I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.

John Adams wrote this reflection during the American Revolution, when the demands of statecraft and war dominated his life and threatened the stability of the new nation. In a letter to his wife, Abigail Adams, he contrasted his own generation’s necessity to master “politics and war” with the hoped-for future in which their children could pursue learning and the arts. The remark captures Adams’s sense of generational duty: the founders must secure independence and constitutional order so that later Americans could enjoy peace, education, and cultural refinement. It also reflects Enlightenment ideals about progress—moving from survival and governance toward science, prosperity, and ultimately artistic achievement.

The quote lays out a ladder of civilizational progress built on sacrifice across generations. Adams argues that political and military struggle is not an end in itself but a prerequisite for liberty, which then enables intellectual development (mathematics, philosophy, sciences) and practical arts (navigation, commerce, agriculture). Only after a society is secure and materially stable can it fully cultivate the fine arts—painting, poetry, music, and design. The passage is both personal and political: it justifies the burdens borne by revolutionary leaders while expressing a long-term vision of a republic whose ultimate achievement is not conquest but the flourishing of knowledge and culture.

1) “I must study Politicks and War that my Sons may have Liberty to study Mathematicks and Philosophy.”
2) “My sons ought to study mathematicks and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture…”
3) “…in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, musick, architecture, statuary, tapestry and porcelain.”