John Adams (TV Mini Series)
Unnecessary War (2008)
Paul Giamatti: John Adams
Quotes
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John Adams : A mob is no less a mob because they are with you.
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[Inside the White House, John and Abigail Adams survey a portrait of the late former president George Washington]
John Adams : Is the old man welcoming us or showing us the way out?
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Abigail Adams : [reading The Federalist Papers] "The reign of Mr. Adams has hitherto been one continued tempest of malignant passions. As president, he has never opened his lips without threatening or scolding. He is a repulsive pedant, a gross hypocrite, one of the most egregious fools upon the continent, a hideous, hermaphroditical character which has neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman."
John Adams : It is beneath the President of the United States to take any notice of insinuations.
Abigail Adams : In any other country, such filth would have been silenced long ago.
John Adams : Mr. Hamilton takes equal pains to ensure that he Federalist Paper are filled with scurrilous attacks on Thomas Jefferson and his party.
Abigail Adams : Think of all the vile falsehoods written about you-continue to be written about you. You may have patiently borne all the slanders, but I have not. "Before it is too late to retrieve our deranged affairs-"
John Adams : For goodness sake.
Abigail Adams : "-the people must demand the immediate resignation of old, querulous, bald, blind, crippled, toothless Adams."
[long pause]
John Adams : I'm not crippled.
Abigail Adams : I find no amusement in this. Waste of paper and ink.
John Adams : Waste of time reading it, Abigail. Put it down.
Abigail Adams : They would not say such a thing about Washington. They would not call George Washington hermaphroditical!
John Adams : They could call him toothless, though.
[John and Abigail laugh]
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[as John Adams leaves the White House for the last time, he notices the people in the same carriage as him are staring at him]
John Adams : Stop gawking. I'm plain John Adams. Just an ordinary citizen. Same as yourselves.
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Abigail Adams : He's dead, John. Our son is dead. Poor poor unhappy man.
John Adams : Let silence reign over his tomb... forever.
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John Adams : Now, your immediate resignations will be accepted, gentlemen!
Timothy Pickering : I don't feel it my duty to resign.
John Adams : Oh? Excellent. Excellent. Then you leave me the far more satisfying remedy of removing you from office.
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John Adams : I am determined to control events, not be controlled by them.