This concise statement suggests that times of extreme hardship and crisis often reveal and demand the best qualities in people. It implies that adversity can be a powerful catalyst for courage, resilience, and other noble human traits.
Quote by Abigail Adams: “Great necessities call out great virtues.”
Great necessities call out great virtues.
Insight
Historical Context
Said during the Revolutionary War, as the nascent American nation faced immense challenges, this quote reflected the belief that the struggle for independence would forge a virtuous citizenry.
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American writer and advocate for women's rights who was the wife of President John Adams and mother of President John Quincy Adams. Her letters to her husband during the founding era are among the most significant documents of early American intellectual life.
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