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John Adams

John Adams Quotes

2nd U.S. President

John Adams, the second President of the United States, was a statesman, diplomat, and writer. Born on October 30, 1735, and died on July 4, 1826, Adams played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War. He was one of the drafters of the Declaration of Independence and served as the President from 1789 to 1797.

Famous John Adams Quotes

“You may have the bishop pair but I have the ultimate advantage; I am the better player!”

May Player Advantage Ultimate Chess Pairs Bishops

Author:John Adams

“Arms in the hands of citizens may be used at individual discretion... in private self-defense.”

“The only way to form an army to be confided in, was a systematic discipline, by which means all men may be made heroes.”

Men Way May Mean Made Form Hero Discipline Army Systematic

Book: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

Source: 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

“I pray Heaven to bestow the best of Blessings on this House and on all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise Men ever rule under this roof.”

Source: Letters of John Adams: Addressed to His Wife

“I Pray Heaven to bestow the best of blessing on this house, and on ALL that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof!”

Men May House Heaven Wise Honest Honesty Praying Blessing Roof I Pray Hereafter Revolution Founding Fathers

Author:John Adams

“The only foundation of a free Constitution, is pure Virtue, and if this cannot be inspired into our People, in a great Measure, than they have it now. They may change their Rulers, and the forms of Government, but they will not obtain a lasting Liberty.”

“Were I to define the British constitution, therefore, I should say, it is a limited monarchy, or a mixture of the three forms of government commonly known in the schools, reserving as much of the monarchical splendor, the aristocratical independency, and the democratical freedom, as are necessary that each of these powers may have a control, both in legislation and execution, over the other two, for the preservation of the subject's liberty.”

Source: The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations

“The dignity and stability of government in all its branches, the morals of the people, and every blessing of society depend so much upon an upright and skillful administration of justice, that the judicial power ought to be distinct from both the legislative and executive, and independent upon both, that so it may be a check upon both, as both should be checks upon that.”

“I am well pleased with what I hear of you: The principal Satisfaction I can expect in Life, in future will be in your good Behavior and that of my other Children. My Hopes from all of you are very agreable. God grant, I may not be disappointed.”

Wells May Children I Can Family Behavior Satisfaction Grants Disappointed Principal I May Not Be Good Behavior

Author:John Adams

“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.”

People Years Mind May Mean Ideas War Courses Blood Effects Revolution Consequence Peculiar Shed Fifteen Fifteen Years Lexington

Book:The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations

Source: The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations

“When public virtue is gone, when the national spirit is fled the republic is lost in essence, though it may still exist in form”

May Stills Form Spirit Lost Gone Virtue Essence Republic

Book:The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations

Source: The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations

“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.”

Men May Ends Government Law Political Exercise Executives Judicial Judicial Power

Book:The Political Writings of John Adams: Representative Selections

Source: The Political Writings of John Adams: Representative Selections

“If the Christian religion, as I understand it, or as you understand it, should maintain its ground, as I believe it will, yet Platonic, Pythagoric, Hindoo, and cabalistical Christianity, which is Catholic Christianity, and which has prevailed for 1500 years, has received a mortal wound, of which the monster must finally die. Yet so strong is his constitution, that he may endure for centuries before he expires.”

Ifs Should Years Believe May Christian Dies Belief Strong I Believe Christianity Century Constitution Catholic Endure Wounds Monsters Mortals Platonic

Author:John Adams

“I request that they may be considered in confidence, until the members of Congress are fully possessed of their contents, and shall have had opportunity to deliberate on the consequences of their publication; after which time, I submit them to your wisdom.”

May Wisdom Opportunity Members Consequence Congress Possessed Submit Deliberate Request Publication

Book:The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations

Source: The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations

“We should begin by setting conscience free. When all men of all religions shall enjoy equal liberty, property, and an equal chance for honors and power we may expect that improvements will be made in the human character and the state of society.”

Source: The Works of John Adams Vol. 8: Letters and State Papers 1782 - 1799

“It may be the will of Heaven that America shall suffer calamities still more wasting, and distresses yet more dreadful. If this is to be the case, it will have the good effect at least. It will inspire us with many virtues, which we have not, and correct many errors, follies and vices. But I must submit all my hopes and fears to an overruling Providence, in which, unfashionable as the faith may be, I firmly believe.”

Ifs Believe May Stills America Suffering Heaven Cases Virtue Effects Inspire Errors Vices Folly Submit Providence Distress Calamity Hopes And Fears

Author:John Adams

“We should be unfaithful to ourselves if we should ever lose sight of the danger to our Liberties if anything partial or extraneous should infect the purity of our free, fair, virtuous, and independent elections. If an election is to be determined by a majority of a single vote, and that can be procured by a party through artifice or corruption, the Government may be the choice of a party for its own ends, not of the nation for the national good.”

Ifs Should May Ends Government Choices Nations Loses Party Liberty Danger Fairs Vote Sight Independent Election Majority Corruption Determined Purity Voting Virtuous Unfaithful Artifice

Author:John Adams

“But America is a great, unwieldy Body. Its Progress must be slow. It is like a large Fleet sailing under Convoy. The fleetest Sailors must wait for the dullest and slowest. Like a Coach and six-the swiftest Horses must be slackened and the slowest quickened, that all may keep an even Pace.”

May Body America Waiting Progress Six Horse Coaches Pace Sailing Sailor

Book:The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations

Source: The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations

“If it be the pleasure of Heaven that my country shall require the poor offering of my life, the victim shall be ready, at the appointed hour of sacrifice, come when that hour may. But while I do live, let me have a country, and that a free country!”

Ifs May Country Heaven Hours Pleasure Poor Sacrifice Ready Let Me Victim Offering Free Country

Author:John Adams

“A single assembly will never be a steady guardian of the laws, if Machiavel is right, when he says, Men are never good but through necessity: on the contrary, when good and evil are left to their choice, they will not fail to throw every thing into disorder and confusion. Hunger and poverty may make men industrious, but laws only can make them good; for, if men were so of themselves, there would be no occasion for laws; but, as the case is far otherwise, they are absolutely necessary.”

Source: The Works of John Adams Vol. 4: Novanglus, Thoughts on Government, Defence of the Constitution I

“We may... affirm that the balance of power in a society accompanies the balance of property in land. The only possible way, then, of preserving the balance of power on the side of liberty and public virtue is to make the acquisition of land easy to every member of society; to make a division of the land into small quantities, so that the multitude may be possessed of landed estates.”

Source: John Adams Speaking: Pound's Sources for the Adams Cantos

“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence: nor is the law less stable than the fact.”

Source: The Works [of] John Adams, Second President of the United States: Life of John Adams

“I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy.”

Source: The Letters of John and Abigail Adams

“I have accepted a seat in the House of Representatives, and thereby have consented to my own ruin, to your ruin, and to the ruin of our children. I give you this warning that you may prepare your mind for your fate.”

Giving Mind May Children Political House Politics My Own Fate Our Children Accepted Ruins Seats Warning Representatives House Of Representatives

Book:The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations

Source: The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations

“I must study Politicks and War that my sons may have liberty to study Mathematicks and Philosophy. My sons ought to study Mathematicks and Philosophy, Geography, natural History, Naval Architecture, navigation, Commerce and Agriculture, in order to give their Children a right to study Painting, Poetry, Musick, Architecture, Statuary, Tapestry and Porcelaine. (12 May 1780)”

Giving May Children War Philosophy Order Politics Natural Liberty Learning Study Painting Son Ought Architecture My Son Commerce Agriculture Geography Tapestry Naval Navigation Natural History

Author:John Adams

“But I must submit all my Hopes and Fears, to an overruling Providence, in which, unfashionable as the Faith may be, I firmly believe.”

Believe May Religious Submit Providence Hopes And Fears

Book:The Book of Abigail and John: Selected Letters of the Adams Family, 1762-1784

Source: The Book of Abigail and John: Selected Letters of the Adams Family, 1762-1784

“...Cities may be rebuilt, and a People reduced to Poverty, may acquire fresh Property: But a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty once lost is lost forever. When the People once surrendered their share in the Legislature, and their Right of defending the Limitations upon the Government, and of resisting every Encroachment upon them, they can never regain it.”

People May Government Lost Cities Liberty Poverty Forever Share Changed Constitution Property Limitation Acquire Legislature Resisting Encroachment

Book:The Letters of John and Abigail Adams

Source: The Letters of John and Abigail Adams

“We may please ourselves with the prospect of free and popular governments. But there is great danger that those governments will not make us happy. God grant they may. But I fear that in every assembly, members will obtain an influence by noise, not sense. By meanness, not greatness. By ignorance, not learning. By contracted hearts, not large souls.”

Heart May Soul Government Influence Danger Greatness Ignorance Please Members Noise Grants Assembly Meanness

Book:Papers of John Adams

Source: Papers of John Adams