John Quincy Adams

If the dissolution of the Union should result from the slave question, it is as obvious as anything . . . that it must be shortly afterward followed by the universal emancipation of the slaves.' For 'slavery is the great…

Why is it, Friends and Fellow Citizens, that you are here assembled? ... Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the World, your most joyous and venerated festival returns on this day? ...Is it not that, in…

The influence of each human being on others in this life is a kind of immortality.

The four most miserable years of my life were my four years in the presidency.

Por donde sea que el estandarte de la libertad y la independencia se haya desplegado o se vaya a desplegar, ah'estar'n su coraz'n, sus bendiciones y sus plegarias. Pero no ir'n a ultramar en busca de monstruos que destru…

Se le tue azioni ispirano gli altri a sognare di pi', imparare di pi', fare di pi' e diventare di pi', allora sei un leader.

By infant baptism a person is committed, while unconscious, to a certain church; he is made a member of that church. Now, unless that church is infallible, it has no right to make a person a member without his consent; f…

Occasional war is one of the rigorous instruments in the hands of Providence to give tone to the character of nations.

Be a great speaker, become a leader.

Oh! God, my only trust went thereThrough all life's scenes beforeLo! At the throne again I bow,New mercies to implore.Grant active power, grant fervent zeal,And guide by thy control,And ever be my country's wealThe purpo…

We are now told, indeed, by the learned doctors of the nullification school, that color operates as a forfeiture of the rights of human nature; that a dark skin turns a man into a chattel; that crispy hair transforms a h…

The Lord saw fit to lead me some time by simple faith'a childlike dependence on the Word of God. And then, when I was emptied of self, I was filled with glory and with God. For the first time in my life, my soul was cont…

Baptists have always strenuously contended for the acknowledgment of this principle, and have labored to propagate it. Nowhere, on the page of history, can an instance be found of Baptists depriving others of their relig…

However tiresome to others, the most indefatigable orator is never tedious to himself. The sound of his own voice never loses its harmony to his own ear; and among the delusions, which self-love is ever assiduous in atte…

A politician in this country must be the man of a party. I would fain be the man of my whole country.

All men profess honesty as long as they can. To believe all men honest would be folly. To believe none so is something worse.

No one knows, and few conceive, the agony of mind that I have suffered from the time that I was made by circumstances, and not by my volition, a candidate for the Presidency till I was dismissed from that station by the…

When (an advocate) is not thoroughly acquainted with the real strength and weakness of his cause, he knows not where to choose the most impressive argument. When the mark is shrouded in obscurity, the only substitute for…

My toast would be, may our country always be successful, but whether successful or otherwise, always right.

This is the last of earth! I am content.

It is my wish to fill every moment of my time with some action of the mind which may contribute to the pleasure or the improvement of my fellow creatures.

Of all persecuted sects, the Baptists stand forth as most prominent, simply and only because they aim at a more complete and thorough reform than any others ever attempted. They teach that Christ's kingdom is not of this…

They taught that the church of which Jesus is the Head, was a spiritual organization, composed not of those who came into it by hereditary descent, but of those who were born of the Spirit. But, there has been a departur…

The Reformation which took place in the sixteenth century, while it aimed to remove many of the abuses of Popery, still did not recognize religions liberty. There is not a confession of faith, nor a creed, says Underhill…

If slavery be the destined sword of the hand of the destroying angel which is to sever the ties of this Union, the same sword will cut in sunder the bonds of slavery itself. A dissolution of the Union for the cause of sl…

Thus situated, the perilous experiment must be made. Let me make it with full deliberations, and be prepared for the consequences.

A desire to be observed, considered, esteemed, praised, beloved, and admired by his fellows is one of the earliest as well as the keenest dispositions discovered in the heart of man.

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.

If the fundamental principles in the Declaration of Independence, as self-evident truths, are real truths, the existence of slavery, in any form, is a wrong.

THE Gospel of Christ not only differs from all other systems of religion in the superior excellence of the truths it reveals, but also in the directions it gives for the propagation of its doctrines. Other systems seek t…

To furnish the means of acquiring knowledge is ... the greatest benefit that can be conferred upon mankind. It prolongs life itself and enlarges the sphere of existence.

We understand now, we've been made to understand, and to embrace the understanding that who we are is who we were.

Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak, and that it is doing God's service when it is violating all His laws.

Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.

Though it cost the blood of millions of white men, let it come. Let justice be done.

To believe all men honest would be folly. To believe none so, is something worse.

Posterity -- you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it.

America... goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all.

Try and fail,but don't fail to try.

I am a warrior, so that my son may be a merchant, so that his son may be a poet.

In charity to all mankind, bearing no malice or ill will to any human being, and even compassionating those who hold in bondage their fellow men, not knowing what they do.

Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone.

Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.