His face is livid, gaunt his whole body, his breath is green with gall; his tongue drips poison.
John Quincy AdamsRead
Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the world, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day (the 4th of July)? Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior?.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote connects the celebration of national independence with the reverence for divine salvation, suggesting both are pivotal moments.
John Quincy Adams compares the significance of the 4th of July, the day of American independence, to Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. He implies that the founding of the nation is not only a historical event but carries a profound spiritual meaning, suggesting that both milestones represent moments of great joy and hope in the human experience.
Themes
IndependenceFreedomCelebrationNationSpirituality
In practice
Example use cases
During a 4th of July speech, one might quote this to emphasize the significance of national pride.
More from John Quincy Adams
All quotes →Always 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.
John Quincy AdamsRead
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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