"In the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could."

Power

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Thematic Reflection

This quotation examines the core nature of Power as articulated by Abigail Adams. Within historical and literary traditions, reflections on Power provide actionable mental models, challenging individuals to evaluate personal ethics, self-discipline, and daily actions.

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About Abigail Adams

Abigail Adams was the wife and closest advisor of John Adams, the second president of the United States, and the mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States. She is widely considered to be an influential figure in the founding of the United States, and was both the first second lady and second first lady of the United States, although such titles were not used at the time. She and Barbara Bush are the only two women in American history who were both the wife of a U.S. president and the mother of another U.S. president.

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More by Abigail Adams

"Well, knowledge is a fine thing, and mother Eve thought so; but she smarted so severely for hers, that most of her daughters have been afraid of it since."

— Abigail Adams
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"Wisdom and penetration are the fruit of experience, not the lessons of retirement and leisure. Great necessities call out great virtues."

— Abigail Adams
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"Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of husbands. Remember all men would be tyrants if they could."

— Abigail Adams
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"A little of what you call frippery is very necessary towards looking like the rest of the world."

— Abigail Adams
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More about Power

"At Casablanca we did 'Midnight Express,' 'Flashdance,' and 'The Deep.' My willingness for risk has always been my strength."

— Peter Guber
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"There is no rule that says a footballer needs to be 'this high' and 'this wide.'"

— Andres Iniesta
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"The coal industry is an even larger part of the Australian economy than it is of the American, and it has an enormous amount of political power."

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"There are three hundred and sixty-four days when you might get un-birthday presents, and only one for birthday presents, you know."

— Lewis Carroll
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