You have rights antecedent to all earthly governments; rights that cannot be repealed or restrained by human laws; rights derived from the Great Legislator of the Universe.
Tag: John Adams
(1735-1826) Founding Father, 2nd U.S. President.
Corruption is like a cancer
Corruption, like a cancer … eats faster and faster every hour. The revenue creates pensioners, and the pensioners urge for more revenue. The people grow less steady, spirited, and virtuous, the seekers more numerous and more corrupt, and every day increases the circles of their dependents and expectants, until virtue, integrity, public spirit, simplicity, and frugality become the objects of ridicule and scorn, and vanity, luxury, floppery, selfishness, meanness, and downright venality swallow up the whole of society.
Educating children
Children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom.
The people must be moral
We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge … would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net.
Liberty vs. security
Those who trade liberty for security have neither.
Public affairs
Public affairs go on pretty much as usual: Perpetual chicanery and rather more personal abuse than there used to be …
We must understand our monetary system
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.
Democracy never lasts long
Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There was never a democracy yet that did not commit suicide. It is in vain to say that democracy is less vain, less proud, less selfish, less ambitious or less avaricious than aristocracy or monarchy. It is not true in fact and no where appears in history. Those passions are the same in all men under all forms of simple government, and when unchecked, produce the same effects of fraud violence and cruelty.
Liberty lost
A Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.
Foundation of fear
Fear is the foundation of most governments; but it is so sordid and brutal a passion, and renders men in whose breasts it predominates so stupid and miserable, that Americans will not be likely to approve of any political institution which is founded on it.