Quotes by John Adams

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

— John Adams

Old minds are like old horses; you must exercise them if you wish to keep them in working order.

— John Adams

Success

Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people.

— John Adams

Education

Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.

— John Adams

The happiness of society is the end of government.

— John Adams

Happiness

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 is never a democracy that did not commit suicide.

— John Adams

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.

— John Adams

The Hebrews have done more to civilize men than any other nation. If I were an atheist, and believed blind eternal fate, I should still believe that fate had ordained the Jews to be the most essential instrument for civilizing the nations.

— John Adams

Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war.

— John Adams

Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.

— John Adams

Power always thinks... that it is doing God's service when it is violating all his laws.

— John Adams

Fear is the foundation of most governments.

— John Adams

Courage

The Declaration of Independence I always considered as a theatrical show. Jefferson ran away with all the stage effect of that... and all the glory of it.

— John Adams

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.

— John Adams

Let us tenderly and kindly cherish, therefore, the means of knowledge. Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write.

— John Adams

Education

When people talk of the freedom of writing, speaking or thinking I cannot choose but laugh. No such thing ever existed. No such thing now exists; but I hope it will exist. But it must be hundreds of years after you and I shall write and speak no more.

— John Adams

My country has contrived for me the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.

— John Adams

A government of laws, and not of men.

— John Adams

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.

— John Adams

In politics the middle way is none at all.

— John Adams

The right of a nation to kill a tyrant in case of necessity can no more be doubted than to hang a robber, or kill a flea.

— John Adams

I must not write a word to you about politics, because you are a woman.

— John Adams

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

Education