“And what's the point of changing when I'm happy as I am?”
“I can treat all with decency and civility, and converse with them, when it is necessary, on points of business. But I am never happy in their company.”
As quoted in Complete Book of U.S. Presidents (1984), by William A. DeGregorio, pp. 19–20
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John Adams 202
2nd President of the United States 1735–1826Related quotes
Sec. 145
Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1693)
Context: The Indians, whom we call barbarous, observe much more decency and civility in their discourses and conversation, giving one another a fair silent hearing till they have quite done; and then answering them calmly, and without noise or passion. And if it be not so in this civiliz'd part of the world, we must impute it to a neglect in education, which has not yet reform'd this antient piece of barbarity amongst us.
Letter to George Washington (July 1776)
As quoted in The Los Angeles Times (20 October 1965)
1960s
As quoted in "Concerns Beyond Just Where the Wild Things Are" by Patricia Cohen in The New York Times (9 September 2008)
On his confidence after launching two documentary series in “Reggie Yates: ‘I could get George Clooney to say stuff he’d never said before’” https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/oct/19/reggie-yates-documentary-maker-interview-i-could-get-george-clooney-to-say-stuff in The Guardian (2019 Oct 19)
"On Going on a Journey"
Table Talk: Essays On Men And Manners http://www.blupete.com/Literature/Essays/TableHazIV.htm (1821-1822)
William Lever, quoted in C. Wilson, The History of Unilever, London: Cassell, 1954, vol. 1, p. 187; Requoted in Witzel (2004: 166)