Great necessities call out great virtues. — Abigail Adams · Smartyfair

Great necessities call out great virtues.

Abigail Adams1744–1818 · writer · 1700s-1800s USAAbigail Adams was the wife of America's second president, John Adams, and one of the most influential women of the founding era.4 quotes

Source foundPerseverance1700s

In plain words

Hard times can bring out someone's best and bravest qualities.

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Where these words come from

How sure this is: 85% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up: Letter to John Quincy Adams, January 19, 1780 (same letter as her 'genius would wish to live' line) — Wikiquote's documented authentic original behind a widely circulated 1989 misquote.
Work: Letter to John Quincy Adams
Occasion: 1780
Sources checked: en.wikiquote.orgChecked using claude-sonnet-5, 21 August 2026Sourced section identifies this as the true 1780 wording distorted into 'Great necessities call forth great leaders' (Bennis, 1989)

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More from Abigail Adams

Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardour and attended to with diligence.

Abigail Adams I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors.

Abigail Adams These are times in which a genius would wish to live.

More on perseverance

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.

Confucius Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.

Lao Tzu Slow and steady wins the race.

Aesop Patience is the key to relief.Arabic proverb Drops of water hollow out a stone.

Ovid Few things are impossible to diligence and skill.