A few quotes from one of my favorite Presidents of the United States

[xiphias]

Our second President (under the Constitution. . . there had been seventeen presidents of the United States prior to Washington, but it was a different job.) Was he perfect? Not by a long shot -- he was behind the Alien and Sedition Acts which were one of the lowest points of this country's early history. But. . . I like him. I respect his flaws. He was elitist, irascible, hostile, prickly, unpopular, idealistic, well-educated, dedicated, a dreamer. . .

The science of government it is my duty to study, more than all other sciences; the arts of legislation and administration and negotiation ought to take the place of, indeed exclude, in a manner, all other arts. I must study politics and war, that our sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. Our sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history and naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry and porcelain.

-- found written in the margins of his copy of Plato's Republic. Adams wrote in his books -- and sometimes, what he wrote in them is as interesting as the books themselves -- sometimes, MORE interesting.

Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.

-- from his defense of the soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre. He was a revolutionary -- he was very much angered by the presence of British soldiers in Boston in the months and years leading up to the Revolutionary War. But he felt that the soldiers who fired on the mob deserved a good defense lawyer. Which he was. And he got them off.

All the perplexities, confusion and distress in America arise not from defects in their Constitution or Confederation, nor from want of honor or virtue, so much as downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit, and circulation.

-- but cutting taxes will really spur the economy! Really! Trust me!

"Be not intimidated... nor suffer yourselves to be wheedled out of your liberties by any pretense of politeness, delicacy, or decency. These, as they are often used, are but three different names for hypocrisy, chicanery and cowardice." -- 1765 Griff, remember this one next time someone asks you why you homosexuals can't just be nice and quiet and not make a fuss.

"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." -- written in his journal, 1772

"Nip the shoots of arbitrary power in the bud, is the only maxim which can ever preserve the liberties of any people." -- written in the newspaper "Boston Gazette", under the pseudonym "Novanglus", February 6 1775

Comments

[cheshyre]

[John Adams] was elitist, irascible, hostile, prickly, unpopular, idealistic, well-educated, dedicated, a dreamer. . .

Just like you, in other words.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

I am neither unpopular nor dedicated.

Nor particularly well-educated, come to think of it.

[teddywolf.livejournal.com]

There's many different kinds of education.

My Uncle Dick (may he rest in peace) may have gotten his high school diploma but certainly never got anything else from a school. He married my aunt Ada Mae, a dear woman who basically told my grandfather to go to hell and moved out from living with the family.

My Dad was the golden boy for grandfather - got his collegiate degree, did family duties and such - and yet Dad was and remains his own man. Dad respected Uncle Dick's intelligence and knowledge very much, for all that he didn't have a college degree. Dad is not dumb that way. Neither am I.

Having large quantities of knowledge is useless if you don't know how to channel it. You know how to channel it. You and I have both seen people who have degrees who apparently learned nothing from them (cough) The President and his Master's in Business like, say, a few elected officials.

Adams

[(Anonymous)]

John adams was my friend, he was cool. He is not dead.