John Adams, (1735-1826) Founding Father, 2nd US President Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Comment on this quote Share via Email Print this Page John Adams Quote “Society's demands for moral authority and character increase as the importance of the position increases.”John Adams ~ John Adams (1735-1826) Founding Father, 2nd US President Authority , Honor , Integrity , Morals , Society , Virtue , Character Ratings and Comments Reply Anonymous 4/11/07 1 Reply Anonymous 4/11/07 very powerful and frank. 1 Reply warren, olathe 10/16/07 Maybe in his day. Now we get Bill and Hillary. Now our schools teach that there is no moral authority. Morality is up to the individual. Truth is what any one makes it out to be. Facts are irrelevant. Definitions of words can be changed to suit the individual political ideology. Great quote. Hope to see it mean somthing again in our society. Reply Anonymous, Reston, VA US 6/10/08 and when it is lacking, in the case of Bill Clinton we get a stained dress... and in the case of George W Bush we get thousands who are needlessly dead and greater concern for the fiscal good of the rich than the simple survival of the poor... Impeach the liar who kills not the one who spews! Reply Mike, Norwalk 6/10/08 a contemporary observation, not so relevant today 1 Reply Roxana, Olympia 6/10/08 Our founding fathers were wise beyond their years. 1 Reply E Archer, NYC 6/10/08 Yes, Mike, today the higher the position the greater the moral abuses. Clinton was/is a disgrace and an embarrassment to the country. The Bush's are just corrupt. God help us. Reply Me Again 6/10/08 That may have been true at one time but look at the 21st Century American leaders and,I would say,they are contrary to this quote.Possibly because our concerns as American citizens are no longer valued? Real Eyes Realize Real Lies! 1 Reply RobertSRQ 6/10/08 I agree with Mike; alas, we have forgotten these great ideals - very well put Reston - very delicate 1 Reply Ken, Allyn, WA 6/10/08 Maybe the answer is that the top positions in government need to have less power. If the positions of President, Supreme Court Justices, Congressmen, and Senators are so powerful that no one can avoid being corrupted by them, maybe we need to clip their wings and take some of the sovereignty we loaned them back. Decentralize the power of government and put the power closer to the people, so we can keep an eye on it. 1 Reply ken, milford 6/12/08 All of the above comments have merit, but you have got to love John Adams. He is always on the mark. What I wouldn't give for someone to be president today that has his integrity, and intelect 1 Reply E Archer, NYC 6/12/08 "Maybe the answer is that the top positions in government need to have less power." Hey, Ken, it's called 'The Consitution' -- its purpose is to strictly limit and check government's power. But, hey, we live in a democracy right, so if the majority choose to ignore the Constitution, then our officials don't have to follow it. Welcome to the arbitrary de facto democracy that has become the USA -- a government of the banks, by the banks, and for the banks at the altar of the almighty 'dollar'. 1 Reply suzieQ, superior 8/4/10 I think E Archer hit the nail on the head.This country is owned by the big banks & corporations. 1 Reply Ronw13, OR 5/23/18 "As the importance of the position increases." due to lawlessness through/by a corrupting social experiment, an equal and just reaction has/is taking place in American society. Commonsense and defence of America's core values and security are in the forefront once again. Sound Leadership elected against a stacked deck, rigged system, corrupt through designing neglect, is being called out openly for the public to see and hear. America is Not a free-for-all to be given away at the whims of global socialist within the ranks of our government servants. Remembering that both ends are played against the middle by a third party, be careful as to apply hatred. Hatred is an emotional response and eats one up from the inside out. The restorative Righting of our Ship of State is well under way, whether one trades paper or gold, grows a garden, hunts and fishes, or just lazy, we still must exercise ourselves in this thing called Life. When chains of the regulatory state are taken away, Prosperity turns to a happier people. MAGA is an agenda and a well deserved phrase applied to the Trump Era. Never before have such Master Craftsmen been assembled in American history for this monumental undertaken, to Restore our Free Popular form of Republican government. That which our nation was founded upon. SaveOk2 SaveOk2 View CommentsClick to view or comment. Share on Facebook Tweet Email Print This John Adams quote is found in these categories: Authority quotes Honor quotes Integrity quotes Morals quotes Society quotes Virtue quotes Character quotes About John Adams Bio of John Adams Quotations by John Adams Books by/about John Adams John Adams videos John Adams on Wikipedia Astrological chart for John Adams