John Adams (TV Mini Series)

Unnecessary War (2008)

Paul Giamatti: John Adams

Quotes 

• John Adams : A mob is no less a mob because they are with you.

• [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?

• 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] 

• [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.

• Abigail Adams : He's dead, John. Our son is dead. Poor poor unhappy man.

  John Adams : Let silence reign over his tomb... forever.

• 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.

• John Adams : I am determined to control events, not be controlled by them.