In his retirement, President John Adams (second presi­dent of the United States) turned his attention back to Biblical studies and in 1805 challenged the idea of the “perfect­ ability of man” as expounded by the eighteenth-century philosophers. “I consider the perfectability of man as used by modern philosophers to be mere words without meaning, that is mere nonsense,” he wrote. Then he added, “[but] this phrase ‘rejoice evermore’ [1 Thessalonians 5:16] shall never be out of my heart, memory, or mouth as long as I can live, if I can help it. This is my ‘perfectability of man.’ ”

– John Adams (from David McCullough, “john Adams,”
Touchstone, New York (2001) p.590-1)

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