Great necessities call out great virtues. — Abigail Adams

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

Great necessities call out great virtues.

Source foundPerseverance

In plain words

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

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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)