John Adams

Fear is the foundation of most governments.

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

Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people.

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.

Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak.

Because power corrupts, society's demands for moral authority and character increase as the importance of the position increases.

Liberty, according to my metaphysics is a self-determining power in an intellectual agent. It implies thought and choice and power.

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

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.

The happiness of society is the end of government.

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

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.

Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war.

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

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.

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.

Had I been chosen president again I am certain I could not have lived another year.

The four most miserable years of my life . . .