翻译求助，谢谢~

KelvieChanUID：3460889

But seems like I heard didn’t Tom Jefferson grow them or something?

Professor
Well, that’s true. But then Jefferson is known not only as the third president of the United States but also as a scholar who was way ahead of his time in many ways. He didn’t let the conventional thinking of his day restrain his ideas  查过了字典，但是串起来不知道怎么翻译才恰当，希望各位大神帮忙翻译一下红色的部分，感激不信！！

KelvieChanUID：3460889

hj1313 发表于 2014-3-11 19:56
第一句意义不明 是学生问的吧？

他的思想突破了当时陈旧的精神桎梏

对对，第一句是学生问教授的，这句怎么翻译适当？