“Laws provide against injury from others; but not from ourselves.”

You can't legislate morality into existence and you can't legislate stupidity out of existence. You can only punish intrusion or assault of property rights...that's "justice".

J Carlton, exactly, well said ! A very brief, but to the point statement at natural / common law.

Well said J, and remember, never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers. This is proven every four years in November.

Good quote! Jefferson really thought everything through. People must take responsibility for their own actions which harm themselves.

Jefferson really did think it through! History is replete with the oppression and misery inflicted upon the masses when this simple principle of liberty is violated.

To clarify the thought, "laws" (not even man's laws) do not lawfully provide against injury from others or ourselves. Laws do not provide anything accept definition of actions. The quote's expressed concept is an ole mis-direction / misnomer - rationalizing history's tyranny, despotism and every heinous act by government malefactors. At natural law codes, ordinances, regulations, rules, statutes, etc are mere applied definitions of the law that exists eternally outside man's creation and does not applyhere. At legal positivism (where man as a god creates law out of nothing), codes, ordinances, regulations, rules, statutes are interacted with as law. Justice is a making whole, rectifying, etc. matter after a crime against person or property has been enacted. Jefferson's here quote is referencing man's jurisdictional limiting to life, liberty and property of others. No such administrations or applications apply to self.

A nugget in a nutshell.

If only that had remained true. We could eliminate the FDA, seatbelt laws and many others.

Foundation. Allowing others to have that, which you desire, Liberty and Freedom.