A quotation from John Adams

Every Man must seriously set himself to root out his Passions, Prejudices and Attachments, and to get the better of his private Interest. The only reputable Principle and Doctrine must be that all Things must give Way to the public.

John Adams (1735-1826) American lawyer, Founding Father, statesman, US President (1797-1801)
Letter (1776-04-16) to Mercy Otis Warren


More about this quote: wist.info/adams-john/81374/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #johnadams #commongood #commoninterest #community #democracy #mutuality #privateinterest #publicgood #publicservice #republic #selfcontrol #selfdenial #selfinterest #selfmastery #selfpolicing #selfrespect #selfsacrifice #society

in reply to WIST Quotations

It seems to me an area where going to one extreme (sacrificing everything to the collective whole) or the other (sacrificing everyone else for one's own interest) is highly dangerous, esp. when the element of compulsion is brought into it. Neither slavery or sociopathy are healthy; the trick is finding the balance in different areas of public and private life.