I was reading through some of my 'old' notebooks and I came across a few quotes that I truly treasure. These have made a lasting impression on my mind for one reason or another. I love the power of words, especially as I take the time to really read them.
The one I'll share with you today is an excerpt from the book John Adams by David McCullough, page 226. I discovered it on 17 Aug 2003:
"It will be expected of you, my son, that as you are favored with superior advantages under the instructive eye of a tender parent, that your improvements should bear some proportion to your advantages. These are the times in which a genius would wish to live. It is not in the still calm of life, or the repose of a pacific station, that great characters are formed. The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties. Great necessities call out great virtues. When a mind is raised, and animated by scenes that engage the heart, then those qualities which would otherwise lay dormant wake into life and form the character of the hero and the statesman."
--Abigail Adams to John Quincy
What a great mother! She inspired her son, helping to draw out the qualities that were coming out of dormancy in him. She helped him see his potential, then fueled the desire for him to achieve that (Her son, like her husband, became President of the United Sates.). This is the type of mother I want to be. I also feel a responsibility as being one that this quote is addressed to. I have been given many advantages and opportunities, and my character is mine for the making. All in all it is a very inspiring quote to me.
Please leave a comment about how you personally responded to this quote.
2 comments:
That made me realize that I have been working lately to find my potential and that I have a mother just like that who helps me learn and grow and be productive and live a good life full of wonderful things!
It reminds me of "where much is given, much is required." I really believe that we are to make the most of what we're given, trials included. God gives us trials to better us. When we allow ourselves to be great rather than living fearful of that, the world becomes a better place. When mothers (and fathers) allow themselves to be great, that carries on through the generations. We must raise our children in such an environment to enable them to become magnificent. That doesn't mean giving them everything they ever wanted; sometimes we must say no.
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