At the top of the inscription is PATRIA, which is Latin for "country" and is the origin for our words Patriot and Patriotism, which implies a love of country, a readiness to sacrifice for it, perhaps even a willingness to give one's life for it. The rest of the inscription reads: Thomas Jefferson 1743-1826, Third President of the United States, Author of the Declaration of Independence and Father of the Louisiana Purchase. It is noteworth to say that Jefferson was also an accomplished writer, architect, and scholar.
