Thomas Jefferson served with Patrick Henry and George Washington in the House of Burgesses. He served later in the Continental Congress with Benjamin Franklin. One thing Jefferson learned from these three men, and especially Franklin and Washington, was how to listen. George was especially adept at this trait.

Jefferson made it a point not to argue and to try to be a peacemaker. Of his experience in Congress he wrote in his autobiography:

“Our body was a little numerous, but very conscientious. Day after day was wasted on the most unimportant questions. A member, one of those afflicted with the morbid rage of debate, of an ardent mind, prompt imagination, and copious flow of words, who heard with impatience any logic which was not his own, sitting near me on some occasion of a trifling but wordy debate, asked me how I could sit in silence, hearing so much false reasoning, which a word would refute? I observed to him, that to refute indeed was easy, but to silence was impossible.” read more