Quote this

I just came across this quote: "When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on." It is attributed to Thomas Jefferson.

Really?

The man who wrote: "When a man assumes a public trust, he should consider himself as public property." and "We hold these truths to be self-evident,—that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; 1 that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." also wrote this: "When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on." ???

That saying doesn't sound at all what I think Thomas Jefferson would have written. If it was from his time period, I would imagine maybe Ben Franklin saying it. But to me it sounds way more modern - 20th century, in fact. To me it sounds like a late '60s to early '70s feel-good saying.

If anyone knows, I'd like to hear where this saying came from. I'm inclined to contact all the websites that attribute it to Thomas Jefferson and correct them, but probably won't bother, even if it wasn't him. It is a slight possibility, however.

Anyway, that's my position today. I don't believe that saying came from Thomas Jefferson until someone proves it to me.