--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have no Constitution which functions…" description: "\"We have no Constitution which functions in the absence of a moral people\" — John Adams" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/john-adams-529_absence_we-have-no-constitution-which-functions_1614732.jpg" --- # We have no Constitution which functions in the absence of… ![“We have no Constitution which functions in the absence of a moral people” quote by John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/john-adams-529_absence_we-have-no-constitution-which-functions_1614732.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/john-adams-529_absence_we-have-no-constitution-which-functions_1614732.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/john-adams-529_absence_we-have-no-constitution-which-functions_1614732.jpg) > “We have no Constitution which functions in the absence of a moral people” [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A constitution only works when the people uphold moral standards; without virtue, it is powerless. **In simple terms:** Constitution needs moral people. Key Takeaway Cultivate civic virtue. Themes government morality citizenship Mood reflective serious Type political ethical When to use this quote - voting - community service - education reform Key Concepts Social contract civic responsibility ethics Questions to Reflect On - What civic virtues are most needed today? - How can societies foster moral integrity? A Different Perspective Moral decay can undermine even the best laws. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Constitution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitution/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [No government can act in advance of the moral will of the people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-d-james/no-government-can-act-in-advance-of-the-moral-will-of-the-people/) [P. D. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-d-james/) > [If I could only have one thing in life, it would be for my sons to grow up to become quality men who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-browne/if-i-could-only-have-one-thing-in-life-it-would-be-for-my-sons-to/) [Travis Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-browne/) > [I've had the philosophy that John Adams expressed, in the kind of system that we're trying to create in this country: that this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-koch/i-ve-had-the-philosophy-that-john-adams-expressed-in-the-kind-of/) [Charles Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-koch/) > [We can't stop talking about the importance of our values and our culture. We can't stop talking about them because the moral well-being of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/we-can-t-stop-talking-about-the-importance-of-our-values-and-our/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [In my run-ins with Christians... I find that they really are good moral people. And we overlap on everything, and they don't seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/in-my-run-ins-with-christians-i-find-that-they-really-are-good-moral/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [We may pretend that we're basically moral people who make mistakes, but the whole of history proves otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-hands/we-may-pretend-that-we-re-basically-moral-people-who-make-mistakes/) Terry Hands > [We Americans have a sense of ourselves as a moral people. 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Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I never came across anyone in whom the moral sense was dominant who was not heartless, cruel, vindictive, log-stupid, and entirely lacking in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-never-came-across-anyone-in-whom-the-moral-sense-was-dominant-who/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [For white people, their identities rest on the idea of racism as about good or bad people, about moral or immoral singular acts, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-diangelo/for-white-people-their-identities-rest-on-the-idea-of-racism-as-about/) [Robin DiAngelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-diangelo/) ## More by John Adams > [Historically, usury was defined as any interest whatever on an unproductive loan.Our whole banking system I have ever abhorred, I continue to abhor, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/historically-usury-was-defined-as-any-interest-whatever-on-an/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [“Daughter! Get you an honest Man for a Husband, and keep him honest. No matter whether he is rich, provided he be independent. Regard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/daughter-get-you-an-honest-man-for-a-husband-and-keep-him-honest-no/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/the-general-principles-on-which-the-fathers-achieved-independence/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [We may... affirm that the balance of power in a society accompanies the balance of property in land. 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But upon the stage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/upon-common-theaters-indeed-the-applause-of-the-audience-is-of-more/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [There are only two creatures of value on the face of the earth: those with the commitment, and those who require the commitment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/there-are-only-two-creatures-of-value-on-the-face-of-the-earth-those/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [ I will insist the Hebrews have \[contributed\] more to civilize men than any other nation. 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Jobs, family, employers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/every-person-needs-to-take-one-day-away-a-day-in-which-one/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“I was thinking how most people don't make you feel much of anything at all. Don't make you feel like time spent with them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lotter/i-was-thinking-how-most-people-don-t-make-you-feel-much-of-anything/) [Jane Lotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lotter/) > [Cooperation isn't the absence of conflict but a means of managing conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/cooperation-isn-t-the-absence-of-conflict-but-a-means-of-managing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [Many are observing Ferguson and witnessing the anger, demonstrations, looting and vandalism and calling for quiet. But quiet isn't enough. 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Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) [Browse all 2,057 Absence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We have no Constitution which functions in the absence of a moral people", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Adams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/we-have-no-constitution-which-functions-in-the-absence-of-a-moral/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Absence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/we-have-no-constitution-which-functions-in-the-absence-of-a-moral/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/john-adams-529_absence_we-have-no-constitution-which-functions_1614732.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/john-adams-529_absence_we-have-no-constitution-which-functions_1614732.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/john-adams-529_absence_we-have-no-constitution-which-functions_1614732.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We have no Constitution which functions in the absence of a moral people” — John Adams", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "John Adams", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We have no Constitution which functions...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/we-have-no-constitution-which-functions-in-the-absence-of-a-moral/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/we-have-no-constitution-which-functions-in-the-absence-of-a-moral/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```