--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [John Adams] letters courting Abigail…" description: "\"[John Adams] letters courting Abigail Smith are especially priceless. In one of 1764 he addresses her as \"Miss Adorable\" and says that \"By the same Tok..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7c/gordon-s-wood-13199_abigail_john-adams-letters-courting-abigail-smit_2513933.png" --- # \[John Adams\] letters courting Abigail Smith are especially… ![“[John Adams] letters courting Abigail Smith are especially priceless. In one of 1764 he addresses her as "Miss Adorable" and says that "By the same Token that the Bearer hereof satt up with you last night I hereby order you to give him, as many Kisses, and as many Hours of your Company after 9…” quote by Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7c/gordon-s-wood-13199_abigail_john-adams-letters-courting-abigail-smit_2513933.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7c/gordon-s-wood-13199_abigail_john-adams-letters-courting-abigail-smit_2513933.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7c/gordon-s-wood-13199_abigail_john-adams-letters-courting-abigail-smit_2513933.png) > “\[John Adams\] letters courting Abigail Smith are especially priceless. In one of 1764 he addresses her as "Miss Adorable" and says that "By the same Token that the Bearer hereof satt up with you last night I hereby order you to give him, as many Kisses, and as many Hours of your Company after 9 O'Clock as he shall please to Demand and charge them to my Account."” [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Adams uses affectionate nicknames and playful demands to maintain closeness despite distance, blending love and humor. **In simple terms:** Adams writes sweet, teasing letters to his wife. Key Takeaway Use humor and affection to strengthen long‑distance relationships. Themes love humor distance Mood affectionate historical Type letter romantic When to use this quote - long‑distance romance - marriage - historical study Key Concepts affection courtship historical correspondence Questions to Reflect On - How does humor affect emotional intimacy? - What role does language play in courtship? A Different Perspective May not reflect modern gender expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abigail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abigail/) [Abigail Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abigail-smith-1183197/) [Accounts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accounts/) [Adams Letters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adams-letters-1183198/) [Addresses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addresses/) [Adorable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adorable/) [Clock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Courting Abigail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courting-abigail-1183195/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours/) [John Adam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john-adam/) [John adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john-adams/) [Kissing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kissing/) [Last night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-night/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Letters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letters/) [Letters Courting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letters-courting-1183196/) [Missing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missing/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Please](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/please/) [Priceless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/priceless/) [Tokens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tokens/) ## Related quotes > [ \[John\] Adams's letters to \[his wife\] Abigail are wonderful. In his letters, he is loving, humorous, preachy, learned, and saucy. He speaks to her… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/john-adams-s-letters-to-his-wife-abigail-are-wonderful-in-his-letters/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [ \[John Adams\] diary, of course, is even more revealing of his feelings. Both his letters to \[his wife\] Abigail and his diary tell us… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/john-adams-diary-of-course-is-even-more-revealing-of-his-feelings/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [ \[John\] Adams's letters reveal his persistence and determination to win over the Dutch against all odds and to convince them and the other peoples… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/john-adams-s-letters-reveal-his-persistence-and-determination-to-win/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [When a friend of Abigail and John Adams was killed at Bunker Hill, Abigail's response was to write a letter to her husband and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/when-a-friend-of-abigail-and-john-adams-was-killed-at-bunker-hill/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [ \[John's Adams\] description of \[Benjamin\] Franklin in a letter to \[his wife\] Abigail in 1775 is laudatory. Only when he experiences all the adulation… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/john-s-adams-description-of-benjamin-franklin-in-a-letter-to-his-wife/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [ Americans, \[John Adams\] wrote in 1780, believed that their "revolution is as much for the benefit of the generality of Mankind in Europe, as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/americans-john-adams-wrote-in-1780-believed-that-their-revolution-is/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [ \[Benjamin\] Franklin may be a great philosopher, \[John Adams\] told his diary in 1779, but "as a Legislator in America he has done very little." ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/benjamin-franklin-may-be-a-great-philosopher-john-adams-told-his/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [ \[John Adams's\] vividly descriptive prose is supremely quotable. Adams wears his heart on his sleeve and reveals all of his ambitions, doubts, and insecurities,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/john-adams-s-vividly-descriptive-prose-is-supremely-quotable-adams/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [ \[John Adams\] is impressed with \[Tomas\] Jefferson's learning, but noted his silence during the debates in the Congress: "I never heard him utter three… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/john-adams-is-impressed-with-tomas-jefferson-s-learning-but-noted-his/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [ \[John Adams\] experience with the French philosophers only convinced him further of the need for a bicameral legislature representing the two principal social orders… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/john-adams-experience-with-the-french-philosophers-only-convinced-him/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [ Deeply versed in history, \[John Adams\] said over and over that America had no special providence, no special role in history, that Americans were… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/deeply-versed-in-history-john-adams-said-over-and-over-that-america/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [ A mutual friend, Benjamin Rush, brought \[Tomas Jefferson and John Adams\] together in 1812, and they went on to exchange letters for the rest… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/a-mutual-friend-benjamin-rush-brought-tomas-jefferson-and-john-adams/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [ I think \[John Adams\] developed a much deeper suspicion of France and the other European powers than he had earlier. He lost much if… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/i-think-john-adams-developed-a-much-deeper-suspicion-of-france-and/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [ By 1782 \[John Adams\] had come to feel for \[Benjamin\] Franklin "no other sentiments than Contempt or Abhorrence." ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/by-1782-john-adams-had-come-to-feel-for-benjamin-franklin-no-other/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [ By the time \[John Adams\] came to write his Defence of the Constitutions of the United States in 1787 he had as dark a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/by-the-time-john-adams-came-to-write-his-defence-of-the-constitutions/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) ## More by Gordon S. Wood > [ \[The Massachusetts constitution\] resembles the federal Constitution of 1787 more closely than any of the other revolutionary state constitutions. It was also drawn up… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/the-massachusetts-constitution-resembles-the-federal-constitution-of/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [If history teaches anything, it teaches humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/if-history-teaches-anything-it-teaches-humility/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [ \[John\] Adams identified himself with the political theories of \[James\] Harrington, \[John\] Locke, and \[Charles-Louis\] Montesquieu, whose ideas of constitutionalism, he believed, were applicable… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/john-adams-identified-himself-with-the-political-theories-of-james/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [ \[John\] Adams was the best and most colorful stylist among the Founders. Although \[Tomas\] Jefferson is widely regarded as the smoothest writer, Adams is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/john-adams-was-the-best-and-most-colorful-stylist-among-the-founders/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [This rationale, which justified the mixed constitution of Great Britain, might have made some sense in 1776, but by 1787 most American thinkers had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/this-rationale-which-justified-the-mixed-constitution-of-great/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [ By the time \[John Adams\] came to write his Defence of the Constitutions of the United States in 1787 he had as dark a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/by-the-time-john-adams-came-to-write-his-defence-of-the-constitutions/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [ Creating senates, the French critics said, implied that there was another social order besides the people represented in the houses of representatives. \[John\] Adams… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/creating-senates-the-french-critics-said-implied-that-there-was/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [ By 1782 \[John Adams\] had come to feel for \[Benjamin\] Franklin "no other sentiments than Contempt or Abhorrence." ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/by-1782-john-adams-had-come-to-feel-for-benjamin-franklin-no-other/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [ I think \[John Adams\] developed a much deeper suspicion of France and the other European powers than he had earlier. He lost much if… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/i-think-john-adams-developed-a-much-deeper-suspicion-of-france-and/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [ \[John\] Adams never had an optimistic view of human nature, and his experience in the Congress and abroad only deepened his suspicion that his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/john-adams-never-had-an-optimistic-view-of-human-nature-and-his/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [ A mutual friend, Benjamin Rush, brought \[Tomas Jefferson and John Adams\] together in 1812, and they went on to exchange letters for the rest… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/a-mutual-friend-benjamin-rush-brought-tomas-jefferson-and-john-adams/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [“Intellectual activity in a culture is not a one-way flow between the great minds and passive recipients; it is a discourse, a complex marketplace-like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/intellectual-activity-in-a-culture-is-not-a-one-way-flow-between-the/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [ \[John\] 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… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/john-adams-s-perception-of-europe-and-especially-france-was-clearly/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [History is the queen of the humanities. It teaches wisdom and humility, and it tells us how things change through time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/history-is-the-queen-of-the-humanities-it-teaches-wisdom-and-humility/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [“In the decades following the Revolution, America changed so much and so rapidly that Americans not only became used to change, but came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/in-the-decades-following-the-revolution-america-changed-so-much-and/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) [Explore all 51 Gordon S. Wood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) ## More Abigail quotes > [Unfortunately, the heart played its own tune, and it was deaf to what the head tried to tell it.’ – Abigail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/unfortunately-the-heart-played-its-own-tune-and-it-was-deaf-to-what/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [The Language of Sand has something for everyone: myths, mystery, community, humor, grief, and ultimately healing. I found myself not only rooting for Abigail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brunonia-barry/the-language-of-sand-has-something-for-everyone-myths-mystery/) [Brunonia Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brunonia-barry/) > [Now what other evil powers do you have that I should know about?” – Abigail “I can roll my tongue.” – Sundown “I’m serious,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/now-what-other-evil-powers-do-you-have-that-i-should-know-about/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [When a friend of Abigail and John Adams was killed at Bunker Hill, Abigail's response was to write a letter to her husband and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/when-a-friend-of-abigail-and-john-adams-was-killed-at-bunker-hill/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [I like all kinds of music. I listen to Abigail Washburn, the Punch Brothers, and Marc Johnson, the great clawhammer player. I also listen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-like-all-kinds-of-music-i-listen-to-abigail-washburn-the-punch/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [You get some sleep, Abigail," Townsend told her. "I'll keep watch." "That's very gracious of you, but being that we're on an airplane..." Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/you-get-some-sleep-abigail-townsend-told-her-i-ll-keep-watch-that-s/) [Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/) > [You have overburdened your argument with ostentatious erudition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/you-have-overburdened-your-argument-with-ostentatious-erudition/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/let-either-of-you-breathe-a-word-or-the-edge-of-a-word-about-the/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) > [“Your chest is surprisingly hairy.’ ‘I hope I can’t say the same thing about you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gemma-burgess/your-chest-is-surprisingly-hairy-i-hope-i-can-t-say-the-same-thing/) [Gemma Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gemma-burgess/) > [What are you people talking about?” – Abigail “Nothing important. Just the end of the world as we know it, and for the record,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/what-are-you-people-talking-about-abigail-nothing-important-just-the/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“Sorry. Did you know you giggle in your sleep, by the way?’ ‘Really? How adorable of me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gemma-burgess/sorry-did-you-know-you-giggle-in-your-sleep-by-the-way-really-how/) [Gemma Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gemma-burgess/) > [All right, everyone. Fess up. Who just shat in their pants? C'mon. Admit it." He raised his hand. I know I did and I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/all-right-everyone-fess-up-who-just-shat-in-their-pants-c-mon-admit-2/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Miss Abigail, I want to be an author because writers know when a person is lonely. I mean, when Molly read me some books,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/miss-abigail-i-want-to-be-an-author-because-writers-know-when-a/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [Step aside, boys. I have the evil powers for this.” – Abigail “My lady got mad skills.” – Sundown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/step-aside-boys-i-have-the-evil-powers-for-this-abigail-my-lady-got/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Abbey," Sarah said, "life is to be lived. If you're living, you're going to stumble along the way." "All the time?" Abigail lept to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-feehan/abbey-sarah-said-life-is-to-be-lived-if-you-re-living-you-re-going-to/) [Christine Feehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-feehan/) [Browse all 38 Abigail quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abigail/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "[John Adams] letters courting Abigail Smith are especially priceless. In one of 1764 he addresses her as \"Miss Adorable\" and says that \"By the same Token that the Bearer hereof satt up with you last night I hereby order you to give him, as many Kisses, and as many Hours of your Company after 9 O'Clock as he shall please to Demand and charge them to my Account.\"", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gordon S. 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