Do what you believe is right. In a free country there will always be conflicting ideas, and this is a source of strength. It is conflict and not unquestioning agreement that keeps freedom alive. Though Jefferson was for many years the object of strong criticism, he never answered his critics. He expressed his philosophy in letters to a friend, "There are two sides to every question. If you take one side站在这一方 with decision 下定决心and act on it with effect实现, those who take the other side will of course resent your actions."

Trust the future; trust the young. Jefferson felt that the present should never be chained to 束缚于customs which have lost their usefulness. "No society," he said, "can make a perpetual constitution, or even a perpetual law. The earth belongs to the living generation." He did not fear new ideas, nor did he fear the future. "How much pain," he remarked, "has been caused by evils which have never happened! I expect the best, not the worst. I steer my ship with hope, leaving fear behind."

Jefferson's courage and idealism were based on knowledge. He probably knew more than any other man of his age. He was an expert in agriculture, archeology, and medicine. He practiced crop rotation and soil conservation a century before these became standard practice标准化生产, and he invented a plow 犁superior to any other in existence. He influenced architecture throughout America, and he was constantly producing devices for making the tasks of ordinary life easier to perform.

custom
n. 习惯,风俗
perpetual
a. never-ending; going on for a long time or without stopping 永恒的;连续不断的
constitution
n. 宪法;章程
living
a. alive now 活(着)的
remark
vt. say; comment 说;评论说
n. 话语;评论
evil
n. sth. bad; sin 邪恶,罪恶
a. very bad 邪恶的,坏的
idealism
n. 理想主义;唯心主义
arch(a)eology
n. study of ancient things, esp. remains of prehistoric times 考古学
rotation
n. 轮作;旋转
rotate
v.
conservation
n. protecting from loss of from being used up 保护;保存
conserve
vt.
superior 没有比较级和最高级 be superior to sb.
a. good or better in quality or value 较好的;优的
superiority
n.
existence
n. the state of existing 存在
influence
vt. have an effect on 影响
architecture
n. art and science of building 建筑术;建筑学