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They come to a life of independence, but to a life of labor—and, if…

Quote byJohn Quincy Adams · 1767–1848

Commonly attributed — not confirmed in an authoritative edition. Cited on Wikiquote to: Letter written as Secretary of State under President James Monroe (1819), as quoted in "What John Quincy Adams Said About Immigration Will Blow Your Mind" by D.C. McAllister, in The Federalist (18 August 2014).

English (original)

They come to a life of independence, but to a life of labor—and, if they cannot accommodate themselves to the character, moral, political, and physical, of this country, with all its compensating balances of good and evil, the Atlantic is always open to them, to return to the land of their nativity and their fathers.

— John Quincy Adams

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