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“The science of government it is my duty to study, more than all other sciences; the arts of legislation and administration and negotiation ought to take the pl
by js2 8y ago
“The science of government it is my duty to study, more than all other sciences; the arts of legislation and administration and negotiation ought to take the place of, indeed exclude, in a manner, all other arts. I must study politics and war, that our sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. Our sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history and naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry and porcelain.”
-- John Adams (in a letter to Abigail)
- jessaustin 8y ago...and they all lived happily ever after! It isn't surprising that a generation who successfully fought a war of revolution against a royalty of "divine" right would have a millenarian bent, but that doesn't mean that we should believe them. In fact, it might be telling that this pithy narrative is found in a private letter to his wife rather than in his more intentionally public works. In every generation, there will be those who find poetry boring and politics exciting. The rest of us must maintain constant vigilance against those scourges on humanity.