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John Adams Quotes - Page 5

All Quotes 4th Of July Abuse Ambition Art Atheism Atheist Balance Bible Character Children Christianity Community Constitution Country Declaration Of Independence Democracy Design Desire Dignity Doubt Duty Earth Education Evil Exercise Family Fate Freedom Giving Glory God Grief Guilt Heart Heaven History Home Honesty Honor Human Nature Hypocrisy Ignorance Independence Innocence Inspiration Inspirational Jesus Joy Judging Justice Liberty Life Lying Mankind Money Morality Motivational Office Opportunity Passion Peace Philosophy Politics Power Prejudice Pride Property Reading Reflection Religion Reputation Revenge Revolution Safety School Second Amendment Slavery Society Son Soul Success Suffering Understanding Virtue Voting War Wisdom Writing

The foundations of national morality must be laid in private families.

The foundations of national morality must be laid in private families.

Foundation, Morality

John Adams (2004). “The Portable John Adams”, p.75, Penguin

I am determined to control events, not be controlled by them.

Events, Determined, Virtue

Thanks be to God, that he gave me Stubborness, when I know I am right.

Thanks, Knows

Letter from John Adams to Edmund Jenings, founders.archives.gov. September 27, 1782.

National defense is one of the cardinal duties of a statesman, and that there is an obligation to perform such a duty absolutely irrespective of party politics or factional differences.

Party, Differences, Voting

Before any great things are accomplished, a memorable change must be made in the system of education...to raise the lower ranks of society nearer to the higher.

Teacher, Teaching, Memorable

Children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom. Aristotle speaks plainly to this purpose, saying, 'that the institution of youth should be accommodated to that form of government under which they live; forasmuch as it makes exceedingly for the preservation of the present government, whatsoever it be.

Children, Government, Principles

John Adams (1851). “The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations”, p.197

Property is surely a right of mankind as real as liberty.

Real, Liberty, Mankind

We cannot insure success, but we can deserve it.

Virtue, Parliament, Humankind

Abigail Adams, John Adams, L. H. Butterfield, Marc Friedlaender, Mary-Jo Kline (1975). “The Book of Abigail and John: Selected Letters of the Adams Family, 1762-1784”, p.116, UPNE

Resistance to sudden violence, for the preservation not only of my person, my limbs, and life, but of my property, is an indisputable right of nature which I have never surrendered to the public by the compact of society, and which perhaps, I could not surrender if I would.

Life, Nature, Gun

John Adams, Charles Francis Adams (1851). “The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations”, p.438

Public affairs go on pretty much as usual: perpetual chicanery and rather more personal abuse than there used to be.

Abuse, Usual, Goes On

John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Abigail Adams, Lester Jesse Cappon, Institute of Early American History and Culture (Williamsburg, Va.) (1988). “The Adams-Jefferson letters: the complete correspondence between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams”, The University of North Carolina Press

The way to secure liberty is to place it in the people's hands, that is, to give them the power at all times to defend it in the legislature and in the courts of justice.

Patriotic, Government, Hands

John Adams (2015). “The Works of John Adams Vol. 6: Defence of the Constitution IV, Discourses on Davila”, p.76, Jazzybee Verlag

The divinity of Jesus is made a convenient cover for absurdity. Nowhere in the Gospels do we find a precept for Creeds, Confessions, Oaths, Doctrines, and whole carloads of other foolish trumpery that we find in Christianity.

Jesus, Faith Religion, Atheism

"Fictional character: John Adams". "Spirit", Book by William Edelen, 1989.

I shall have liberty to think for myself without molesting others or being molested myself.

Thinking, Liberty, Positive Atheism

John Adams (1856). “The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations”, p.35

In vain are Schools, Academies, and Universities instituted, if loose Principles and licentious habits are impressed upon Children in their earliest years . . . . The Vices and Examples of the Parents cannot be concealed from the Children. How is it possible that Children can have any just Sense of the sacred Obligations of Morality or Religion if, from their earliest Infancy, they learn their Mothers live in habitual Infidelity to their fathers, and their fathers in as constant Infidelity to their Mothers.

Education, Mother, Children

John Adams (2004). “The Portable John Adams”, p.75, Penguin

That the said Constitution shall never be construed to authorize Congress to infringe the just liberty of the press or the rights of conscience.

Gun, Rights, Second Amendment

There are persons whom in my heart I despise, others I abhor. Yet I am not obliged to inform the one of my contempt, nor the other of my detestation. This kind of dissimulation...is a necessary branch of wisdom, and so far from being immoral...that it is a duty and a virtue.

Heart, Branches, Kind

As to the history of the revolution, my ideas may be peculiar, perhaps singular. What do we mean by the revolution? The war? That was no part of the revolution; it was only an effect and consequence of it. The revolution was in the minds of the people, and this was effected from 1760 to 1775, in the course of fifteen years, before a drop of blood was shed at Lexington.

War, Mean, Ideas

John Adams, Charles Francis Adams (1856). “The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations”, p.172

Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war.

Peace, War, History

John Adams (1856). “The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations”, p.474

Ambition is one of the ungovernable passions of the human heart. The love of power is insatiable and uncontrollable.

Passion, Heart, Ambition

The Constitution is ...the greatest single effort of national deliberation that the world has ever seen

Effort, World, Constitution

John Adams (1794). “A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America: Against the Attack of M. Turgot in His Letter to Dr. Price, Dated the Twenty-second Day of March, 1778”, p.506

The executive shall never exercise the legislative and judicial powers, or either of them, to the end that it may be a government of laws and not of men.

Exercise, Men, Law

John Adams, George A. Peek, Jr. (2003). “The Political Writings of John Adams: Representative Selections”, p.94, Hackett Publishing

The Holy Ghost carries on the whole Christian system in this earth. Not a Baptism, not a Marriage, not a Sacrament can be administered but by the Holy Ghost... There is no Authority civil or religious: there can be no legitimate Government but what is administered by this Holy Ghost. There can be no salvation without it. All, without it is Rebellion and Perdition, or in more orthodox words Damnation.

Christian, Religious, Government

John Adams' letter to Benjamin Rush (December 21, 1809), as quoted in "No, Mr. Beck, John Adams Did Not Think Governments Must Be Administered by the Holy Ghost" by Chris Rodda, www.huffingtonpost.com. June 16, 2010.

There's no such thing as a free lunch, unless you have a coupon for a free lunch...or someone gives you a lunch...never mind.

Lunch, Giving, Mind

Each individual of the society has a right to be protected by it in the enjoyment of his life, liberty, and property, according to standing laws.

Law, Liberty, Individual

John Adams (1851). “The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations”, p.225

There is but one element of government, and that is THE PEOPLE. From this element spring all governments. "For a nation to be free, it is only necessary that she wills it." For a nation to be slave, it is only necessary that she wills it.

Spring, Government, People

John Adams (1851). “The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations”, p.474

Born: October 30, 1735 - July 4, 1826
Occupation: 2nd U.S. President

Quotes: 406

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