Admire and adore the Author of the telescopic universe, love and esteem the work, do all in your power to lessen ill, and increase good, but never assume to comprehend.
I, poor creature, worn out with scribbling for my bread and my liberty, low in spirits and weak in health, must leave others to wear the laurels which I have sown, others to eat the bread which I have earned. A common case.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the struggles of the writer who feels their efforts go unrecognized while others benefit from their work.
In this quote, John Adams expresses a profound sense of exhaustion and disappointment. He feels that despite his hard work and contributions, he remains unacknowledged and left to struggle while others enjoy the accolades and rewards derived from his labor. This sentiment captures the often-unseen sacrifices made by creators and the reality that many talented individuals toil in obscurity, only to see others benefit from their efforts. It highlights the universal plight of those who labor in service of a greater good without receiving the recognition they deserve.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the unsung heroes of society.
More from John Adams
All quotes →Property monopolized or in the possession of a few is a curse to mankind.
Let us dare to read, think, speak and write.
There are two ways to conquer and enslave a country. One is by the sword. The other is by debt.
Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.
The furnace of affliction produces refinement, in states as well as individuals.
Similar quotes
You have to talk about mistakes and then talk about what you have learned and how to move forward. You acknowledge missteps right away, you deal with them, and you move ahead.
Two things are bad for the heart - running up stairs and running down people.
By the age of eighteen, a human has acquired enough joy and heartache to provide the food of reflection for a century.
That knowledge humbles me, melts my bones, closes my ears, and makes my teeth rock loosely in their gums. And it also liberates me. I am a big bird winging over high mountains, down into serene valleys. I am ripples of waves on silver seas. I'm a spring leaf trembling in anticipation.
All things to do with drag are inherently therapeutic because the realization of your own insanity is the beginning of sanity.
That luminous part of you that exists beyond personality - your soul, if you will - is as bright and shining as any that has ever been. Bright as Shakespeare’s, bright as Gandhi’s, bright as Mother Theresa’s. Clear away everything that keeps you separate from this secret luminous place. Believe it exists, come to know it better, nurture it, share its fruits tirelessly.