Top 250 John Adams Quotes (2025 Update)
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151. “Objects of the most stupendous magnitude, and measure in which the lives and liberties of millions yet unborn are intimately interested, are now before us. We are in the very midst of a revolution the most complete, unexpected and remarkable of any in the history of nations.”

— John Adams

152. “As unbalanced parties of every description can never tolerate a free inquiry of any kind, when employed against themselves, the license, and even the most temperate freedom of the press, soon excite resentment and revenge.”

— John Adams

153. “The rights of Englishmen are derived from God, not from king or Parliament, and would be secured by the study of history, law, and tradition.”

— John Adams

154. “Genius is sorrow’s child.”

— John Adams

155. “When philosophic reason is clear and certain by intuition or necessary induction, no subsequent revelation supported by prophecies or miracles can supersede it.”

— John Adams

156. “All sober inquirers after truth, ancient and modern, pagan and Christian, have declared that the happiness of man, as well as his dignity, consists in virtue.”

— John Adams

157. “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.”

— John Adams

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

— John Adams

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

— John Adams

160. “The Hebrews have done more to civilize men than any other nation: The doctrine of a supreme, intelligent sovereign of the universe, I believe to be the great essential principle of all morality, and consequently of all civilization.”

— John Adams

161. “If national pride is ever justifiable or excusable it is when it springs, not from power or riches, grandeur or glory, but from conviction of national innocence, information and benevolence...”

— John Adams

162. “The furnace of affliction produces refinement in states as well as individuals. And the new Governments we are assuming in every part will require a purification from our vices, and an augmentation of our virtues, or there will be no blessings.”

— John Adams

163. “The essence of a free government consists in an effectual control of rivalries.”

— John Adams

164. “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?”

— John Adams

165. “During the whole time I sat with him in Congress, I never heard him utter three sentences together.”

— John Adams

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

— John Adams

167. “Public virtue cannot exist in a nation without private, and public virtue is the only foundation of republics.”

— John Adams

168. “All the perplexities, confusion and distress in America arise, not from defects in their Constitution or Confederation, not from want of honor or virtue, so much as from the downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit and circulation.”

— John Adams

169. “A representative assembly, although extremely well qualified, and absolutely necessary, as a branch of the legislative, is unfit to exercise the executive power, for want of two essential properties, secrecy and dispatch.”

— John Adams

170. “I shall have the liberty to think for myself.”

— John Adams

171. “Several country towns, within my observation, have at least a dozen taverns. Here the time, the money, the health and the modesty, of most that are young and of many old, are wasted. Here diseases, vicious habits, bastards and legislators are frequently spawned.”

— John Adams

172. “If the multitude is possessed of the balance of real estate, the multitude will have the balance of power, and in that case the multitude will take care of the liberty, virtue, and interest of the multitude in all acts of government.”

— John Adams

173. “Abuse of words has been the great instrument of sophistry and chicanery, of party, faction, and division of society.”

— John Adams

174. “He is too illiterate, unread, unlearned for his station and reputation.”

— John Adams

175. “What other form of government, indeed, can so well deserve our esteem and love?”

— John Adams

176. “The universal object and idol of men of letters is reputation.”

— John Adams

177. “Religion and virtue are the only foundations, not of republicanism and of all free government, but of social felicity under all government and in all the combinations of human society.”

— John Adams

178. “We shall convince France and the world, that we are not a degraded people, humiliated under a colonial spirit of fear and a sense of inferiority, fitted to be the miserable instruments of foreign influence, and regardless of national honor, character, and interest.”

— John Adams

179. “It is not only the juror’s right, but his duty to find the verdict according to his own best understanding, judgment and conscience, though in direct opposition to the instruction of the court.”

— John Adams

180. “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

181. “We electors have an important constitutional power placed in our hands; we have a check upon two branches of the legislature.”

— John Adams

182. “Riches attract attention, consideration, and congratulations of mankind.”

— John Adams

183. “If there is a form of government, then, whose principle and foundation is virtue, will not every sober man acknowledge it better calculated to promote the general happiness than any other form?”

— John Adams

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

— John Adams

185. “As long as Property exists, it will accumulate in Individuals and Families. As long as Marriage exists, Knowledge, Property and Influence will accumulate in Families.”

— John Adams

186. “The divinity of Jesus is made a convenient cover for absurdity.”

— John Adams

187. “If the way to do good to my country were to render myself popular, I could easily do it. But extravagant popularity is not the road to public advantage.”

— John Adams

188. “Disease, a simple famine, plagues of locusts everywhere, or a cataclysmic earthquake, I’d accept with some despair, but no, you sent us Congress! Good God, Sir, was that fair?”

— John Adams

189. “A question arises whether all the powers of government, legislative, executive, and judicial, shall be left in this body? I think a people cannot be long free, nor ever happy, whose government is in one Assembly.”

— John Adams

190. “Thomas Jefferson?-Still surv...”

— John Adams

191. “I never engaged in public affairs for my own interest, pleasure, envy, jealousy, avarice or ambition, or even the desire of fame.”

— John Adams

192. “A man ought to avow his opinions and defend them with boldness.”

— John Adams

193. “As the happiness of the people is the sole end of government, so the consent of the people is the only foundation of it.”

— John Adams

194. “Oh! the wisdom, the foresight and the hindsight and the rightsight and the leftsight, the northsight and the southsight, and the eastsight and the westsight that appeared in that august assembly.”

— John Adams

195. “The happiness of man, as well as his dignity, consists in virtue.”

— John Adams

196. “Yesterday, the greatest question was decided which ever was debated in America; and a greater perhaps never was, nor will be, decided among men. A resolution was passed without one dissenting colony, that those United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States.”

— John Adams

197. “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. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven that I ever took half the pains to preserve it.”

— John Adams

198. “In general, our generals were outgeneralled.”

— John Adams

199. “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

200. “Honor is truly sacred, but holds a lower rank in the scale of moral excellence than virtue. Indeed the former is part of the latter, and consequently has not equal pretensions to support a frame of government productive of human happiness.”

— John Adams