When Thomas Jefferson, the principal drafter of the Declaration of Independence, was vice-president of the United States, he once stopped at the main hotel in Baltimore and sought accommodation for the night. The landlord thought he was a farmer of not much account, and told him, "We have no room of you, sir." Jefferson turned around and departed. Soon afterwards a wealthy gentleman told the landlord that the man who had just left was Jefferson. The landlord at once ordered his servants to overtake Jefferson and tell him he could have the best of everything in the hotel.
The servants finally found Jefferson in another hotel. "Tell him I have engaged a room here," said Jefferson. "Tell him I value his good intentions highly, but if he has no room for a dirty farmer he shall have none for the vice-president."
湯瑪斯．傑佛遜是美國獨立宣言主要草擬人。他任副總統時，曾到巴爾的摩最大旅館求宿一宵。旅館主人以為他是個普通農夫，就告訴他說：「先生，我們沒有房間給你。」傑佛遜轉身離去。不久，一個富翁跟旅館主人說，剛才離去的那個人是傑佛遜。旅館主人馬上遣僕役去追趕，還教他們告訴傑克遜，他可以使用旅館所有最好的設施。
那些僕役終於在另一家旅館找到傑佛遜。傑佛遜說：「告訴你們老闆，我已經在這裏租了一間房。還請告訴他，我十分感謝其盛情，但假如他沒有房間可租與骯髒的農夫，也就沒有房間可租與副總統。」