His face is livid, gaunt his whole body, his breath is green with gall; his tongue drips poison.
John Quincy AdamsRead
This mode of electioneering suited neither my taste nor my principles. I thought it equally unsuitable to my personal character and to the station in which I am placed.
Interpretation
What this quote means
John Quincy Adams expresses his disdain for certain election tactics that conflict with his values and character.
In this quote, John Quincy Adams reflects on the integrity of political campaigning and how he believed certain methods did not align with his principles or personal character. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining one's values and the appropriateness of behavior in the context of oneβs role, suggesting that integrity should guide the actions of leaders in public service.
Themes
IntegrityPoliticsCharacterPrinciplesElection
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a leadership seminar to discuss the importance of integrity in politics.
More from John Quincy Adams
All quotes βAlways vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.
John Quincy AdamsRead
It is among the evils of slavery that it taints the very sources of moral principle. It establishes false estimates of virtue and vice: for what can be more false and heartless than this doctrine which makes the first and holiest rights of humanity to depend upon the color of the skin?
John Quincy AdamsRead
The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.
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I have no predilection for unpopularity as such, but I hold it much preferable to the popularity of a day, which perishes with the transient topic upon which it is grounded.
John Quincy AdamsRead
According to the Stoics, all vice was resolvable into folly: according to the Christian principle, it is all the effect of weakness.
John Quincy AdamsRead
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