“I never shall shine, ’til some animating occasion calls forth all my powers.” – John Adams

— “Fire them with ambition to be useful.” — John to Abigal, in regards to raising their children

— “It is my destiny to dig treasures with my own fingers.” — John Adams

— “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, after becoming President by only three votes

— “I never shall shine, ’til some animating occasion calls forth all my powers.” — John Adams, 1760

— “There must be, however, more employment for the press in favor of the government than there has been, or the sour, angry, peevish, fretful, lying paragraphs which assail it on every side will make an impression on many weak and ignorant people.” — John in a letter to Abigail (I couldn’t agree more, John.)

— “The story of B. Bicknal’s wife is a very clever one. She said, when she was married she was very anxious, she feared, she trembled, she could not go to bed. But she recollected she had put her hand to the plow and could not look back, so she mustered up her spirits, committed her soul to God and her body to B. Bicknal and into bed she leaped — and in the morning she was amazed, she could not think for her life what it was that had so scared her.” — Journal entry of John Adams … I love that little story

— “Ambition is one of the more ungovernable passions of the human heart. The love of power is insatiable and uncontrollable … There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government outght to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty.” — John Adams

The following quote is Adams’ description of the first meeting of the Continental Congress, in 1774:

— “This assembly is like no other that ever existed. Every man in it is a great man — an orator, a critic, a statesman, and therefore every man upon every question must show his oratory, his criticism, his political abilities. The consequence of this is that business is drawn and spun out to immeasurable length. I believe if it was moved and seconded that we should come to a resolution that three and two make five, we should be entertained with logic and rhetoric, law, history, politics, and mathematics concerning the subject for two whole days, and then we should pass the resolution unanimously in the affirmative.”

— “We cannot insure success, but we can deserve it.” — John Adams, in a letter to Abigail

— “If we finally fail in this great and glorious contest, it will be by bewildering ourselves in groping for the middle way.” — John Adams

— “I am more and more convinced that man is a dangerous creature, and that power whether vested in many or few is grasping … The great fish swallow up the small and he who is most strenuous for the rights of the people, when vested with power, is as eager after the prerogatives of government. You tell me of degrees of perfection to which human nature is capable of arriving, and I believe it, but at the same time lament that our admiration should arise from the scarcity of the instances. — Abigail Adams, in a letter to John

Oh, and this one gave me chills:

— “It has been the will of Heaven that we should be thrown into existence at a period when the greatest philosophers and lawgivers of antiquity would have wished to live … a period when a coincidence of circumstances without example has afforded to thirteen colonies at once an opportunity of beginning government anew from the foundation and building as they choose. How few of the human race have ever had an opportunity of choosing a system of government for themselves and their children? How few have ever had anything more of choice in government than in climate?” — John Adams

And of course, this one from Abigail is kind of famous, but nevertheless here it is:

— “–and by the way in the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies, and be more favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of husbands … 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. That your sex are naturally tyrannical is a truth so thoroughly established as to admit of no dispute, but such of yours as wish to be happy willingly to give up the harsh title of master for the more tender and endearing one of friend.” — Abigail Adams, in a letter to John

Their love story brings a lump to my throat. The correspondence between the two of them is incredible. Here’s a part of one of his letters to her.

— “Is there no way for two friendly souls to converse together, although the bodies are 400 miles off. Yes, by letter. But I want a better communication. I want to hear you think, or to see your thoughts. The conclusion of your letter makes my heart throb more than a cannonade would. You bid me burn your letters. But I must forget you first.” — John Adams to Abigail

— “A people may let a King fall, yet still remain a people, but if a King let his people slip from him, he is no longer a King. And as this is most certainly our case, why not proclaim to the world in decisive terms of our own importance?” —Abigail Adams, in a letter to John

— “In general, our generals were outgeneralled.” — John Adams’ comment after the disastrous battle on Long Island

— “His understanding lies, I think, rather in seeing large things largely than correctly.” –William Alexander describing John Adams’ particular political genius

— “Thanks to God that he gave me stubbornness when I know I am right.” — John Adams

— “I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study paintings, poetry, music, artchitecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.” — John Adams

— “He means well for his country, is always an honest man, often a wise man, but sometimes and in some things, absolutely out of his senses.” — Ben Franklin, 1783, about John Adams (in a letter to Robert Livingston)

— “If you are conscious to yourself that you possess more knowledge upon some subject than others of your standing, reflect that you have had greater opportunities of seeing the world, and obtaining a knowledge of mankind than any of your contemporaries. That you have never wanted a book but it has been supplied to you, that your whole time has been spent in the company of men of literature and science. How unpardonable would it have been iin you to have been a blockhead.” — Abigail Adams in a letter to son John Quincy Adams, during his first semester at Harvard

— “You are afraid of the one, I, the few. We agree perfectly that the many should have full, fair, and perfect representation [in the House]. You are apprehensive of monarchy; I, of aristocracy. I would therefore have given more power to the President and less to the Senate.” — John Adams to Thomas Jefferson

— “Gentlemen, I feel a great difficulty how to act. I am Vice President. In this I am nothing, but I may be everything.” — John Adams

— “I firmly believe if I live ten years longer, I shall see a division of the Southern and Northern states, unless more candor and less intrigue, of which I have no hope, should prevail.” — Abigail Adams, 1792

— Years subdue the ardor of passion but in lieu thereof friendship and affection deep-rooted subsists which defies the ravages of time, and whilst the vital flame exists. — Abigail to John, 1793

— Your letter is like laudanum. — John to Abigail

— You apologize for the length of your letters. They give me more entertainment than all the speeches I hear. There are more good thoughts, fine strokes, and mother wit in them than I hear in the whole week. — John to Abigail

— I am warm enough at night, but cannot sleep since I left you.” — John to Abigail

Editorial: All of those last quotes are from letters written when the two of them were in their 60s.