“American society is a sort of flat, fresh-water pond which absorbs silently, without reaction, anything which is thrown into it.”
Society
“Knowledge of human nature is the beginning and end of political education.”
EducationAll Quotes by Henry Adams
“Everyone carries his own inch rule of taste, and amuses himself by applying it, triumphantly, wherever he travels.”
Travel“Some day science may have the existence of mankind in power, and the human race can commit suicide by blowing up the world.”
Power“Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit.”
History“The progress of evolution from President Washington to President Grant was alone evidence to upset Darwin.”
Alone“He too serves a certain purpose who only stands and cheers.”
Politics“All experience is an arch, to build upon.”
Experience“Politics are a very unsatisfactory game.”
Politics“There is no such thing as an underestimate of average intelligence.”
Intelligence“One friend in a lifetime is much, two are many, three are hardly possible. Friendship needs a certain parallelism of life, a community of thought, a rivalry of aim.”
Friendship“The Indian Summer of life should be a little sunny and a little sad, like the season, and infinite in wealth and depth of tone, but never hustled.”
Life“I am an anarchist in politics and an impressionist in art as well as a symbolist in literature. Not that I understand what these terms mean, but I take them to be all merely synonyms of pessimist.”
Art“Politics... have always been the systematic organization of hatreds.”
Politics“It is impossible to underrate human intelligence - beginning with one's own.”
Intelligence“I have written too much history to have faith in it and if anyone thinks I'm wrong, I am inclined to agree with him.”
Faith“The press is the hired agent of a monied system, and set up for no other purpose than to tell lies where their interests are involved. One can trust nobody and nothing.”
Trust“Chaos was the law of nature Order was the dream of man.”
Nature“Politics, as a practise, whatever its professions, has always been the systematic organization of hatreds.”
Politics“Practical politics consists in ignoring facts.”
Politics“Knowledge of human nature is the beginning and end of political education.”
Education