John adams Quote by Ben Carson
““John Adams when he said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.””
About This Quote
The Constitution is designed for a morally and religiously guided populace, and may fail for others.
In simple terms: Constitution assumes moral, religious citizens.
Key Takeaway
Consider moral foundations of governance.
Themes
government
morality
religion
Mood
analytical
critical
Type
political
philosophical
When to use this quote
- policy debates
- educational curricula
- public discourse
Key Concepts
social contract
civic virtue
Questions to Reflect On
- Is a moral basis necessary for effective governance?
- How do secular societies uphold constitutional values?
A Different Perspective
Assumes a universal moral standard, which may not exist.
![“[John] Adams was arguing that a separate social order existed that needed to be embodied in senates and his fellow Americans could not accept this and accused him rightly of being obsessed with the English constitution.” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/92a/gordon-s-wood-13199_accepting_john-adams-was-arguing-that-a-separate-s_2932366.jpg)
![“It was [John's Adams] Massachusetts constitution if anything that influenced people.” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6fe/gordon-s-wood-13199_constitution_it-was-john-s-adams-massachusetts-consti_1867270.jpg)
![“By the time [John Adams] came to write his Defence of the Constitutions of the United States in 1787 he had as dark a view of the American character as that of any critic in our history.” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d41/gordon-s-wood-13199_american-character_by-the-time-john-adams-came-to-write-his_314115.jpg)
![“Every answer he [President John Adams] gives to his addressers unmasks more and more his principles and views. His language to the young men at Philadelphia is the most abominable and degrading that could fall from the lips of the first magistrate of an independent people, and particularly from a…” quote by James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0eb/james-madison-373_answers_every-answer-he-president-john-adams-giv_176611.jpg)
![“[John] Adams identified himself with the political theories of [James] Harrington, [John] Locke, and [Charles-Louis] Montesquieu, whose ideas of constitutionalism, he believed, were applicable to all peoples everywhere; they were his contribution to what he called "the divine science of politics."” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c71/gordon-s-wood-13199_constitutionalism_john-adams-identified-himself-with-the-p_226327.jpg)
![“[John] Adams was the best and most colorful stylist among the Founders. Although [Tomas] Jefferson is widely regarded as the smoothest writer, Adams is by far the most engaging and imaginative.” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/782/gordon-s-wood-13199_colorful_john-adams-was-the-best-and-most-colorfu_244163.jpg)
![“By 1782 [John Adams] had come to feel for [Benjamin] Franklin "no other sentiments than Contempt or Abhorrence."” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/91d/gordon-s-wood-13199_abhorrence_by-1782-john-adams-had-come-to-feel-for_357591.jpg)
![“I think [John Adams] developed a much deeper suspicion of France and the other European powers than he had earlier. He lost much if not all of the utopian thinking about international politics and diplomacy expressed in his Model Treaty of 1776 and became much more cynical about the world.” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ccc/gordon-s-wood-13199_cynical_i-think-john-adams-developed-a-much-deep_372770.jpg)
![“[John] Adams never had an optimistic view of human nature, and his experience in the Congress and abroad only deepened his suspicion that his fellow Americans might not have the character to sustain a republican government.” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4dc/gordon-s-wood-13199_character_john-adams-never-had-an-optimistic-view_386009.jpg)
![“The economic answer to the world's problems is John Adams, not [Karl] Marx.” quote by John Ringo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ebe/john-ringo-22656_answers_the-economic-answer-to-the-world-s-probl_431873.jpg)
