John Quincy Adams on the Bible

"[T]o make men good, wise, & happy"

“In your letter of 18 January to your Mama, you mentioned that you read to your Aunt Cranch a chapter in the Bible, or a Section of Dr. Doddridges annotations every evening, this information gave me great pleasure, for so great is my veneration for the Bible & so strong my belief that when duly read & meditated upon, it is of all the books in the world, that which contributes most to make men good, wise, & happy, that the earlier my children begin to read it & the more steadily they pursue the practice of reading it throughout their lives, the more lively & confident will be my hopes that they will prove useful citizens to their Country respectable members of society & a real blessing to their Parents.”

— Letter of John Quincy Adams to his son, George Washington Adams, Sep. 1, 1811