"We combat obstacles in order to get repose, and when got, the repose is insupportable."

Experience

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Insight & Reflection

Words carry weight, and Henry Adams's insight into experience is no exception. It serves as a gentle reminder that amidst the chaos of modern life, timeless wisdom still holds the power to guide our decisions and clarify our values.

About Henry Adams

Henry Brooks Adams was an American historian and a member of the Adams political family, descended from two U.S. presidents. As a young Harvard graduate, he served as secretary to his father, Charles Francis Adams, Abraham Lincoln's minister (ambassador) to the United Kingdom. The posting influenced the younger man through the experience of wartime diplomacy and absorption in English culture, especially the works of John Stuart Mill. After the American Civil War, he became a political journalist who entertained America's foremost intellectuals at his homes in Washington and Boston.

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Editorial Note: This quote is curated and fact-checked by the Quotes Archive Editorial Team. Verified Literature Specialist.

More by Henry Adams

"The press is the hired agent of a monied system, and set up for no other purpose than to tell lies where their interests are involved. One can trust nobody and nothing."

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"The progress of evolution from President Washington to President Grant was alone evidence to upset Darwin."

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More about Experience

"Over and over, we hear politicians say they can't spend our tax dollars on environmental protection when the economy is so fragile."

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"With people of limited ability modesty is merely honesty. But with those who possess great talent it is hypocrisy."

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"It is a profound truth that experience is the stern teacher that gives the examination before the lesson — an essential principle for the reflective life."

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