Thomas Jefferson was out riding with some young men when they came across a Kentuckian seated on the bank of a swollen stream. The Kentuckian waited until everyone but Jefferson had entered the stream, then asked the latter to take him across. Jefferson agreed.
When the Kentuckian reached the opposite bank, one of the young men asked, "What made you let the young men pass and ask that gentleman to carry you over the creek?" "Well," said the Kentuckian, "I reckon a man carries yes or no in his face. The young chaps' faces said no, the old one's said yes." "It isn't every man that would have asked the president of the United States for a ride behind him," said the young man. The Kentuckian was astonished. "You don't say that was Tom Jefferson, do you?" Then he added: "I voted for the right man!"*
湯瑪斯．傑佛遜曾與一些少年人騎馬同行，走到一條小河前，水大盛。一個肯塔基人坐在岸邊，待少年人都策馬入河之後，才請傑佛遜載他過河。傑佛遜答應了。
那肯塔基人到了彼岸，一個已過河的少年問：「你怎麼見少年人過河而不作聲，卻請那位先生送你過河？」那肯塔基人說：「啊，依我看，答應或不答應，見於人面。少年人的臉說『不行』，那位長者的臉則說『可以』。」那少年說：「坐在美國總統馬鞍之後，可不是一般的要求。」那肯塔基人愕然問道：「你不是說，那人是湯瑪斯．傑佛遜吧？」跟着，他又說：「我投他一票，可沒有錯！」*
*新中國政要車駕到處，處處戒嚴，保證不會有上述故事。