Pursuit: The Founders' Guide to Happiness Episode 3: Humility with John and Abigail Adams
Sep 23, 2025
Presidential historian Lindsay Chervinsky, an expert on John Adams, teams up with filmmaker Ken Burns to explore the profound partnership of John and Abigail Adams. They delve into Abigail's bold advocacy for women's rights and the couple's intellectual camaraderie. Chervinsky reveals how classical thinkers shaped Adams' virtues, while Burns discusses the necessity of humility in personal growth. The duo shares insights on overcoming crises, highlighting the connections between humility, love, and the pursuit of a meaningful life.
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Fault Lists As Courtship Ritual
- John and Abigail began courtship with a list of each other's faults as a form of self-accounting.
- Their playful fault-listing set a tone of humor, honesty, and lifelong intellectual companionship.
Intellectual Equality Sustained Their Bond
- The Adamses sustained a marriage through intellectual equality and mutual self-improvement.
- Their letters reveal a partnership grounded in learning, humor, and confronting flaws together.
Classics Plus Puritan Work Ethic
- John Adams combined classical reading with Puritan work ethic to pursue constant self-improvement.
- He treated learning as lifelong practice, reading by day about farming and by night about philosophy.
