His face is livid, gaunt his whole body, his breath is green with gall; his tongue drips poison.
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Choosing unpopularity over fleeting popularity signifies valuing lasting principles over temporary trends.
John Quincy Adams expresses a profound philosophy regarding the nature of popularity, suggesting that he would rather be unpopular for holding strong principles than to seek popularity that is based on trivial or transient issues. He emphasizes the importance of enduring values over ephemeral acclaim, underscoring a commitment to substance over the superficiality of public opinions that are subject to change.
Themes
PopularityPrinciplesValuesTransienceUnpopularity
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about leadership integrity, this quote can illustrate the importance of standing by one's beliefs.
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
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
I speak as a man of the world to men of the world; and I say to you, Search the Scriptures! The Bible is the book of all others, to be read at all ages, and in all conditions of human life; not to be read once or twice or thrice through, and then laid aside, but to be read in small portions of one or two chapters every day, and never to be intermitted, unless by some overruling necessity.
John Quincy AdamsRead
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