Samuel Adams Quote 

"He therefore is the truest friend to the liberty of his country
who tries most to promote its virtue, and who, so far as his power
and influence extend, will not suffer a man to be chosen into any
office of power and trust who is not a wise and virtuous man...
The sum of all is, if we would most truly enjoy this gift of Heaven,
let us become a virtuous people."

by:
Samuel Adams
(1722-1803), was known as the "Father of the American Revolution."
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Reader comments about this quote:
I like the quote it tells that he is really thoughtful.
 -- Chadd, Vancouver		 
Samuel Adams ~ the John Rosseau & John Locke of the American Rebellion
 -- dragonswizardz		 
From an atheistic standpoint, this quote is worthless. Virtue, if not determined by an "authority" figure or source (deity, God, etc.) is purely relative. Science cannot determine virtue. There is no right or wrong in science, only what works and what doesn't; accordingly, who's to say what works or what doesn't, or what is virtuous and what is not? What makes one man's opinion of what is supposedly right or wrong, virtuous or un-virtuous, over what someone else says? Someone could say that Edison was wrong a thousand times, before creating the light bulb; however, as Edison said, he never failed to create a light bulb, he just found thousands of different ways of not creating one. There is no way to scientifically solve the quandary of virtue; it must be resolved on a philosophical level of belief. Science is all that is left an atheist, because it is all that can be proven. Otherwise, his belief on the un-provable is on the same level of "faith" as a full-fledged-bible-bashing-southern-Baptist. No one can not believe in a God, and also believe in absolute virtue; it is impossible. Without an authority figure that is, for all intents and purposes, omniscient, everything is up to opinion, and can only be ruled as "fact" when it is in the presence of the majority ("democracy of knowledge", as it were). In science, there is never a solution, only more questions. Thank God there is more to this life than the perpetual confusion and non-resolving of atheistic science: the virtue of liberty being the one of these things.
 -- Logan, Memphis, TN		 
Logan left out WISE. We actually voted for GW Bush who certainly is neither virtuous (moral excellence and good) nor wise. And then we voted for him again. Deliberately...which would mean that We the People who did this are neither virtuous nor wise. And the voters, Logan, are predominately "Christian" believers and in those 10 commandments, hm?
 -- A.Jurgensen, Stuart, FL		 
Right on A! I think Logan has it wrong on how to measure virtue... We the People set the bar, it is a measure set forth by society/community... in this case the entirety of humanity... we do seem to have a global sense of what is "right and wrong"... what is "good and bad"... and this is well represented by the number of good and true Americans who have apologized to the world for our fellow Americans having twice elected King George, who is reigning terror upon so much of the world.
 -- Anonymous, Reston, VA US		 
Reston, thank you for proving my point! First of all, the "entirety of humanity" has not set forth what is right or wrong. You're right though, in an atheistic world, knowledge comes by democracy (whether through consent or force); or, in another term, "wikiality". In an atheistic world "We the People" are forced to define what is virtuous, and what is not. But there is a problem with this. In such a case, who is to say if the majority is right? What is "right" to begin with? Why is something right or wrong? Who is the virtue police? Is it un-virtuous for animals to kill? If not, then it shouldn't be wrong for us to kill; however, why is it wrong? If there is no God, we are all reoccurring accidents billions of years in the making and our present definitions of right and wrong are worthless; pain, suffering, joy, and happiness are all relative. Right and wrong are then concepts thought up by some majority thousands of years ago; who's to say if they were "right"? If we ask if the majority who made the definition or "right" was actually "right" their definition of "right", then our heads will explode. Maybe they were wrong in their definition of "right", or of "wrong"? Just because a majority votes a thing to be "Christian", virtuous, or wise, doesn't mean that it is. Thank God. I'm not arguing whether or not a God actually even exists; I'm just saying, let's call a spade a spade here. If there isn't a God, then we have to come to the cosmic reality of what that means. You cannot be an atheist and borrow upon religion's dogma of right and wrong; because, if there isn't a God, there is no cosmic right and wrong to define, because absolutely everything is relative. If there is a God, then we have to submit our pride unto the will of a God who has defined the infinite and eternal; a thing that this nation obviously hasn't done in a very, very, very long time.
 -- Logan, Memphis, TN		 
This quote is 'such stuff as dreams are made of.' We may try to promote virtue but when ignorance so far outnumbers us we shall suffer and suffer like hell for too little choice is left us. Logan says that "science is all that can be proven." How can he belittle that when absolutely nothing can be proven by religion Even he holiest of the religious admit their only resort is faith. Faith--not reason, not proof.
 -- Dick, Fort Worth		 
I would only rate the quote at two stars max, for the first part only, nothing for the Heaven part, but I give Logan's comments five stars - at least as I understand them. I am an atheist and I think he described, basically, an atheist's thinking on the science of virtue better than anyone I have read who doesn't claim to be an atheist himself. I don't know about "borrowing" from religion for a concept of virtue, however. I think it is simply in the realm of "social" science to determine, as in any other science, what works and what doesn't. I have often considered the many cultures that practice animal, and even human, sacrifices to demonstrate virtue. To them it makes perfect sense, no matter how difficult it is for us to understand. Just as many today believe society cannot avenge certain crimes without exacting the death penalty, even while believing it is wrong to kill a person.
 -- Jack, Green, OH		 
Would that honor and wisdom were the standards by which Americans elected their leaders.
 -- E Archer, NYC		 
Oh no! He said heaven and virtue, generic religious concepts of no specification; now if he belittled the constitution like Rev, Robison or Sharpton and ran for office or Hymie Town Jesse and that Jesuit.
 -- Gölök Zoltán Leenderdt Franco Buday, Vancouver, GVRD(Paine Cnty), Coastal Lwr Mainland BC(State of Neo Sumer), U.S. of Eh!		 
 -- Joe, Rochester, MI 
If virtue is only what the majority agrees that it is, and has no absolute value, than the virtue could assume any values, like it did in Nazi Germany. Samual Adams says that a patriot will promote the ideals of Liberty that this country was founded upon. As much as this offends atheists, the personal virtues that Samual Adams lifts up, are the virtues as described by the Judeo-Christian belief system. Without wise and virtuous leaders, the ideals of liberty that this country was founded upon will quickly wither and die and be replaced by a government that does not value the concept that all liberties and freedoms are endowed by our Creator and that the purpose of government is to protect those liberties and freedoms from all internal and external enimies of these ideals. If we choose for ourselves leaders who are not wise and virtuous we are doomed to tyrranical rule.
 -- Alan, mytown, MI		 
 -- Anonymous, lala land 
Never were words more truly spoken. And now we are seeing what happens when you forget that there IS such a thing as ultimate truth, ultimate virtue. RIP to the idea of real liberty in this gray, lost, un-virtuous country. The nanny state we've allowed to take over from us will try to intervene "to protect us from ourselves", but it will only strip us of the few remaining freedoms we have thus far protected. There IS ultimate truth. Saying there isn't because you think there isn't is like screaming that yellow is pink because you said so. And if you believe that there is NOT ultimate truth, nothing you say has any weight because you don't believe in reason anyway, so don't bother arguing. ;)
 -- Ana, Maryland		 
samuel adams, no dought stands upon the same rock as andrew jackson. if our liberty were not a great force (virtue) then it would not be sought out by all opressed nations. the absolute truth is believed not douted.nor the source form where it comes. phi 4:8 finally, breathen, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue,and if there be any praise, think on these things. not all men have faith. thank God for faithful men, our founding fathers.phi 4:9 those things, which you have both learned and received,and heard, and seen in me,do; and the God of peace shall be with you. men saved by grace through faith, the faith of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. born of the seed of david. who shed his blood for libertys sake. liberty from what? you say. liberty from death ! whether spiritual or phisical makes no differance. for both come together in a truely free nation. strangers children do not understand nor there parents, who bring in strange gods into our country. relishing in our freedom and speaking evil of our Saviour Jesus Christ. useing our laws to opress us. is our president a true christian. or is he ashamed of the gospel of Christ which gives us freedom from the law of sin and opression. double minded is no mind at all ! God does not compromise !
 -- R. Pittman, FL.		 
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