The best Quotes by John Adams

The happiness of society is the end of government.

Fear is the foundation of most governments.

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 cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people.

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

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

It is better to be alone than in bad company.

Let your heart feel for the afflictions and distress of everyone.

Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.

True friendship is a plant of slow growth.

The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army. Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the choice of brave resistance, or the most abject submission. We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or die.

It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.

My first wish is to see this plague of mankind, war, banished from the earth.

Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and diligence.

Great necessities call out great virtues.

We have too many high-sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them.

Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of husbands. Remember all men would be tyrants if they could.

If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice, or representation.

It seems to be a law of nature, inflexible and inexorable, that those who will not risk cannot win.

A captain of the Navy ought to be a man of strong and well connected sense, with a tolerable good education, a gentleman, as well as a seaman both in theory and practice.

I have sacrificed not only my favorite scheme of life, but the softer affections of the heart, and my prospects of domestic happiness, and I am ready to sacrifice my life also, with cheerfulness, if that forfeiture could restore peace and good will among mankind.

If fear is cultivated it will become stronger, if faith is cultivated it will achieve mastery.

Whoever can surprise well must conquer.

I am a warrior, so that my son may be a merchant, so that his son may be a poet.

Try and fail, but don't fail to try.

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.

Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.

Where annual elections end where slavery begins.

You're gonna like Massachusetts. It's very patriotic - perfect for a fresh start.

I'm lucky to have been raised in the most beautiful place - Amherst, Massachusetts, state of my heart. I'm more patriotic to Massachusetts than to almost any place.

I will work my heart out to earn the trust of the people of Massachusetts.

The man in the White House is not the cause of what is broken, he is just the latest and most extreme symptom of what's gone wrong in America. A product of a rigged system that props up the rich and powerful and kicks dirt on everyone else.

People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.

Thor: "Do you see yourself above them?"
Loki: "Oh yes."
Thor: "Then you miss the truth of ruling, brother."

War is young men dying and old men talking. You know this. Ignore the politics.

The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.

A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it is not open.

I fear the day when the technology overlaps with our humanity. The world will only have a generation of idiots.

One candidate is too old and mentally unfit to be president. The other one is me.

I've known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy. He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it - Jeffrey enjoys his social life.

For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is a difficult moment for America. I, unfortunately, will be going back to Washington after my remarks. Today we've had a national tragedy. Two airplanes have crashed into the World Trade Center in an apparent terrorist attack on our country.

We can't do everything, but we have to do, what we can do.

We are not the sum of our possessions.