100+ Insightful John Adams Quotes: A Celebration of Principles and Freedom
John Adams, a pivotal figure among America’s Founding Fathers and the nation’s second President, has bequeathed a treasure trove of inspirational quotes that resonate profoundly even today. His words capture the quintessence of patriotism, democracy, and the relentless quest for liberty. One of his most striking reflections, “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,” reveals his steadfast allegiance to truth and justice. Adams’s quotes transcend mere historical significance; they serve as timeless reminders of the foundational principles that uphold a free society.
- “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.”
- “Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.”
- “Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak.”
- “There are two types of education… One should teach us how to make a living, and the other how to live.”
- “To be good, and to do good, is all we have to do.”
- “Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people; and not for profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men.”
- “The happiness of society is the end of government.”
- “Let us tenderly and kindly cherish, therefore, the means of knowledge. Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write.”
- “Our obligations to our country never cease but with our lives.”
- “Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make a good use of it.”
- “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.”
- “There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty.”
- “A government of laws, and not of men.”
- “The science of government it is my duty to study, more than all other sciences; the arts of legislation and administration and negotiation ought to take the place of, indeed exclude, in a manner, all other arts.”
- “Be not intimidated… nor suffer yourselves to be wheedled out of your liberties by any pretense of politeness, delicacy, or decency. These, as they are often used, are but three different names for hypocrisy, chicanery, and cowardice.”
- “Democracy… while it lasts is more bloody than either aristocracy or monarchy. Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.”
- “All the perplexities, confusion, and distress in America arise, not from defects in the Constitution or Confederation, not from want of honor or virtue, so much as from downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit, and circulation.”
- “Power must never be trusted without a check.”
- “To believe all men honest would be folly. To believe none so is something worse.”
- “I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy.”
- “A Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.”
- “The preservation of the means of knowledge among the lowest ranks is of more importance to the public than all the property of all the rich men in the country.”
- “Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people.”
- “The essence of a free government consists in an effectual control of rivalries.”
- “Power always thinks… that it is doing God’s service when it is violating all his laws.”
- “Let us tenderly and kindly cherish, therefore, the means of knowledge. Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write.”
- “The moment the idea is admitted into society, that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence.”
- “The happiness of society is the end of government.”
- “Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people; and not for profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men.”
- “Always stand on principle, even if you stand alone.”
- “A government of laws, and not of men.”
- “Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people.”
- “Old minds are like old horses; you must exercise them if you wish to keep them in working order.”
- “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.”
- “The happiness of society is the end of government.”
- “Let us tenderly and kindly cherish, therefore, the means of knowledge. Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write.”
- “Old minds are like old horses; you must exercise them if you wish to keep them in working order.”
- “Be not intimidated… nor suffer yourselves to be wheedled out of your liberties by any pretense of politeness, delicacy, or decency. These, as they are often used, are but three different names for hypocrisy, chicanery, and cowardice.”
- “Democracy… while it lasts is more bloody than either aristocracy or monarchy. Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.”
- “All the perplexities, confusion, and distress in America arise, not from defects in the Constitution or Confederation, not from want of honor or virtue, so much as from downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit, and circulation.”
- “Power must never be trusted without a check.”
- “To believe all men honest would be folly. To believe none so is something worse.”
- “I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy.”
- “A Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.”
- “The preservation of the means of knowledge among the lowest ranks is of more importance to the public than all the property of all the rich men in the country.”
- “Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people.”
- “The essence of a free government consists in an effectual control of rivalries.”
- “Power always thinks… that it is doing God’s service when it is violating all his laws.”
- “Let us tenderly and kindly cherish, therefore, the means of knowledge. Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write.”
- “The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence.”
- “The happiness of society is the end of government.”
- “Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people; and not for profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men.”
- “Always stand on principle, even if you stand alone.”
- “You will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it.”
- “A government of laws, and not of men.”
- “Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people.”
- “Let us tenderly and kindly cherish, therefore, the means of knowledge. Let us dare to read, think, and speak.”
- “The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence.”
