John Adams

As much as I converse with sages and heroes, they have very little of my love and admiration. I long for rural and domestic scene, for the warbling of birds and the prattling of my children.

The Hebrews have done more to civilize men than any other nation. If I were an atheist, and believed blind eternal fate, I should still believe that fate had ordained the Jews to be the most essential instrument for civilizing the nations.

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.

A government of laws, and not of men.

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

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

Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people.

While all other sciences have advanced, that of government is at a standstill - little better understood, little better practiced now than three or four thousand years ago.

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

The happiness of society is the end of government.

Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.

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.

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

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.