I am but an ordinary Man. The Times alone have destined me to Fame–and even these have not been able to give me, much. . . . Yet some great Events, some cutting Expressions, some mean Hypocrisies, have at Times, thrown this Assemblage of Sloth, Sleep, and littleness into Rage a little like a Lion.

In this self-scrutinizing passage, Adams casts himself not as a born hero but as a fundamentally ordinary person pushed into prominence by circumstance. He downplays “fame” as something conferred by “the Times,” not earned by innate greatness, and he portrays his default temperament as sluggish or small—“sloth, sleep, and littleness.” What rouses him is moral and political provocation: “great Events,” sharp insults, and especially “mean Hypocrisies.” The lion image suggests that his fiercest energies were reactive—summoned by outrage at injustice or duplicity—implying a view of leadership as duty under pressure rather than self-chosen glory.