John Quincy Adams Quotes

You will never be alone with a poet in your pocket.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Alone Company Poet Yourself
Where annual elections end where slavery begins.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Beginning End Politics Slave
Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Forever Liberty Lost
Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Alone Lost Principle Reflection Vote
Gratitude, warm, sincere, intense, when it takes possession of the bosom, fills the soul to overflowing and scarce leaves room for any other sentiment or thought.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Gratitude Leaving Soul Thinking
Move or die is the language of our Maker in the constitution of our bodies.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Body Death Language Ourselves
Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Alone Principle Vote
Defeat appears to me preferable to total inaction.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Appearance Defeat
Above all, except the wife and children, I want to see my books.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Book Children Exception Myself See Wife
To furnish the means of acquiring knowledge is, the greatest benefit that can be conferred upon mankind. It prolongs life itself and enlarges the sphere of existence.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Existence Greatness Knowledge Life
The will of the people is the source and the happiness of the people the end of all legitimate government upon earth.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Earth Government Happiness People Willing
Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Knowledge Liberty People
I read my eyes out and can’t read half enough neither. The more one reads the more one sees we have to read.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Eyes Myself Reading See
I am a warrior, so that my son may be a merchant, so that his son may be a poet.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Myself Poet Warrior
To believe all men honest would be folly. To believe none so, is something worse.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Believe Honesty Man Philosophy Worst
It was the special purpose of Christ’s appearance upon earth to bring immortality to light.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Appearance Light Mortal Purpose
Be a great speaker, become a leader.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Greatness Leadership
Roll, years of promise, rapidly roll round, till not a slave shall on this earth be found.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Promise Slave
Thus situated, the perilous experiment must be made. Let me make it with full deliberations, and be prepared for the consequences.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Experiment Myself Philosophy Preparation Result Science
Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Difficult Inspirational Patience Perseverance
Virtue is not always amiable.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

One Liner Virtue
No man is entirely free from weakness and imperfection in this life.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Freedom Imperfection Life Man Weakness
We understand now, we’ve been made to understand, and to embrace the understanding that who we are is who we were.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Philosophy Understand
A politician in this country must be the man of a party. I would fain be the man of my whole country.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Man Myself Nation Politics
If the fundamental principles in the Declaration of Independence, as self-evident truths, are real truths, the existence of slavery, in any form, is a wrong.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Existence Fundamental Independence Principle Slave Truth Wrong
Go on and improve in everything worthy.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Improvement Worthy
To be good, and to do good, is all we have to do.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

Goodness Right Spiritual

Other Famous Personalities