Communicate Quote by Gordon S. Wood
![“After [Tomas] Jefferson's defeat of [John] Adams in the presidential election of 1800, they didn't communicate with one another for more than a decade.” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/12a/gordon-s-wood-13199_communicate_after-tomas-jefferson-s-defeat-of-john-a_1528979.jpg)
“After [Tomas] Jefferson's defeat of [John] Adams in the presidential election of 1800, they didn't communicate with one another for more than a decade.”
About This Quote
Source History Book: The American Revolution: A History, Gordon S. Wood, 2002
Political rivals can maintain personal animosity for years, even after power shifts, affecting communication and cooperation.
In simple terms: Rivals may stop talking for years after a contested election.
Key Takeaway
Recognize that personal grudges can hinder collaboration.
Themes
politics
personal conflict
history
Mood
reflective
analytical
Type
historical
political
When to use this quote
- government negotiations
- party leadership meetings
- historical analyses
- diplomatic outreach
Key Concepts
power dynamics
electoral rivalry
long‑term grudges
Questions to Reflect On
- How do personal rivalries shape political outcomes?
- Can former opponents become allies later?
A Different Perspective
Even after defeat, mutual respect may eventually restore dialogue.
![“[John Adams] is impressed with [Tomas] Jefferson's learning, but noted his silence during the debates in the Congress: "I never heard him utter three Sentences together."” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/77f/gordon-s-wood-13199_congress_john-adams-is-impressed-with-tomas-jeffe_1569958.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)
![“A mutual friend, Benjamin Rush, brought [Tomas Jefferson and John Adams] together in 1812, and they went on to exchange letters for the rest of their lives. But in their correspondence they tended to avoid the most controversial issues, such as slavery.” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/be3/gordon-s-wood-13199_controversial_a-mutual-friend-benjamin-rush-brought-to_487463.jpg)
![“[John] Adams's perception of Europe, and especially France, was clearly different than [Tomas] Jefferson's. For Jefferson, the luxury and sophistication of Europe only made American simplicity and virtue appear dearer. For Adams, by contrast, Europe represented what America was fast becoming - a…” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8c0/gordon-s-wood-13199_america_john-adams-s-perception-of-europe-and-es_579328.jpg)
![“The relationship between [John] Adams and [Tomas] Jefferson was extraordinary. They differed on every conceivable issue, except on the Revolution and the love of their country.” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/423/gordon-s-wood-13199_country_the-relationship-between-john-adams-and_1333640.jpg)
![“[John Adams and Tomas Jefferson] shared experience in 1775 - 1776 in bringing about the separation from Britain and their service in Europe cemented a friendship that in the end withstood the most serious political and religious differences that one could imagine, especially their differences over…” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/61b/gordon-s-wood-13199_becoming_john-adams-and-tomas-jefferson-shared-ex_2533475.jpg)
![“The Declaration [of Independence] was a committee report, and [Tomas] Jefferson was simply the draftsman. [John] Adams's crucial role in bringing about independence in the Continental Congress has tended to get forgotten.” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/121/gordon-s-wood-13199_committees_the-declaration-of-independence-was-a-co_2442911.jpg)
![“I think [John's Adams] descriptions of the personalities of [Benjamin] Franklin and [Tomas] Jefferson and others were pretty accurate. It is only when he felt he was wronged by them that he lets loose his anger and resentment.” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/394/gordon-s-wood-13199_accurate_i-think-john-s-adams-descriptions-of-the_2774163.jpg)
![“[John Adams] always felt that his contribution to bringing about independence went unappreciated, especially after the 1790s when [Tomas] Jefferson began to be lauded as the "author" of the Declaration of Independence.” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5be/gordon-s-wood-13199_books_john-adams-always-felt-that-his-contribu_2260931.jpg)
![“More than any other figure in our history [Tomas] Jefferson is responsible for the idea of American exceptionalism.” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dc4/gordon-s-wood-13199_american-exceptional_more-than-any-other-figure-in-our-histor_2886209.jpg)
![“Again and again [Tomas] Jefferson deftly sidesteps many of [John] Adams's often provocative remarks. They both felt the correspondence, which was written for posterity, was too important to risk by being too candid with one another.” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3e9/gordon-s-wood-13199_again-and-again_again-and-again-tomas-jefferson-deftly-s_3050053.jpg)
![“[Tomas] Jefferson believed that the United States was a chosen nation with a special responsibility to spread democracy around the world.” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/702/gordon-s-wood-13199_around-the-world_tomas-jefferson-believed-that-the-united_1396704.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)
![“[The Massachusetts constitution] resembles the federal Constitution of 1787 more closely than any of the other revolutionary state constitutions. It was also drawn up by a special convention, and it provided for popular ratification - practices that were followed by the drafters of the federal…” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ebc/gordon-s-wood-13199_constitution_the-massachusetts-constitution-resembles_34263.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)
![“Creating senates, the French critics said, implied that there was another social order besides the people represented in the houses of representatives. [John] Adams actually agreed with that implication and argued that the aristocracy and the people had to have separate houses; this was the only…” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9a7/gordon-s-wood-13199_aristocracy_creating-senates-the-french-critics-said_349374.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_adams_john-adams-never-had-an-optimistic-view_386009.jpg)
