American culture Quote by Henry Adams

“I, too, like yourself was a good party man: my party was that of the Church; I was ultramontane. Your party system is one of your thefts from our Church; your National Convention is our Ecunemic Council; you abdicate reason, as we do, before its decisions; and you yourself Mr. Ratcliffe, you are a…” quote by Henry Adams — Download Open image

““I, too, like yourself was a good party man: my party was that of the Church; I was ultramontane. Your party system is one of your thefts from our Church; your National Convention is our Ecunemic Council; you abdicate reason, as we do, before its decisions; and you yourself Mr. Ratcliffe, you are a Cardinal.””

Henry Adams

About This Quote

Source Speech: Private letter or political pamphlet, late 19th century, United States

The speaker equates political allegiance with religious devotion, criticizing the secular party system as a betrayal of true moral authority.

In simple terms: Politics is treated like religion, and the party is seen as corrupt.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the danger of mixing faith with partisan politics.

Themes

politics religion authority criticism loyalty

Mood

critical reflective serious

Type

political philosophical controversial

When to use this quote

political debates
church meetings
public policy discussions
election campaigns

Key Concepts

ultramontanism secularism institutional critique

Questions to Reflect On

How does conflating religion and politics affect civic discourse?
Can moral authority be independent of religious institutions?

A Different Perspective

The analogy may oversimplify complex political realities and alienate secular perspectives.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.4 out of 5 (10 ratings)

American culture Democracy Democracy-gone-wrong Good party Party Party Church Party Man Politics Politics-of-the-united-states Ultramontane Party

More by Henry Adams

I am fairly tired--bored beyond endurance--by the world we live in, and its ideals, and am ready to say so, not violently, but kindly,…

Henry Adams

Image

“One had heard and read a great deal about death, and even seen a little of it, and knew by heart the thousand commonplaces…

Henry Adams

Image

Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit.

Henry Adams

Image

The chief wonder of education is that it does not ruin everybody concerned in it, teachers and taught.

Henry Adams

Image

The American President resembles the commander of a ship at sea. He must have a helm to grasp, a course to steer, a port…

Henry Adams

Image

The proof that a philosopher does not know what he is talking about is apt to sadden his followers before it reacts on himself.

Henry Adams

Image

No man should be in politics unless he would honestly rather not be there.

Henry Adams

Image

In the history of the United States, there is no continuity at all. You can cut through it anywhere and nothing on this side…

Henry Adams

Image

“Washington was no politician as we understand the word," replied Ratcliffe abruptly. "He stood outside of politics. The thing couldn't be done today. The…

Henry Adams

Image

Power when wielded by abnormal energy is the most serious of facts.

Henry Adams

Image

If I grapple with sin in my own strength, the devil knows he may go to sleep.

Henry Adams

Image

All State education is a sort of dynamo machine for polarizing the popular mind; for turning and holding its lines of force in the…

Henry Adams

Image

You may cut off the heads of every rich man now living--of every statesman--every literary, and every scientific authority, without in the least changing…

Henry Adams

Image

History is the most aristocratic of all literary pursuits, because it obliges the historian to be rich as well as educated.

Henry Adams

Image

The philosopher says--I am, and the church scouts his philosophy. She answers:--No! you are NOT, you have no existence of your own. You were…

Henry Adams

Image

Explore all 230 Henry Adams quotes

More American culture quotes

“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…

Oliver Markus Malloy

Image

France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…

Tyler Cowen

Image

“Every twenty minutes on the Appalachian Trail, Katz and I walked farther than the average American walks in a week. For 93 percent of…

Bill Bryson

Image

The Soviet Union is like the Cross without Christ, while American culture is like Christ without the Cross.

Fulton J. Sheen

Image

“information, in a stream-of-consciousness soliloquy that revealed the extent to which he had internalised the adversarial fragmentation of American culture and made it a…

Salman Rushdie

Image

[If] we can celebrate that in a way that celebrates our love for New England as well as our love for the Italian culture…

Mario Batali

Image

I think in American culture, we put value on economic success but tell people you don't have to be economically successful to be happy.

John Hodgman

Image

The most important thing about Jazz at Lincoln Center is the fact that it's the first time that perhaps the most important art form…

Rafael Vinoly

Image

And certainly in British culture, as I'm sure it's the same with American culture, we warm to cultures where people can make fun of…

Omid Djalili

Image

Canada could have enjoyed: English government, French culture, and American know-how. Instead it ended up with: English know-how, French government, and American culture.

Anonymous

Image

In contemporary American culture, the religions are more and more treated as just passing beliefs - almost as fads - rather than as the…

Stephen L. Carter

Image

Being educated in the United States gave me a good understanding of American culture. I think I got a lot of influence from the…

Masayoshi Son

Image

“From the isolated, individualistic perspective of most white evangelicals and many other Americans, there really is no race problem other than bad interpersonal relationships.”

Christian Smith