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When I was young, and addicted to reading, I had heard about dancing on the points of metaphysical needles but, by mixing in the world, I found the points of political needles finer and sharper than the metaphysical ones.

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
Metaphysical
Political
Points
Young
Dancing
World
Dance
Sharper
Ones
Finer
Heard
Needles
Reading
Mixing
Addicted
Found

More quotes by John Adams

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The government of the United States of America has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Muslims.
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But America is a great, unwieldy Body. Its Progress must be slow. It is like a large Fleet sailing under Convoy. The fleetest Sailors must wait for the dullest and slowest. Like a Coach and six-the swiftest Horses must be slackened and the slowest quickened, that all may keep an even Pace.
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The rights of Englishmen are derived from God, not from king or Parliament, and would be secured by the study of history, law, and tradition.
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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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There never was yet a people who must not have somebody or something to represent the dignity of the state, the majesty of the people, call it what you will - a doge, an avoyer, an archon, a president, a consul, a syndic this becomes at once an object of ambition and dispute, and, in time, of division, faction, sedition, and rebellion.
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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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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.
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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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Let us dare to read, think, speak and write.
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I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy.
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The deliberate union of so great and various a people in such a place, is without all partiality or prejudice, if not the greatest exertion of human understanding, the greatest single effort of national deliberation that the world has ever seen.
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Mystery is made a convenient Cover for absurdity.
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My God! This is a revolution! We have to offend someone!
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Let every sluice of knowledge be opened and set a-flowing.
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The whole people must take upon themselves the education of the whole people, and must be willing to bear the expenses of it. There should not be a district of one mile square, without a school in it, not founded by a charitable individual, but maintained at the public expense of the people themselves.
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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.
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I must not write a word to you about politics, because you are a woman.
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Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war.
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If the multitude is possessed of the balance of real estate, the multitude will have the balance of power, and in that case the multitude will take care of the liberty, virtue, and interest of the multitude in all acts of government.
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The appearance of religion only on Sunday proves that it is only an appearance.
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