John Adams Quote

"The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as
sacred as the law of God, and that there is not a force of law and
public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence."

by:	John Adams (1735-1826) Founding Father, 2nd US President
Source:	Defence of the Constitutions of the Government of the United States
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Categories:	Civil Rights, Freedom, God, Government, Individual Rights, Justice, Law, Liberty, Property, Society, Tyranny
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it sucks  -- ashley, golden
It's great!  -- Yndrd1984, Ames, IA
It's great!  -- Mike, NC
Well, we can clearly see that socialists also read the liberty quotes. John Adams is absolutely correct - Countries where Socialism and Communism have been allowed follow the quick road of anarchy and tyranny - You take away from man the basic right of keeping what he has worked himself for, his property, his dignity, his honor - in time, such a man will revolt - even at the expense of his own life.  -- Logan, Memphis, TN
Thank you, Mr. Adams.  -- Judith, Midland
Of course, John Adams is correct. But only to a point. Material property is finite, so that there is a limit on what anyone could own; you could only own as much as there is, and no more. If a small group owned a tremendous amount, a larger group would have to suffer want as a result. This is, in fact, one of the causes of famine (although hunger as a political tool and ignorance of existing technology also contributes to hunger). Such large tracts of land in some places are made unavailable for planting of food crops, resulting in food shortages for the poor populations. So, by all means respect property, and also respect people's right to life.  -- David L. Rosenthal , Hollywood
I will protect what is mine. Law abiding citizens need not fear me, but criminals beware ... you may get shot stealing from me.  -- Joe, Rochester, MI
The source is Defence of the Constitutions of the Government of the United States  -- Mike, Madison
"The specter of condemnation hangs over all property. Nothing is to prevent the State from replacing any Motel 6 with a Ritz-Carlton, any home with a shopping mall, or any farm with a factory." - U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, in dissent of the Kelo v. New London Supreme Court ruling  -- Art, Connecticut
Rousseau argued that the first man to lay down a fence to take land as his own is responsible for all the war and tyranny. When soo much war and hate has started from the covetting of other's property how can the above quote stand as true? It can't, the basis is, that without principles of ownership half the issues we have seen in our history wouldn't have happened. The state wouldn't exist in reality or concept.  -- WILL, portsmouth
Adams is correct, but incomplete. The right to private property is a "natural right," as George Mason pointed out in his draft of the Virginia Declaration of Rights. That means every human being has the right -- by nature (i.e., God-given) -- to own things. The rights of private property, on the other hand, must be limited as to their exercise, i.e., you cannot use what you own to harm yourself, others, or society, and society may even regulate ownership of certain things, but only to the extent that there is a general consensus that such things should not be privately owned and handed over to the State for expedience. Thus, most people agree that, while we have the right to keep and bear arms, this does not include atomic weapons. An important caveat, evidently forgotten by the judges in the New London case, is that, while the State has the responsibility to define the exercise of property, it may never do so in a way that negates the underlying natural right to be an owner. To take property with compensation for overriding public use is one thing, and often necessary, but to take it for a public PURPOSE -- all purposes being "public" as man is by nature a political animal -- utterly destroys property as a natural right, or even a right at all.  -- MDG, Evansville, IN
Here we are today, the very antithesis of the quote existing alive and well in the USA. Outrageous.  -- Nancy, OH
I'm surprised no one commented on Adam's placing property rights above the law of God. I will. Property rights is a covenant between people. It is entirely possible to have full agreement on such a thing. Whereas the law of God can only be heard through a human or through tribes of humans and because of that, there will sometimes be disagreement. The present belief on the part of liberals and even atheist liberals in "fairness" is really as spirit-like as any belief in God. (How can people agree on what's fair?) This notion of fairness being more sacred than property rights should be more terrible to us today than the concern John Adams had for any specific religion being more sacred than property rights. The reason we should worry is because fairness is associated with non-religious people who would have you believe that fairness is a natural phenomenon. Liberals would like to turn fairness into an inalienable right administered by a priesthood.  -- Walter Clark, Fullerton California
Read the quote carefully. Adams didn't place private property "above" the law of God.  -- uvm, Huntington Beach
As evidenced by our present "government." To govern is to steer - not to control...  -- Eric Russ, Hendersonville, NC
All depends on whose property you're talking about. MY property rights are inviolable! But if you start annoying me when you exercise your property rights -- like having loud parties at night, or inviting all your relatives to camp in your back yard, or build a motorcycle shop in your front yard -- then I want some regulations!! I've had a few interesting experiences at town meetings where some of the people who shout the loudest about private property rights turn like wild animals on neighbors who want, for example, to build a an "affordable" apartment building on a vacant lot in their neighborhood even though local zoning allows it. So whose rights are we talking about?  -- grouchy, Redway, CA

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