everyone" is highly praised by Harvard teachers and students.
A Harvard professor pointed out: "President Jefferson's courage and idealism are built on knowledge." In the era in which he lived, he knew almost more than anyone else. It is said that he was able to explain the movement of the sun and planets at a very young age, and he could draw house plans, train horses and play the violin.
Jefferson has infinite potential and energy. He started the research of invention, wrote books, published new ideas and initiated a new era of human activities in many fields. He is also an agricultural expert, archaeologist and medical scientist. The rotation method and the fertility protection method he used to test crops were formally implemented a whole century earlier than American society. He also invented a more advanced and perfect plow than at that time. He influenced the whole construction industry in America. He often makes some equipment that can facilitate people's daily life. People are familiar with many small machines he invented, such as a machine that can copy important documents, a thermometer that can mark indoor and outdoor temperatures at the same time, a revolving table and many other things.
in 1796, Jefferson became the leader of American philosophy, which greatly helped to establish an American philosophy school that paid attention to freedom and progress. This school includes several great men: one is the famous writer Thomas Paine; The other is Dr. Benjamin Rush, who has made outstanding contributions to psychology. Another is Yue Se priestley, who discovered oxygen. They all agreed that Jefferson was their leader because he knew everything about the scope of their research.
People familiar with him wrote: "Jefferson looks more like a philosopher than a president. He likes simple philosophy. When he was sworn in as president, he rode alone, tied his horse to the railing, and then went to the ceremony. He hated the address' Your Excellency' and insisted on being called Mr. Jefferson. He is seven feet tall and very strong. But his clothes always seem too small. He sat casually among his friends, with a cheerful smile on his face, and the whole person looked relaxed and leisurely. People often say that wherever he goes, he will take that informal style with him. "
This seemingly "forgetful" philosopher actually leads a very regular life: he usually writes or watches something before breakfast when he gets up in the morning. Read for another hour after breakfast. After a day's work, he will stay up reading Latin, Greek, French, Spanish, Italian and Old English. He carefully annotated all the books he read.
among all Jefferson's talents, one is the most important, that is, his writing ability is by no means inferior to any excellent writer. His works * * * have more than fifty volumes and have been reprinted many times. When it was necessary to draft the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia in 1776, his writing talent was soon discovered and he took on the important task of drafting the Declaration of Independence. For a long time, millions of people have been inspired by his words. There is no doubt that Jefferson's profound knowledge is inseparable from his modest and studious spirit.