John Adams Quotes - Page 13

Quotes about:

• The question before the human race is, Whether the God of nature shall govern the world by his own laws, or whether Priests and Kings shall rule it by fictitious Miracles? Or, in other words, whether authority is originally in the People? Or whether it has descended for 1800 Years in a succession of Popes and Bishops, or brought down from Heaven by the Holy Ghost in the form of a Dove, in a Phial of holy Oil?

  John Adams

  Kings, Law, Oil

  John Adams, Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson (1971). “The Adams-Jefferson letters: the complete correspondence between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams”, Touchstone

  4 Copy quote

• Since natural law was thought to be accessible to the ordinary man, the theory invited each juror to inquire for himself whether a particular rule of law was consonant with principles of higher law. This view is reflected in John Adams' statement that it would be an 'absurdity' for jurors to be required to accept the judge's view of the law, 'against their own opinion, judgment, and conscience.'

  John Adams

  Men, Views, Law

  4 Copy quote

• If the empire of superstition and hypocrisy should be overthrown, happy indeed will it be for the world; but if all religion and morality should be over-thrown with it, what advantage will be gained?

  John Adams

  Hypocrisy, Religion, World

  4 Copy quote

• I drink no cider, but feast on Philadelphia beer.

  John Adams

  Beer, Philadelphia, Cider

  4 Copy quote

• I sometimes, in my sprightly moments, consider myself, in my great chair at school, as some dictator at the head of a commonwealth. In this little state I can discover all the great geniuses, all the surprising actions and revolutions of the great world in miniature. I have several renowned generals but three feet high, and several deep-projecting politicians in petticoats. I have others catching and dissecting flies, accumulating remarkable pebbles, cockleshells, etc., with as ardent curiosity as any virtuoso in the Royal Society.

  John Adams

  School, Knowledge, Feet

  John Adams, Charles Francis Adams (1850). “The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations”, p.9

  4 Copy quote

• The Christian Religion as I understand it is the best.

  John Adams

  Christian, Religious

  John Adams (1854). “The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations”, p.627

  4 Copy quote

• In days of yore, the poet's pen From wing of bird was plunder'd, Perhaps of goose, but now and then, From Jove's own eagle sunder'd. But now, metallic pens disclose Alone the poet's numbers; In iron inspiration glows, Or with the poet slumbers.

  John Adams

  Inspiration, Iron, Numbers

  9 Copy quote

• You are apprehensive of monarchy; I, of aristocracy. I would therefore have given more power to the President and less to the Senate.

  John Adams

  Power, President, Aristocracy

  Letter to Thomas Jefferson, 6 Dec. 1787

  4 Copy quote

• Vanity, I am sensible, is my cardinal vice and cardinal folly; and I am in continual danger, when in company, of being led an ignis fatuus chase by it.

  John Adams

  Vanity, Vices, Danger

  John Adams, Charles Francis Adams (1850). “The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations”, p.16

  4 Copy quote

• I am quite content to come home and go to Farming, be a select Man, and owe no Man any Thing but good Will. There I can get a little health and teach my Boys to be Lawyers.

  John Adams

  Family, Home, Boys

  4 Copy quote

• The frightful engines of ecclesiastical councils, of diabolical malice, and Calvinistical good-nature never failed to terrify me exceedingly whenever I thought of preaching.

  John Adams

  Atheism, Preaching, Malice

  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

  4 Copy quote

• While all other sciences have advanced, that of government is at a standstill - little better understood, little better practiced now than three or four thousand years ago.

  John Adams

  Government, Years, Political

  "An Extensive Republic: Print, Culture, and Society in the New Nation, 1790-1840". Book by Robert A. Gross and Mary Kelley, 2010.

  15 Copy quote

• Popularity, next to virtue and wisdom, ought to be aimed at; for it is the dictate of wisdom, and is necessary to the practice of virtue inmost.

  John Adams

  Practice, Next, Popularity

  John Adams, Charles Francis Adams (1850). “The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations”, p.57

  4 Copy quote

• We electors have an important constitutional power placed in our hands: we have a check upon two branches of the legislature, as each branch has upon the other two; the power I mean of electing at stated periods, one branch, which branch has the power of electing another. It becomes necessary to every subject then, to be in some degree a statesman: and to examine and judge for himself of the tendencies of political principles and measures.

  John Adams

  Mean, Hands, Two

  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.437

  4 Copy quote

• [I] never understood [what a republican government was and] I believe no other man ever did or ever will.

  John Adams

  Believe, Men, America

  4 Copy quote

• I had heard my father say that he never knew a piece of land run away or break.

  John Adams

  Running, Father, Land

  John Adams, Lyman Henry Butterfield (1961). “Diary and Autobiography: Diary, 1782-1804. Autobiography to October 1776”

  4 Copy quote

• Let the pulpit resound with the doctrines and sentiments of religious liberty... Let us hear the dignity of his [man's] nature, and the noble rank he holds among the works of God... Let it be known, that British liberties are not the grants of princes or parliaments.

  John Adams

  Religious, Men, Liberty

  "The Works of John Adams, Volume 3: Autobiography, Diary, Notes of a Debate in the Senate, Essays". Book edited by Charles Francis Adams, 1851.

  4 Copy quote

• Let every sluice of knowledge be opened and set a-flowing.

  John Adams

  Education

  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.463

  4 Copy quote

• You are a Virginian, and a Virginian ought to appear at the head of this business. I am obnoxious, suspected and unpopular; you are very much otherwise. And you can write ten times better than I can.

  John Adams

  Writing, Revolution, Obnoxious

  John Adams, Charles Francis Adams (1850). “The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations”, p.514

  6 Copy quote

• The truth is that neither then nor at any former time, since I had attained my maturity in Age, Reading and reflection had I imbibed any general Prejudice against Kings, or in favour of them. It appeared to me then as it has done ever since, that there is a State of Society in which a Republican Government is the best, and in America the only one.

  John Adams

  Kings, Reading, Maturity

  John Adams, Charles Francis Adams (1851). “The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: Autobiography (cont.) Diary. Notes of a debate in the Senate of the United States. Essays: On private revenge. On self-delusion. On private revenge. Dissertation on the canon and the feudal law. Instructions of the town of Braintree to their representative, 1765. The Earl of Clarendon to William Pym. Governor Winthrop to Governor Bradford. Instructions of the town of Boston to their representatives, 1768. Instructions of the town of”, p.154

  4 Copy quote

• Whenever serious art loses track of its roots in the vernacular, then it begins to atrophy.

  John Adams

  Art, Roots, Track

  7 Copy quote

• I was very strenuous for retaining and insisting on it [law of nature], as a resource to which we might be driven by Parliament much sooner than we were aware.

  John Adams

  Law, Might, Revolution

  John Adams, Charles Francis Adams (1850). “The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations”, p.374

  4 Copy quote

• The happiness of man, as well as his dignity, consists in virtue.

  John Adams

  Men, Dignity, Virtue

  John Adams (1841). “Letters, Addressed to His Wife”, p.277

  6 Copy quote

• I do not like the late resurrection of the Jesuits. . . . If ever any congregation of men could merit eternal perdition on earth, and in hell, according to these historians, though, like Pascal, true Catholics, it is this company of Loyolas.

  John Adams

  Men, Catholic, Earth

  John Adams (1856). “The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations”, p.219

  7 Copy quote

• Mr. Adams, describing a conversation with Jonathan Sewall in 1774, says: "I answered that the die was now cast; I had passed the Rubicon. Swim or sink, live or die, survive or perish with my country was my unalterable determination."

  John Adams

  Country, Determination, Swim

  4 Copy quote

Page 13 of 17

First

← Prev

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

Next →

• facebook
• twitter
• googleplus
• email
• linkedin