"I have stated that the constitutions of our several States vary more or less in some particulars. But there are certain principles in which all agree, and which all cherish as vitally essential to the protection of the life, liberty, property, and safety of the citizen [...] Freedom of the press, subject only to liability for personal injuries. This formidable censor of the public functionaries, by arraigning them at the tribunal of public opinion, produces reform peaceably, which must otherwise be done by revolution. It is also the best instrument for enlightening the mind of man, and improving him as a rational, moral, and social being."
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Thomas Jefferson to A. Coray a.k.a. Adamantios Koraes, October 31, 1823. The letter can be found in The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, edited by Andrew A Lipscomb and William Elery Bergh, 20 volumes, (Washington, D.C.: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, 1901-04), at page 489 of volume 15.
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