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[You have Rights] antecedent to all earthly governments: Rights, that cannot be repealed or restrained by human laws Rights, derived from the Great Legislator of the universe.

John Adams

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John Adams
Age: 90 †
Born: 1735
Born: October 19
Died: 1826
Died: July 4
2Nd U.S. President
Diplomat
Lawyer
Political Philosopher
Politician
Statesperson
Braintree
Massachusetts
President Adams
J. Adams
President John Adams
Government
Earthly
Human
Governments
Humans
Laws
Antecedent
Great
Liberty
Repealed
Rights
Legislator
Law
Restrained
Universe
Legislators
Cannot
Derived

More quotes by John Adams

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Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.
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Farther I could find it in my heart to wish that you had been at the head of a hundred thousand Israelites . . . & marching with them into Judea & making a conquest of that country & restoring your nation to the dominion of it. For I really wish the Jews again in Judea an independent nation.
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The numbers of men in all ages have preferred ease, slumber, and good cheer to liberty, when they have been in competition.
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Human passions unbridled by morality and religion...would break the stronges cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net.
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Public virtue cannot exist in a nation without private, and public virtue is the only foundation of republics.
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There are persons whom in my heart I despise, others I abhor. Yet I am not obliged to inform the one of my contempt, nor the other of my detestation. This kind of dissimulation...is a necessary branch of wisdom, and so far from being immoral...that it is a duty and a virtue.
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[J]udges, therefore, should be always men of learning and experience in the laws, of exemplary morals, great patience, calmness, coolness, and attention. Their minds should not be distracted with jarring interests they should not be dependent upon any man, or body of men.
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Let the human mind loose. It must be loose. It will be loose. Superstition and dogmatism cannot confine it.
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Power always thinks... that it is doing God's service when it is violating all his laws.
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The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity
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Negro slavery is an evil of colossal magnitude.
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Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.
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I wish I could lay down beside her and die too.
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God is an essence that we know nothing of. Until this awful blasphemy is got rid of, there never will be any liberal science in the world.
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Make Things rather than Persons the subjects of conversations.
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I am a revolutionary, so my son can be a farmer, so his son can be a poet.
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If we do not lay out ourselves in the service of mankind whom should we serve?
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My God! This is a revolution! We have to offend someone!
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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.
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One useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three is a Congress.
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