QUESTION: Dubious Jefferson quote by U.S. Senator Jim DeMint

question / pregunta: 

Sen. DeMint wrote an article for RealClearPolitics recently that contained this alleged quote from Thomas Jefferson. It sounds plausible but the language seems unnatural for Jefferson. Perhaps it is paraphrased but I'd like to know for sure.

Since the dawn of our nation, Americans have resisted government control over their daily lives. Unlike Europeans who have mortgaged their futures in the name of nationalized health care, we have an innate distrust of big government schemes. We have seen time and time again that the greatness of our nation comes from its people, not from the government. Perhaps most importantly, we understand, as Thomas Jefferson understood, that "Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have." Jefferson went on to explain that "the course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases."

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