(1735–1826)
2nd president of the United States
John Adams
I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration and support and defend these States. Yet, through all the gloom, I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is more than worth all the means.
Familiar Letters of John Adams and His Wife, Abigail Adams (New York: Hurd and Houghton, 1976), 194.