His face is livid, gaunt his whole body, his breath is green with gall; his tongue drips poison.
John Quincy AdamsRead
There is nothing so deep and nothing so shallow which political enmity will not turn to account.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Political enmity can exploit both profound and trivial matters for gain.
This quote highlights how political rivalry can manipulate any situation, regardless of its significance, to serve one's agenda. John Quincy Adams suggests that such enmity can take advantage of both deep issues that resonate with people and shallow ones that may seem inconsequential, reflecting the often opportunistic nature of politics.
Themes
PoliticsEnmityManipulationAgendaExploitation
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a political awareness seminar to emphasize the tactics used in political discourse.
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.
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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