"Our religion was the religion of a Book. Man must be educated on Earth for Heaven. John Quincy Adams"
- Paul C. Nagel
"Abigail Adams is willing to risk her son's exposure to danger in Europe so that he can be at his fathers side, at an age where he can "most benefit from his father's example and precepts."
"Foolish defiance was his lifelong response to being ill."
"Quite possibly, this depressive illness was the familiar sort that grew from perfectionist expectations."
"Ambition distorts even memory itself. John Quincy Adams"
"Most ardent reformers are accompanied by but equal portion of dullness . John Quincy Adams"
"When John Quincy Adams in the Netherlands was placed with elementary students and belittled because he did not speak Dutch, either the author or John Adams accuses school authorities of "littleness of..."
"Because he was suffering doubts about himself and his future, Adams may have felt comfort demeaning the behavior and the character of women."
"John Quincy Adams, denying his sons permission to come home for college holidays for under-performance: "I would feel nothing but sorrow and shame at your presence."
"The aging Adams delightedly describes being surrounded by books on so many different subjects that interested him as "baits on fishhooks"."