John Adams vs Affirmative Action

Here is a quote from John Adams, the 2nd President of the US:

"Inequality of mind and body are so established by God Almighty in his constitution of human nature that no art or policy can ever plane them down to a level."

Now, what do you all think, is this just good ol' common sense, or a sop to the privileged who might entertain some doubt that they absolutely deserve to rule over the rest of us?

Or something else?

You see I cannot find the original context of this quote, nor do I have a handle on the character of the man's political philosophy. Any input from those wiser than myself on the subject welcome and appreciated.

Personally, I think most of our founding fathers would be appalled at the idea of affirmative action. The reason why I say this is that it goes against the American ideal of judging a person on the merits of their character, intelligence, and ability and not on race, creed or religion.

I don't discount the possibility that some employers may be discriminatory based on personal reasons but it's patently absurd to assume that every employer is a racist and there for must be forced to hire a set number of people from each race or religion and must turn down totally qualified or exemplary people based on the fact that they are not the right color.

More over, I feel it goes against the right for a business owner to operate their business as they see fit within reason and according to law.