If you spend more than five minutes on LinkedIn or scrolling through "inspirational" Instagram accounts, you’ve probably seen it. A crisp photo of a stoic man in a high collar with the words: "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." It’s a great line. It’s punchy. It’s also completely fake.
John Quincy Adams never said it.
Honestly, the real John Quincy Adams—a man who once described his presidency as the "four most miserable years" of his life—would probably find that quote a bit too fluffy. Adams wasn't about "dreaming more." He was about duty, grit, and the kind of stubborn principle that makes you incredibly unpopular at parties. He was the guy who watched the Battle of Bunker Hill from his front porch at age eight and spent the rest of his life feeling like he hadn't done enough.
When we look at actual john quincy adams quotes, we find a man who was deeply complicated, often depressed, and fiercely intellectual. He wasn’t a meme-maker. He was a warrior for the mind.
The "Leadership" Quote That Isn't
Let’s clear the air on the "dream more" quote. Researchers have traced it back to around 2002, appearing in a business book about the Orlando Magic. Before that, a similar sentiment was used by Dolly Parton in 1997. Somewhere along the line, the internet decided it sounded like something a Founding Father would say, and the attribution stuck.
But why does it matter? It matters because attributing corporate-speak to Adams erases the actual, much sharper things he said about power.
Adams didn't think leadership was about making people feel good. He thought it was about doing what was right, even if it meant standing entirely alone. He once wrote in his diary, "Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." That’s the real JQA. It’s not a "feel-good" sentiment; it’s a "prepare-to-be-hated" sentiment.
The Mission of America: Monsters and Destructions
One of the most frequently cited john quincy adams quotes in modern political debates comes from his July 4, 1821, speech. You’ll hear it from isolationists and hawks alike, usually stripped of its context.
"America... goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own."
People love to use this to argue that the U.S. should stay out of global affairs. But if you read the whole speech, it’s not a call for hiding under a rock. Adams was actually warning that if America became a "dictatress" of the world, she might gain dominion but she would lose her soul.
He was obsessed with the idea that "liberty is power." He believed that a free nation is naturally the most powerful, but that power is a "tenure" held under God. Basically, he thought if we started acting like the European empires we just escaped, we'd ruin the whole experiment.
Duty vs. Results: The Stoic President
If there is one phrase that sums up the man’s entire existence, it is this: "Duty is ours; results are God’s."
It sounds religious, and it was, but it was also his psychological survival mechanism. Adams was a perfectionist. He was the son of John Adams, a man who literally told him that being a "blockhead" would be unpardonable given his opportunities. Talk about pressure.
He lived his life by a schedule that would break most people:
- Waking up at 5:00 AM.
- Reading several chapters of the Bible in different languages.
- Taking a naked swim in the Potomac River (even as President).
- Writing thousands of words in his diary.
He was a machine. But he was a machine that felt everything. When he lost the 1828 election to Andrew Jackson—a man he viewed as a dangerous, illiterate barbarian—he didn't just feel sad. He felt like a failure of cosmic proportions.
Yet, he went back to Congress. He’s still the only former president to do that. He spent his final years as "Old Man Eloquent," fighting the "gag rule" that prevented Congress from even discussing petitions to end slavery. He knew he wouldn't win most of those fights in his lifetime. He just knew it was his duty to fight them.
The Dark Side of the Diary
We have over 15,000 pages of his diary. It’s one of the greatest treasures of American history, but it’s also a bit of a bummer.
In 1833, he wrote, "I have no doubt but that I should have been a much happier man if I had never been a public man." Does that sound like the guy who wants you to "dream more"?
He was brutally honest about himself. He called his own mind "desultory" and "unsettled." He agonized over his children. He felt the weight of his father’s legacy every single day. When he spoke about the "four most miserable years" of his presidency, he wasn't exaggerating. He was blocked at every turn by political enemies and haunted by the "corrupt bargain" accusations that followed his election.
Slavery and the "Foul Stain"
While many founders danced around the issue of slavery with vague language about "posterity," Adams grew increasingly radical as he aged. He saw the inherent contradiction between the Declaration of Independence and the existence of human bondage.
In 1820, he wrote that slavery was "the great and foul stain upon the North American Union." He didn't think the Union could survive it. He actually predicted that if the Union dissolved, it would have to be reorganized on the "fundamental principle of emancipation." He saw the Civil War coming forty years before it started.
During the Amistad case, he stood before the Supreme Court for eight hours, defending the right of kidnapped Africans to their own liberty. He didn't use platitudes. He used the law. He used the facts.
Why We Should Still Read Him
We live in an era of "personal branding" and "curated lives." Adams was the opposite. He was uncurated. He was prickly. He was the guy who would tell you that you’re not working hard enough.
But his quotes matter because they remind us that the "American Dream" wasn't originally about getting rich or being liked. For Adams, it was about the "march of the mind." He wanted a national university. He wanted astronomical observatories (which he called "lighthouses of the skies"). He wanted a government that actually improved the lives of its citizens through science and infrastructure. He was a hundred years ahead of his time, and he died on the floor of the House of Representatives, still arguing.
Actionable Takeaways from the Life of JQA
If you want to actually live by the wisdom of John Quincy Adams, forget the fake leadership memes. Try these instead:
- Audit your "Duty": Stop obsessing over the outcome (the "results"). Focus entirely on whether the action you are taking right now is the right one.
- Read deeper: Adams didn't just skim. He read the classics in their original languages. Challenge yourself to read one primary source document this month instead of a summary.
- Write it down: Keep a journal. Not for an audience, but for yourself. Be as brutally honest as Adams was about your own shortcomings.
- Vote for principle: Next time you're in a meeting or a community vote, don't look at which way the wind is blowing. If you’re the only "no" in the room but you know you're right, stay a "no."
John Quincy Adams was never meant to be a cuddly historical figure. He was a "stubborn fact" in human form. And honestly? We could use a few more of those.
💡 You might also like: Color changing LED rope: Why your DIY lighting project looks cheap (and how to fix it)
Next Steps for the Curious:
If you want to see the man behind the myths, start by reading his actual diary entries at the Massachusetts Historical Society. You can also look into his argument for the Amistad case to see how he applied his philosophy to the most pressing moral crisis of his age.