700 Inspirational George Washington Quotes On Leadership
1. Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to appellation.
2. “War is an act of violence whose object is to constrain the enemy, to accomplish our will.”
3. “I'll die on my feet before I'll live on my knees!”
4. Have care & love for your soldiers.
5. “If to please the people, we offer what we ourselves disapprove, how can we afterwards defend our work? Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair. The rest is in the hands of God.” ~ George Washington
6. “Compared with the perils which our forefathers conquered because they believed and were not afraid, we have still much to be thankful for. Nature still offers her bounty and human efforts have multiplied it. Plenty is at our doorstep, but a generous use of it languishes in the very sight of the supply.”
7. Leaders are conscientious.
8. “I was born a heretic. I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires. Susan B. Anthony, U.S. reformer and suffragist”
9. Adhere to your purpose and you will soon feel as well as you ever did. On the contrary, if you falter, and give up, you will lose the power of keeping any resolution, and will regret it all your life.
10. “To enlarge the sphere of social happiness is worthy of the benevolent design of a Masonic institution; and it is most fervently to be wished, that the conduct of every member of the fraternity, as well as those publications, that discover the principles which actuate them, may tend to convince mankind that the grand object of Masonry is to promote the happiness of the human race." — George Washington
11. “Promote, then, as an object of primary importance, institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge. In proportion as the structure of a government gives force to public opinion, it is essential that public opinion should be enlightened.”
12. “Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”
13. “There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the enemy.” — George Washington
14. A leader needs to be able to rely on his team.
15. “The marvel of all history is the patience with which men and women submit to burdens unnecessarily laid upon them by their governments.” ~ George Washington, George Washington quotes on government
16. “The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their Constitutions of Government.”
17. “What students would learn in American schools above all is the religion of Jesus Christ.” ~ George Washington
18. “A man ought not to value himself of his achievements or rare qualities of wit, much less of his riches, virtue or kindred.” — George Washington
19. “A special act of Congress enabled King to take his oath of office in Cuba—the only President or Vice President to be sworn in outside the United States—later in March. King returned home to Alabama in early April and died two days later, the only Vice President to never make it to the national capital during his term of office.”
20. “To encourage literature and the arts is a duty which every good citizen owes to his country.” — George Washington
21. “Harrison’s 8,400-word inaugural speech was the longest ever, while his 30-day Presidency was the shortest.”
22. “No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States.”
23. “In no instance have . . . the churches been guardians of the liberties of the people. James Madison, U.S. President”
24. To the distinguished character of patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian.
25. “Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for ’tis better to be alone than in bad company.”
26. Have strong principles and morals.
27. “I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own -- a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotism. Albert Einstein, German-born American physicist”
28. “No punishment, in my opinion, is to great, for the man who can build his greatness upon his country's ruin.” — George Washington
29. “Happiness depends more upon the internal frame of a person’s own mind, than on the externals in the world.” — George Washington
30. Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.
31. Don’t expect favors.
32. Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair; the rest is in the hands of God.
33. “We began a contest for liberty ill provided with the means for the war, relying on our patriotism to supply the deficiency. We expected to encounter many wants and distressed… we must bear the present evils and fortitude…” ~ George Washington
34. “We should not look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from the past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dearly bought experience”. George Washington
35. “When there is no vision, there is no hope.” ~ George Washington
36. “It is much easier at all times to prevent an evil than to rectify mistakes.”
37. Maximize your strengths.
38. “One day, following the example of the United States of America, there will be a United States of Europe”.
39. Act to the best of your judgment and nothing less.
40. “Be not hasty to believe flying reports to the disparagement of any.”
41. “I was summoned by my country, whose voice I can never hear but with veneration and love.”
42. “Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.”
43. “Let your heart feel for the afflictions and distress of everyone, and let your hand give in proportion to your purse.” – George Washington
44. “The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon.” ~ George Washington
45. “A man ought not to value himself of his achievements or rare qualities of wit, much less of his riches, virtue or kindred.”
46. A man’s intentions should be allowed in some respects to plead for his actions.
47. “One of the expedients of party to acquire influence, within particular districts, is to misrepresent the opinions and aims of other districts.” — George Washington
48. “Citizens by birth or choice of a common country, that country has a right to concentrate your affections. The name of American, which belongs to you, in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of Patriotism, more than any appellation derived from local discriminations.” — George Washington
49. “A man’s intentions should be allowed in some respects to plead for his actions.”
50. “Associate yourself with Men of good Quality if you Esteem your own Reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad Company.” ~ George Washington
51. “You can only trust yourself and the first six Black Sabbath albums.”
52. “Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence.” George Washington
53. “We should not look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dearly bought experience.” – George Washington
54. “heard the bullets whistle, and, believe me, there is something charming in the sound.”
55. “System to all things is the soul of business. To execute properly and act maturely is the way to conduct it to your advantage.”
56. Practice humility, despite your accomplishments or wealth.
57. “All obstructions to the execution of the laws, all combinations and associations, under whatever plausible character, with the real design to direct, control, counteract, or awe the regular deliberation and action of the constituted authorities, are destructive of this fundamental principle, and of fatal tendency. They serve to organize faction, to give it an artificial and extraordinary force; to put, in the place of the delegated will of the nation the will of a party, often a small but artful and enterprising minority of the community; and, according to the alternate triumphs of different parties, to make the public administration the mirror of the ill-concerted and incongruous projects of faction, rather than the organ of consistent and wholesome plans digested by common counsels and modified by mutual interests.” — George Washington
58. “It is of infinite moment, that you should properly estimate the immense value of your national Union to your collective and individual happiness; that you should cherish a cordial, habitual, and immovable attachment to it; accustoming yourselves to think and speak of it as of the Palladium of your political safety and prosperity; watching for its preservation with jealous anxiety; discountenancing whatever may suggest even a suspicion, that it can in any event be abandoned; and indignantly frowning upon the first dawning of every attempt to alienate any portion of our country from the rest, or to enfeeble the sacred ties which now link together the various parts.”
59. “Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.” ~ George Washington
60. “It will be found an unjust and unwise jealousy to deprive a man of his natural liberty upon the supposition he may abuse it.” ~ George Washington
61. “...for happy, thrice happy, shall they be pronounced hereafter, who have contributed anything, who have performed the meanest Office, in erecting this Stupendious Fabrick of Freedom & Empire, on the broad basis of Independency; who have assisted in protecting the rights of human nature, and establishing an Asylum for the poor, and oppressed of all nations and Religions.”
62. “The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respectable stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations and Religions; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges, if by decency and propriety of conduct they appear to merit the enjoyment.” ~ George Washington
63. “Speak not evil of the absent, for it is unjust.”
64. “Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?" Epicurus”
65. “...if Men are to be precluded from offering their Sentiments on a matter, which may involve the most serious and alarming consequences, that can invite the consideration of Mankind, reason is of no use to us; the freedom of Speech may be taken away, and dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep, to the Slaughter.” — George Washington
66. “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”
67. “... Overgrown military establishments, which, under any form of government, are inauspicious to liberty, and which are to be regarded as particularly hostile to Republican Liberty.” — George Washington
68. “The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism.” — George Washington
69. The title of leader is just a word; a true leader doesn’t need a title to lead.
70. “It is far better to be alone than to be in bad company.”
71. “It is of infinite moment, that you should properly estimate the immense value of your national Union to your collective and individual happiness; that you should cherish a cordial, habitual, and immovable attachment to it; accustoming yourselves to think and speak of it as of the Palladium of your political safety and prosperity; watching for its preservation with jealous anxiety; discountenancing whatever may suggest even a suspicion, that it can in any event be abandoned; and indignantly frowning upon the first dawning of every attempt to alienate any portion of our country from the rest, or to enfeeble the sacred ties which now link together the various parts.” — George Washington
72. “I can only say that there is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do to see a plan adopted for the abolition of slavery.” ~ George Washington
73. “To persevere in one's duty, and be silent is the best answer to calumny.” — George Washington
74. Remember that it is the actions, and not the commission, that make the officer, and that there is more expected from him, than the title.
75. “If Christ were here now there is one thing he would not be -- a Christian. Samuel Clemens "Mark Twain", American author and humorist”
76. “All obstructions to the execution of the laws, all combinations and associations, under whatever plausible character, with the real design to direct, control, counteract, or awe the regular deliberation and action of the constituted authorities, are destructive of this fundamental principle, and of fatal tendency. They serve to organize faction, to give it an artificial and extraordinary force; to put, in the place of the delegated will of the nation the will of a party, often a small but artful and enterprising minority of the community; and, according to the alternate triumphs of different parties, to make the public administration the mirror of the ill-concerted and incongruous projects of faction, rather than the organ of consistent and wholesome plans digested by common counsels and modified by mutual interests.”
77. “Government is not reason and it is not eloquence. It is force! Like fire it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.”
78. “Interwoven as is the love of liberty with every ligament of your hearts, no recommendation of mine is necessary to fortify or confirm the attachment.”
79. “It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.” George Washington
80. Let us therefore animate and encourage each other, and show the whole world that a Freeman, contending for liberty on his own ground, is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth.
81. “The time is near at hand which must determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves.” – George Washington
82. “Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to appellation. ”
83. “I am sure that never was a people, who had more reason to acknowledge a Divine interposition in their affairs, than those of the United States; and I should be pained to believe that they have forgotten that agency, which was so often manifested during our Revolution, or that they failed to consider the omnipotence of that God who is alone able to protect them.” ~ George Washington
84. “The last official act of any government is to loot the treasury.” ~ George Washington
85. Harmony is a goal worth striving for.
86. A leader values the meaning of friendship.
87. A great leader knows the value of culture.
88. “Make sure you are doing what God wants you to do-then do it with all your strength.” ~ George Washington
89. “It is infinitely better to have a few good men than many indifferent ones.”
90. “Religion is a byproduct of fear. For much of human history, it may have been a necessary evil, but why was it more evil than necessary? Isn't killing people in the name of God a pretty good definition of insanity? Arthur C. Clarke, author”
91. “I had rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world.”
92. “The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their Constitutions of Government.” ~ George Washington
93. “Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair; the rest is in the hands of God.”
94. “The turning points of lives are not the great moments. The real crises are often concealed in occurrences so trivial in appearance that they pass unobserved.” — George Washington
95. “The government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion. John Adams, U.S. President”
96. “A small knowledge of human nature will convince us, that, with far the greatest part of mankind, interest is the governing principle; and that almost every man is more or less, under its influence. Motives of public virtue may for a time, or in particular instances, actuate men to the observance of a conduct purely disinterested; but they are not of themselves sufficient to produce persevering conformity to the refined dictates and obligations of social duty. Few men are capable of making a continual sacrifice of all views of private interest, or advantage, to the common good. It is vain to exclaim against the depravity of human nature on this account; the fact is so, the experience of every age and nation has proved it and we must in a great measure, change the constitution of man, before we can make it otherwise. No institution, not built on the presumptive truth of these maxims can succeed.”
97. Steve Morgan on how questions can change our…
98. “We must consult our means rather than our wishes.” ~ George Washington
99. “Do not suffer your good nature [...] to say yes when you ought to say no; remember that it is a public not a private cause that is to be injured or benefitted by your choice”
100. “Men may speculate as they will; they may talk of patriotism; they may draw a few examples from ancient story' of great achievements performed by its influence; but whoever builds upon it as a sufficient Basis for conducting a long and [bloody] War can never be supported on this principle alone. It must be aided by the prospect of Interest or some reward. For a time, it may of itself push Men to Action, to bear much, to encounter difficulties; but it will not endure unassisted by Interest.”
101. “Observe good faith and justice towards all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.” George Washington
102. “Freedom and Property Rights are inseparable. You can’t have one without the other.”
103. Be a just and fair leader.
104. “Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.” George Washington
105. “The future of this nation depends on the Christian training of our youth.” – George Washington
106. Leaders take responsibility.
107. “Some day, following the example of the United States of America, there will be a United States of Europe.” ~ George Washington
108. “Remember that it is the actions, and not the commission, that make the officer, and that there is more expected from him, than the title.“
109. “Having now finished the work assigned me, I retire from the great theatre of Action; and bidding an Affectionate farewell to this August body under whose orders I have so long acted, I here offer my Commission, and take my leave of all the employments of public life.” — George Washington
110. “If the cause is advanced, indifferent is it to me where or in what quarter it happens.” — George Washington
111. “There might, Gentlemen, be an impropriety in my taking notice, in this Address to you, of an anonymous production, but the manner in which that performance has been introduced to the army, the effect it was intended to have, together with some other circumstances, will amply justify my observations on the tendency of that Writing. With respect to the advice given by the Author, to suspect the Man, who shall recommend moderate measures and longer forbearance, I spurn it, as every Man, who regards liberty, and reveres that justice for which we contend, undoubtedly must; for if Men are to be precluded from offering their Sentiments on a matter, which may involve the most serious and alarming consequences, that can invite the consideration of Mankind, reason is of no use to us; the freedom of Speech may be taken away, and dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep, to the Slaughter.”
112. The marvel of all history is the patience with which men and women submit to burdens unnecessarily laid upon them by their governments.
113. “Harmony, liberal intercourse with all nations, are recommended by policy, humanity, and interest.”
114. “May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.”
115. “This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it. John Adams, U.S. President”
116. Be compassionate in everything that you do.
117. “I shall expect you will confine yourself to your studies; and diligently attend to them; endeavouring to make yourself master of whatever is recommended to, or required of you. ?. the hours allotted for… George Washington
118. “The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respectable Stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations And Religions; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges, if by decency and propriety of conduct they appear to merit the enjoyment.” — George Washington
119. “I rejoice in a belief that intellectual light will spring up in the dark corners of the earth; that freedom of inquiry will produce liberality of conduct; that mankind will reverse the absurd position that the many were made for the few.”
120. “Hence, likewise, they will avoid the necessity of those overgrown military establishments, which, under any form of government, are inauspicious to liberty, and which are to be regarded as particularly hostile to Republican Liberty. In this sense it is, that your Union ought to be considered as a main prop of your liberty, and that the love of the one ought to endear to you the preservation of the other.”
121. “Of Congress, "party disputes and personal quarrels are the great business of the day whilst the momentous concerns of an empire...are but secondary considerations," that "business of a trifling nature and personal concernment withdraws their attention from matters of great national moment.”
122. “Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.”
123. “It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one”
124. “We began a contest for liberty ill provided with the means for the war, relying on our patriotism to supply the deficiency. We expected to encounter many wants and distressed… we must bear the present evils and fortitude…”
125. “But if the laws are to be so trampled upon with impunity, and a minority is to dictate to the majority, there is an end put at one stroke to republican government, and nothing but anarchy and confusion is to be expected thereafter.” ~ George Washington
126. “Occupants of public offices love power and are prone to abuse it.” ~ George Washington
127. Being Set at meat Scratch not, neither Spit, Cough, or blow your Nose except there's a Necessity for it.
128. “But lest some unlucky event should happen unfavorable to my reputation, I beg it may be remembered by every gentleman in the room that I, this day, declare with the utmost sincerity, I do not think myself equal to the command I am honored with.”
129. “A man ought not to value himself of his achievements or rare qualities of wit, much less of his riches, virtue or kindred.” ~ George Washington
130. “The harder the conflict, the greater the triumph.” — George Washington
131. “Perseverance and spirit have done wonders in all ages.” ~ George Washington
132. “If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” ~ George Washington
133. “Real men despise battle, but will never run from it.” ~ George Washington
134. “Men may speculate as they will; they may talk of patriotism; they may draw a few examples from ancient story, of great achievements performed by its influence; but whoever builds upon it, as a sufficient Basis for conducting a long and bloody War, will find themselves deceived in the end. We must take the passions of Men as Nature has given them, and those principles as a guide which are generally the rule of Action. I do not mean to exclude altogether the Idea of Patriotism. I know it exists, and i know it has done much in the present Contest. But I will venture to assert, that a great and lasting War can never be supported on this principle alone. It must be aided by a prospect of Interest or some reward. For a time, it may, of itself push Men to Action; to bear much, to encounter difficulties; but it will not endure unassisted by Interest.”
135. “I heard the bullets whistle, and, believe me, there is something charming in the sound.” ~ George Washington
136. “If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent, we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”
137. “If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” — George Washington
138. “The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respectable Stranger but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations And Religions; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges…” ~ George Washington
139. “A slender acquaintance with the world must convince every man that actions, not words, are the true criterion of the attachment of friends.” ~ George Washington
140. “The future of this nation depends on the Christian training of our youth.” ~ George Washington
141. “Honesty is always the best policy.”
142. “It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.” ~ George Washington
143. “It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every citizen who enjoys the protection of a free government owes not only a proportion of his property, but even of his personal services to the defense of it.”
144. “99% of failures come from people who make excuses.”
145. The time is near at hand which must determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves.
146. “With a noontime temperature of 55o, January 20, 1981 (Reagan’s first inaugural) was the warmest on record.”
147. “We should not look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dearly bought experience.” ~ George Washington
148. “Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence.” – George Washington
149. “As Mankind becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protections of civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations of justice and liberality.” — George Washington
150. “The chief duty of the National Government in connection with the currency of the country is to coin money and declare its value. Grave doubts have been entertained whether Congress is authorized by the Constitution to make any form of paper money legal tender. The present issue of United States notes has been sustained by the necessities of war; but such paper should depend for its value and currency upon its convenience in use and its prompt redemption in coin at the will of the holder, and not upon its compulsory circulation. These notes are not money, but promises to pay money.”
151. “I had always hoped that this land might become a safe and agreeable asylum to the virtuous and persecuted part of mankind, to whatever nation they might belong.”
152. Honesty and integrity are virtues worth working towards.
153. My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. — George Washington
154. The time is near at hand which must determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves. — George Washington
155. “A hundred thousand men, coming one after another, cannot move a Ton weight; but the united strength of 50 would transport it with ease.”
156. “Some day, following the example of the United States of America, there will be a United States of Europe.”
157. “Harmony, liberal intercourse with all nations, are recommended by policy, humanity, and interest.” — George Washington
158. “It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.” — George Washington
159. “Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.” ~ George Washington Quotes
160. “Laws made by common consent must not be trampled on by individuals.” ~ George Washington
161. “Be not glad at the misfortune of another, though he may be your enemy.” ~ George Washington
162. “Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for, I have grown not only gray, but almost blind in the service of my country.
163. Make sure you are doing what God wants you to do – then do it with all your strength.
164. “Saya harap, saya selalu memiliki cukup keteguhan dan cukup kebajikan untuk memelihara gelar yang saya anggap paling mengagumkan, yaitu watak sebagai orang jujur.”
165. “I hope, some day or another, we shall become a storehouse and granary for the world.” ~ George Washington
166. “It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights. For happily the government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction - to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens.”
167. “We have abundant reason to rejoice, that, in this land, the light of truth and reason has triumphed over the power of bigotry and superstition, and that every person may here worship God according to the dictates of his own heart. In this enlightened age, & in this land of equal liberty, it is our boast, that a man's religious tenets will not forfeit the protection of the laws, nor deprive him of the right of attaining & holding the highest offices that are known in the United States.
168. “The true distinction … between what is called a fine Regiment, and an indifferent one will ever, upon investigation, be found to originate in, and depend upon the care, or the inattention, of the Officers belonging to them.”
169. “Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder.” ~ George Washington
170. “It is absolutely necessary… for me to have persons that can think for me, as well as execute orders.“
171. “Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.”
172. “Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble.” — George Washington
173. “To encourage literature and the arts is a duty which every good citizen owes to his country.”
174. “Heroes have made poets, and poets’ heroes.” George Washington
175. “Nixon became the first (and to date, only) former Vice President to be elected President (every other Vice President who moved into the Presidency either succeeded upon his predecessor’s death, or won election directly from the Vice Presidency).”
176. Create a set of rules.
177. “90. Being Set at meat Scratch not, neither Spit, Cough, or blow your Nose except there's a Necessity for it.”
178. “Arbitrary power [tyranny, dictatorship] is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness [lawlessness, anarchy]." — George Washington”
179. “A very troublesome species of property"
180. “A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined; to which end a uniform and well-digested plan is requisite; and their safety and interest require that they should promote such manufactories as tend to render them independent of others for essential, particularly military, supplies.”
181. “To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.”
182. “The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the republican model of government, are justly considered deeply, perhaps as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” – George Washington
183. “I hold the maxim no less applicable to public than to private affairs, that honesty is always the best policy.” — George Washington
184. “I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.” ~ George Washington
185. “One of the expedients of party to acquire influence, within particular districts, is to misrepresent the opinions and aims of other districts.” ~ George Washington
186. Religious controversies are always productive of more acrimony and irreconcilable hatreds than those which spring from any other cause. — George Washington
187. “The truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light.”
188. Cool headed discussion often trumps passionate disagreement.
189. “Strive not with your superiors in argument, but always submit your judgment to others with modesty.” — George Washington
190. “Envious of none, I am determined to be pleased with all, and this, my dear friend, being the order for my march, I will move gently down the stream of life until I sleep with my fathers.”
191. “Citizens by birth or choice of a common country, that country has a right to concentrate your affections. The name of American, which belongs to you, in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of Patriotism, more than any appellation derived from local discriminations.”
192. “Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness.”
193. “To the distinguished character of patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian”
194. “Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.” — George Washington
195. “Example, whether it be good or bad, has a powerful influence.”
196. “Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains taken to bring it to light.” ~ George Washington
197. “Where are our Men of abilities? Why do they not come forth to save their Country?”
198. “Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence.” — George Washington
199. If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.
200. “You say there is but one way to worship the Great Spirit. If there is but one religion, why do you white people differ so much about it? Chief Red Jacket, Seneca Indian Chieftain”
201. “Make sure you are doing what God wants you to do–then do it with all your strength.
202. Let your heart feel for the afflictions and distress of everyone, and let your hand give in proportion to your purse.
203. “Real men despise battle, but will never run from it.” — George Washington
204. “It's better to live alone than to live in bad company.” — George Washington
205. “Having now finished the work assigned me, I retire from the great theatre of Action; and bidding an Affectionate farewell to this August body under whose orders I have so long acted, I here offer my Commission, and take my leave of all the employments of public life. (Address to Congress on Resigning Commission Dec 23, 1783)”
206. “The time is near at hand which must determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves.” ~ George Washington
207. “Strive not with your superiors in argument, but always submit your judgment to others with modesty.”
208. “Anything will give up its secrets if you love it enough. Not only have I found that when I talk to the little flower or to the little peanut they will give up their secrets, but I have found that when I silently commune with people they give up their secrets also—if you love them enough” — George Washington
209. “I heard the bullets whistle – and believe me, there is something charming in the sound.”
210. “However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.” — George Washington
211. Place your soldier’s welfare before your own.
212. “It is better to be alone than in bad company." — George Washington
213. “Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to appellation.” — George Washington
214. “Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble.”
215. Nothing is a greater stranger to my breast, or a sin that my soul more abhors, than that black and detestable one, ingratitude.
216. “Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.” — George Washington
217. “A pack of jackasses led by a lion is superior to a pack of lions led by a jackass.” ~ George Washington
218. “The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon.” – George Washington
219. “Every post is honorable, in which a man can serve his country.”
220. “Gustavo Solivellas dice: "Si nos quitan la libertad de expresión nos quedamos mudos y silenciosos y nos pueden guiar como ovejas al matadero" (George Washington)”
221. “Hence, likewise, they will avoid the necessity of those overgrown military establishments, which, under any form of government, are inauspicious to liberty, and which are to be regarded as particularly hostile to Republican Liberty. In this sense it is, that your Union ought to be considered as a main prop of your liberty, and that the love of the one ought to endear to you the preservation of the other.” — George Washington
222. “I conceive a knowledge of books is the basis upon which other knowledge is to be built.” — George Washington
223. “The power under the Constitution will always be in the people.” ~ George Washington
224. “It is a much easier and less distressing thing to draw remonstrances in a comfortable room by a good fireside than to occupy a cold bleak hill and sleep under frost and snow without clothes or blankets.” ~ George Washington
225. “Experience teaches us that it is much easier to prevent an enemy from posting themselves than it is to dislodge them after they have got possession. ”
226. “Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.” ~ George Washington
227. “Religious controversies are always productive of more acrimony and irreconcilable hatreds than those which spring from any other cause.” — George Washington
228. “My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her.”
229. “I had rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world.” ~ George Washington
230. “A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined; to which end a uniform and well-digested plan is requisite; and their safety and interest require that they should promote such manufactories as tend to render them independent of others for essential, particularly military, supplies.” — George Washington
231. “The basis of our political system is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government.”
232. “Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. Experience has taught us that it is much easier to prevent an enemy from posting themselves than it is to dislodge them after they have got possession, and when the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” ~ George Washington, George Washington quotes on freedom
233. “Experience has taught us, that men will not adopt and carry into execution measures best calculated for their own good, without the intervention of a coercive power.” ~ George Washington
234. “I anticipate with pleasing expectations that retreat in which I promise myself to realize, without alloy, the sweet enjoyment of partaking, in the midst of my fellow citizens, the benign influence of good laws under a free government, the ever favourite object of my heart, and the happy reward, as I trust, of our mutual cares, labours, and dangers.” – George Washington
235. “We have probably had too good an opinion of human nature in forming our confederation.”
236. daylerogers on how questions can change our…
237. “To persevere in one’s duty, and be silent is the best answer to calumny.”
238. “When one side only of a story is heard and often repeated, the human mind becomes impressed with it insensibly.” ~ George Washington
239. “The men who mine coal and fire furnaces and balance ledgers and turn lathes and pick cotton and heal the sick and plant corn—all serve as proudly, and as profitably, for America as the statesmen who draft treaties and the legislators who enact laws.”
240. “The hour is fast approaching, on which the Honor and Success of this army, and the safety of our bleeding Country depend. Remember officers and Soldiers, that you are free men, fighting for the blessings of Liberty -- that slavery will be your portion, and that of your posterity, if you do not acquit yourselves like men.” — George Washington
241. “Happiness depends more upon the internal frame of a person’s own mind, than on the externals in the world.” ~ George Washington
242. “War – An act of violence whose object is to constrain the enemy, to accomplish our will.” George Washington
243. “The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their Constitutions of Government.” — George Washington
244. Of all the animosities which have existed among mankind, those which are caused by a difference of sentiments in religion appear to be the most inveterate and distressing, and ought most to be deprecated. — George Washington
245. There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the enemy.
246. “Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.”
247. “Harmony, liberal intercourse with all nations, are recommended by policy, humanity, and interest.” ~ George Washington
248. “The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respected Stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations and Religions; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges...”
249. “Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”
250. “I conceive a knowledge of books is the basis upon which other knowledge is to be built.”
251. “Some day, following the example of the United States of America, there will be a United States of Europe.” — George Washington
252. “Interwoven as is the love of liberty with every ligament of your hearts, no recommendation of mine is necessary to fortify or confirm the attachment.” — George Washington
253. “There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the enemy”
254. “Every day the increasing weight of years admonishes me more and more, that the shade of retirement is as necessary to me as it will be welcome.” — George Washington
255. “There is nothing which can better deserve our patronage than the promotion of science and literature. Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness.”
256. “The turning points of lives are not the great moments. The real crises are often concealed in occurrences so trivial in appearance that they pass unobserved.”
257. “We should not look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dearly bought experience." — George Washington
258. “The liberty enjoyed by the people of these states of worshiping Almighty God agreeable to their consciences, it not only among the choicest of their blessings, but also of their rights.”
259. Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.
260. “It is far better to be alone than to be in bad company.” George Washington
261. “As Mankind becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protections of civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations of justice and liberality.”
262. I have often expressed my sentiments, that every man, conducting himself as a good citizen, and being accountable to God alone for his religious opinions, ought to be protected in worshiping the Deity according to the dictates of his own conscience.
263. Consider morality and what is ‘good’ when deciding on your leadership goals.
264. Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation.
265. “It is impossible to account for the creation of the universe, without the agency of a Supreme Being. It is impossible to govern the universe without the aid of a Supreme Being. It is impossible to reason without arriving at a Supreme Being.”
266. “Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble”. George Washington
267. Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.
268. “We must consult our means rather than our wishes.” — George Washington
269. “For myself the delay may be compared with a reprieve; for in confidence I assure you, with the world it would obtain little credit that my movements to the chair of Government will be accompanied by feelings not unlike those of a culprit who is going to the place of his execution: so unwilling am I, in the evening of a life nearly consumed in public cares, to quit a peaceful abode for an Ocean of difficulties, without that competency of political skill, abilities and inclination which is necessary to manage the helm.” — George Washington
270. “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
271. “Let us therefore animate and encourage each other, and show the whole world that a Freeman, contending for liberty on his own ground, is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth.” — George Washington
272. Empower others.
273. “Friendship is a plant of slow growth and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation”. George Washington
274. “Worry is the intrest paid by those who borrow trouble.”
275. “Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence.” ~ George Washington
276. “Liberty when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.” George Washington
277. “Be not glad at the misfortune of another, though he may be your enemy.” — George Washington
278. “All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit." Thomas Paine”
279. “Truth will ultimately prevail where there are pains to bring it to light.” George Washington
280. “Nothing can be more hurtful to the service, than the neglect of discipline; for that discipline, more than numbers, gives one army the superiority over another.”
281. “Experience has taught us, that men will not adopt and carry into execution measures best calculated for their own good, without the intervention of a coercive power.” — George Washington
282. “Let me live according to those holy rules which Thou hast this day prescribed in Thy Holy Word…direct me to the true object, Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, and the life. Bless, O Lord, all the people of this land.” ~ George Washington
283. “A primary object should be the education of our youth in the science of government. In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And what duty more pressing than communicating it to those who are to be the future guardians of the liberties of the country?”
284. “Associate yourself with Men of good Quality if you Esteem your own Reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad Company.” — George Washington
285. “Almighty and eternal Lord God, the great Creator of heaven and earth, and the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; look down from heaven in pity and compassion upon me Thy servant, who humbly prostrate myself before thee.” ~ George Washington
286. I know of no pursuit in which more real and important services can be rendered to any country than by improving its agriculture, its breed of useful animals, and other branches of a husbandman’s cares.
287. “I do not mean to exclude altogether the idea of patriotism. I know it exists, and I know it has done much in the present contest. But I will venture to assert, that a great and lasting war can never be supported on this principle alone. It must be aided by a prospect of interest, or some reward.” – George Washington
288. “Harding was the first sitting Senator to be elected President, and the first to ride to and from his Inauguration in an automobile.”
289. “It is absolutely necessary... for me to have persons that can think for me, as well as execute orders.”
290. “To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.” – George Washington
291. “The thing that separates the American Christian from every other person on earth is the fact that he would rather die on his feet, than to live on his knees.”
292. “Religion is as necessary to reason as reason is to religion. The one cannot exist without the other. A reasoning being would lose his reason, in attempting to account for the great phenomena of nature, had he not a Supreme Being to refer to.”
293. “The nation which indulges toward another a habitual hatred or a habitual fondness is in some degree a slave. It is a slave to it animosity or two its affection, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and it's interest.”
294. Use the power of persuasion.
295. It is far better to be alone than to be in bad company.
296. “As Mankind becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protections of civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations of justice and liberality.” ~ George Washington
297. “The power under the Constitution will always be in the people. It is entrusted for certain defined purposes, and for a certain limited period, to representatives of their own choosing; and whenever it is executed contrary to their interest, or not agreeable to their wishes, their servants can, and undoubtedly will be recalled.” ~ George Washington
298. “No pecuniary consideration is more urgent, than the regular redemption and discharge of the public debt: on none can delay be more injurious, or an economy of time more valuable.
299. “Be Americans. Let there be no sectionalism, no North, South, East or West. You are all dependent on one another and should be one in union. In one word, be a nation. Be Americans, and be true to yourselves.” – George Washington
300. Knowledge is, in every country, the surest basis of public happiness.
301. “A sensible woman can never be happy with a fool.”
302. “The Hand of providence has been so conspicuous in all this, that he must be worse than an infidel that lacks faith, and more than wicked, that has not gratitude enough to acknowledge his obligations.” – George Washington
303. “Let your heart feel for the afflictions and distress of everyone.”
304. “The great mass of our Citizens require only to understand matters rightly, to form right decisions.” ~ George Washington
305. “Make sure you are doing what God wants you to do—then do it with all your strength.” — George Washington
306. “We should not look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dearly bought experience.” — George Washington
307. “Speak not injurious words neither in jest nor earnest; scoff at none although they give occasion.”
308. “Be courteous to all, but intimate with few; and let those be well-tried before you give them your confidence.” ~ George Washington
309. “Paper money has had the effect in your state that it will ever have, to ruin commerce, oppress the honest, and open the door to every species of fraud and injustice.” — George Washington
310. “Let me entreat you, Gentlemen, on your part, not to take any measures, which, viewed in the calm light of reason, will lessen the dignity, and sully the glory you have hitherto maintained.”
311. “Anything will give up its secrets if you love it enough. Not only have I found that when I talk to the little flower or to the little peanut they will give up their secrets, but I have found that when I silently commune with people they give up their secrets also - if you love them enough”
312. “Be courteous to all, but intimate with few; and let those be well-tried before you give them your confidence.” — George Washington
313. Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak and esteem to all.
314. “99% of failures come from people who make excuses.” — George Washington
315. “A man is accepted into a church for what he believes and he is turned out for what he knows. Samuel Clemens "Mark Twain", American author and humorist”
316. “Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”
317. “Should any American soldier be so base and infamous as to injure any [prisoner] ... I do most earnestly enjoin you to bring him to such severe and exemplary punishment as the enormity of the crime may require. Should it extend to death itself, it will not be disproportional to its guilt at such a time and in such a cause... for by such conduct they bring shame, disgrace and ruin to themselves and their country.”
318. “It is better to be alone than in bad company.”
319. “Government is not reason and it is not eloquence. It is force! Like fire it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.” – George Washington
320. “How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these.” ~ George Washington
321. “99% percent of failures are the ones who make excuses.” — George Washington
322. “Religious controversies are always productive of more acrimony and irreconcilable hatreds than those which spring from any other cause. I had hoped that liberal and enlightened thought would have reconciled the Christians so that their religious fights would not endanger the peace of Society.”
323. “My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her.”
324. Overgrown military establishments are under any form of government inauspicious to liberty, and are to be regarded as particularly hostile to republican liberty.
325. “If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to secure peace, one of the most powerful instruments of our rising prosperity, it must be known, that we are at all times ready for War.” — George Washington
326. “It is absolutely necessary… for me to have persons that can think for me, as well as execute orders.” ~ George Washington
327. Experience has taught us, that men will not adopt and carry into execution measures best calculated for their own good, without the intervention of a coercive power.
328. “The nation which indulges toward another a habitual hatred or a habitual fondness is in some degree a slave. It is a slave to it animosity or two its affection, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and its interest.” ~ George Washington
329. “It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God.” ~ George Washington
330. Happiness depends more upon the internal frame of a person’s own mind, than on the externals in the world.
331. “Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all.” – George Washington
332. “Experience teaches us that it is much easier to prevent an enemy from posting themselves than it is to dislodge them after they have got possession.” ~ George Washington
333. Have faith and trust in Your Higher Power.
334. Have faith in your soldiers.
335. “Agriculture is the most healthful, most useful, and most noble employment of man.”
336. “I have always considered marriage as the most interesting event of one’s life, and the foundation of happiness or misery.” ~ George Washington
337. “Be Americans. Let there be no sectionalism, no North, South, East, or West. You are all dependent on one another and should be one in union. In one word, be a nation. Be Americans, and be true to yourselves.” ~ George Washington
338. “My movements to the chair of Government will be accompanied with feelings not unlike those of a culprit who is going to the place of his execution.”
339. “It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights. For happily the government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction - to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens.” — George Washington
340. “The best and only safe road to honor, glory, and true dignity is justice.”
341. “No punishment, in my opinion, is to great, for the man who can build his greatness upon his country’s ruin.” ~ George Washington
342. “Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principles.”
343. “Though, in reviewing the incidents of my administration, I am unconscious of intentional error, I am nevertheless too sensible of my defects not to think it probable that I may have committed many errors. Whatever they may be, I fervently beseech the Almighty to avert or mitigate the evils to which they may tend. I shall also carry with me the hope that my country will never cease to view them with indulgence; and that, after forty five years of my life dedicated to its service with an upright zeal, the faults of incompetent abilities will be consigned to oblivion, as myself must soon be to the mansions of rest.
344. “Jealousy and local policy mix too much in all our public councils for the good government of the Union. In a word, the confederation appears to me to be little more than a shadow without the substance.”
345. “I hope, some day or another, we shall become a storehouse and granary for the world.”
346. “The great mass of our Citizens require only to understand matters rightly, to form right decisions.”
347. “Nothing can be more hurtful to the service, than the neglect of discipline; for that discipline, more than numbers, gives one army the superiority over another.” – George Washington
348. “The common and continual mischief's [sic] of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and the duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it. It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passion.”
349. “Wherein you reprove another be unblameable yourself, for example is more prevalent than precepts.” — George Washington
350. “...every aid in [our] power to our good friends and allied the French to quell the alarming insurrection of the negroes.”
351. “It is impossible to reason without arriving at a Supreme Being.” George Washington
352. “The basis of our political system is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government.” ~ George Washington
353. “no punishment, in my opinion, is to great, for the man who can build his greatness upon his country's ruin”
354. “Make sure you are doing what God wants you to do – then do it with all your strength.”
355. “In politics as in philosophy, my tenets are few and simple. The leading one of which, and indeed that which embraces most others, is to be honest and just ourselves and to exact it from others, meddling as little as possible in their affairs where our own are not involved. If this maxim was generally adopted, wars would cease and our swords would soon be converted into reap hooks and our harvests be more peaceful, abundant, and happy.” — George Washington
356. “Every day the increasing weight of years admonishes me more and more, that the shade of retirement is as necessary to me as it will be welcome.” ~ George Washington
357. Don’t bow to political pressure.
358. “...if Men are to be precluded from offering their Sentiments on a matter, which may involve the most serious and alarming consequences, that can invite the consideration of Mankind, reason is of no use to us; the freedom of Speech may be taken away, and dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep, to the Slaughter.”
359. “A free people ought not only to be armed but disciplined; to which end a uniform and well-digested plan is requisite; and their safety and interest require that they should promote such manufactories as tend to render them independent of others for essential, particularly military, supplies.” ~ George Washington
360. “I'll die on my feet before I'll live on my knees!” — George Washington (*often attributed to Washington, but cannot be confirmed.)
361. “Friendship is a plant of slow growth and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation.”
362. Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for, I have grown not only gray, but almost blind in the service of my country.
363. “There is nothing, which can better deserve our patronage than the promotion of science and literature. Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness.”
364. “I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.”
365. “I have not permitted myself, gentlemen, to conclude that I am the best man in the country; but I am reminded, in this connection, of a story of an old Dutch farmer, who remarked to a companion once that it was not best to swap horses when crossing streams.”
366. “Good moral character is the first essential in a man.”
367. “We must consult our means rather than our wishes.”
368. “The internet is full of many false and unverified quotes.”
369. “Interwoven as is the love of liberty with every ligament of your hearts, no recommendation of mine is necessary to fortify or confirm the attachment.” ~ George Washington
370. Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence.
371. “Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company.”
372. “I hold the maxim no less applicable to public than to private affairs, that honesty is always the best policy.”
373. “I shall not be deprived of a comfort in the worst event, if I retain a consciousness of having acted to the best of my judgment.”
374. “No people can be bound to acknowledge the invisible hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency.” — George Washington
375. A bad war is fought with a good mind.
376. “Decision making, like coffee, needs a cooling process.”
377. “Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness.” George Washington
378. “I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.” – George Washington
379. “[death]...the abyss from where no traveler is permitted to return”
380. “Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?”
381. “In politics as in philosophy, my tenets are few and simple. The leading one of which, and indeed that which embraces most others, is to be honest and just ourselves and to exact it from others, meddling as little as possible in their affairs where our own are not involved. If this maxim was generally adopted, wars would cease and our swords would soon be converted into reap hooks and our harvests be more peaceful, abundant, and happy.”
382. “The reflection upon my situation and that of this army produces many an uneasy hour when all around me are wrapped in sleep. Few people know the predicament we are in.”
383. “Honesty will be found on every experiment, to be the best and only true policy. Let us then as a nation be just.” ~ George Washington
384. “Your love of liberty, your respect for the laws, your habits of industry, and your practice of the moral and religious obligations, are the strongest claims to national and individual happiness.”
385. “Do not suffer your good nature [...] to say yes when you ought to say no; remember that it is a public not a private cause that is to be injured or benefitted by your choice.” — George Washington
386. “If to please the people, we offer what we ourselves disapprove, how can we afterwards defend our work? Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair. The rest is in the hands of God.” — George Washington
387. “George Washington famously warned against ... ungenerously throwing upon posterity the burden which we ourselves ought to bear.” — George Washington
388. “Pierce was the first President to “affirm” rather than “swear” his oath. He was also the first to have memorized his inaugural speech.”
389. The reflection upon my situation and that of this army produces many an uneasy hour when all around me are wrapped in sleep. Few people know the predicament we are in.
390. “Lenience will operate with greater force, in some instances, than rigor. It is therefore my first wish to have all of my conduct distinguished by it.”
391. Choose your acquaintances.
392. “99% of failures come from people who make excuses.” ~ George Washington
393. Leadership comes with great responsibilities.
394. “A bad war is fought with a good mind.” — George Washington
395. “Freedom and Property Rights are inseparable. You can't have one without the other.”
396. “The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations, is, in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible.”
397. The foundation of our Empire was not laid in the gloomy age of Ignorance and Superstition, but at an Epoch when the rights of mankind were better understood and more clearly defined, than at any former period, the researches of the human mind, after social happiness, have been carried to a great extent, the Treasures of knowledge, acquired by the labours of Philosophers, Sages and Legislatures, through a long succession of years, are laid open for our use, and their collected wisdom may be happily applied in the Establishment of our forms of Government. — George Washington
398. Be punctual and follow the plan.
399. “A sensible woman can never be happy with a fool.” — George Washington
400. “Our cruel and unrelenting Enemy leaves us no choice but a brave resistance, or the most abject submission; this is all we can expect - We have therefore to resolve to conquer or die: Our own Country's Honor, all call upon us for a vigorous and manly exertion, and if we now shamefully fail, we shall become infamous to the whole world. Let us therefore rely upon the goodness of the Cause, and the aid of the supreme Being, in whose hands Victory is, to animate and encourage us to great and noble Actions - The Eyes of all our Countrymen are now upon us, and we shall have their blessings, and praises, if happily we are the instruments of saving them from the Tyranny meditated against them. Let us therefore animate and encourage each other, and shew the whole world, that a Freeman contending for Liberty on his own ground is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth.”
401. “It is better to be alone than being in wrong company. Because the wrong company may give joy some time but it will time to time make you realise, you are not suitable in that group. They will involved in their activities and most time you feel alone . And being alone in group is more painful then being alone single. Wrong company means their activities are not suitable to you, and never do things you don't like. Wether being alone but never loose yourself”
402. “Laws made by common consent must not be trampled on by individuals.”
403. “Individuals entering into society, must give up a share of liberty to preserve the rest.” ~ George Washington
404. “George Washington famously warned against ... 'ungenerously throwing upon posterity the burden which we ourselves ought to bear”
405. “Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder.
406. “A primary object should be the education of our youth in the science of government. In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And what duty more pressing than communicating it to those who are to be the future guardians of the liberties of the country?” — George Washington
407. “Though, in reviewing the incidents of my administration, I am unconscious of intentional error, I am nevertheless too sensible of my defects not to think it probable that I may have committed many errors. Whatever they may be, I fervently beseech the Almighty to avert or mitigate the evils to which they may tend. I shall also carry with me the hope, that my Country will never cease to view them with indulgence; and that, after forty-five years of my life dedicated to its service with an upright zeal, the faults of incompetent abilities will be consigned to oblivion, as myself must soon be to the mansions of rest.”
408. Real men despise battle, but will never run from it.
409. “It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.”
410. “On the dogmas of religion, as distinguished from moral principles, all mankind, from the beginning of the world to this day, have been quarreling, fighting, burning and torturing one another for abstractions unintelligible to themselves and to all others, and absolutely beyond the comprehension of the human mind. Thomas Jefferson, U.S. President, author, scientist, architect, educator, and diplomat”
411. “To form a new Government, requires infinite care, and unbounded attention, for if the foundation is badly laid, the superstructure must be bad.”
412. “Let us therefore animate and encourage each other, and show the whole world that a Freeman, contending for liberty on his own ground, is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth.” ~ George Washington
413. “A slender acquaintance with the world must convince every man that actions, not words, are the true criterion of the attachment of friends.” — George Washington
414. “Promote, then, as an object of primary importance, institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge. In proportion as the structure of a government gives force to public opinion, it is essential that public opinion should be enlightened.” — George Washington
415. “Religion is as necessary to reason as reason is to religion. The one cannot exist without the other.” George Washington
416. “If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”
417. “Bless my family, kindred, friends and country, be our God and guide this day and forever for His sake, who lay down in the grave and arose again for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
418. “The last official act of any government is to loot the treasury.”
419. “What is most important of this grand experiment, the United States? Not the election of the first president but the election of its second president. The peaceful transition of power is what will separate this country from every other country in the world.” ~ George Washington
420. “Mankind, when left to themselves, are unfit for their own government.” George Washington
421. “Paper money has had the effect in your state that it will ever have, to ruin commerce, oppress the honest, and open the door to every species of fraud and injustice.”
422. “Lenience will operate with greater force, in some instances than rigor. It is therefore my first wish to have all of my conduct distinguished by it.” ~ George Washington
423. “Show not yourself glad at the misfortune of another though he were your enemy.”
424. “To persevere in one’s duty, and be silent is the best answer to calumny.” ~ George Washington
425. The harder the conflict, the greater the triumph.
426. “There is nothing which can better deserve our patronage than the promotion of science and literature. Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness.” ~ George Washington
427. Influence is important.
428. “During this period, so many important events have occurred, and such changes in men and things have taken place, as the compass of a letter would give you but an inadequate idea of. None of which events, however, nor all of them together, have been able to eradicate from my mind, the recollection of those happy moments—the happiest of my life—which I have enjoyed in your company.”
429. “Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principles.” ~ George Washington
430. Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.
431. We should not look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dearly bought experience.
432. “Faith, as well intentioned as it may be, must be built on facts, not fiction- faith in fiction is a damnable false hope. Thomas Edison, American inventor”
433. “however much such loans may temporarily relieve the situation, the Government is still indebted for the amount of the surplus thus accrued, which it must ultimately pay, while its ability to pay is not strengthened, but weakened by a continued deficit.”
434. “Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all”
435. “I regret exceedingly that the disputes between the protestants and Roman Catholics should be carried to the serious alarming height mentioned in your letters. Religious controversies are always productive of more acrimony and irreconcilable hatreds than those which spring from any other cause; and I was not without hopes that the enlightened and liberal policy of the present age would have put an effectual stop to contentions of this kind.
436. “However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.”
437. “It is far better to be alone, than to be in bad company.” — George Washington
438. “Citizens by birth or choice of a common country, that country has a right to concentrate your affections. The name of American, which belongs to you, in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of Patriotism, more than any appellation derived from local discriminations.” ~ George Washington
439. “Religious controversies are always productive of more acrimony and irreconcilable hatreds than those which spring from any other cause. George Washington, Revolutionary War General and U.S. President”
440. What happened in the past stays in the past—unless it is something useful for the future.
441. Be serious about responsibilities.
442. “It is a much easier and less distressing thing to draw remonstrances in a comfortable room by a good fireside than to occupy a cold bleak hill and sleep under frost and snow without clothes or blankets.” — George Washington
443. “Human happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.” — George Washington
444. “Human happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.” ~ George Washington
445. “Creationists make it sound like a 'theory' is something you dreamt up after being drunk all night. Isaac Asimov, Russian-born American author”
446. “Man is the religious animal. He is the only religious animal. He is the only animal that has the True Religion –- several of them. He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat, if his theology isn't straight. He has made a graveyard of the globe in trying his honest best to smooth his brother's path to happiness and heaven." Mark Twain”
447. “If we mean to support the liberty and independence which has cost us so much blood and treasure to establish, we must drive far away the demon of party spirit and local reproach.” ~ George Washington
448. It is substantially true, that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. The rule, indeed, extends with more or less force to every species of free government.
449. “[T]he gradual extension of our settlements will as certainly cause the savage, as the wolf, to retire; both being beasts of prey, though they differ in shape.” — George Washington
450. “Every post is honorable in which a man can serve his country.” ~ George Washington, George Washington quotes on leadership
451. “...overgrown military establishments, which, under any form of government, are inauspicious to liberty, and which are to be regarded as particularly hostile to Republican Liberty.”
452. “Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for, I have grown not only gray, but almost blind in the service of my country.” ~ George Washington
453. Do not be influenced by foreign powers.
454. “If the cause is advanced, indifferent is it to me where or in what quarter it happens.”
455. “89th: Speak not evil of the absent, for it is unjust.”
456. “A slender acquaintance with the world must convince every man that actions, not words, are the true criterion of the attachment of friends.”
457. At this auspicious period, the United States came into existence as a nation, and if their citizens should not be completely free and happy, the fault will be entirely their own.
458. “Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder." — George Washington
459. “Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for, I have grown not only gray, but almost blind in the service of my country." — George Washington
460. Strive not with your superiors in argument, but always submit your judgment to others with modesty.
461. “99% percent of failures are the ones who make excuses.”
462. “Associate yourself with men of good quality, if you esteem your own reputation; for ‘tis better to be alone than in bad company.”
463. I walk slowly, but I never walk backward.
464. “Perseverance and spirit have done wonders in all ages.”
465. A disciplined soldier is better than an uncivilized army.
466. “Perseverance and spirit have done wonders in all ages.” — George Washington
467. Personal investment.
468. “The great mass of our Citizens require only to understand matters rightly, to form right decisions.” — George Washington
469. “Religious controversies are always productive of more acrimony and irreconcilable hatreds than those which spring from any other cause.” ~ George Washington
470. “The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respectable Stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations And Religions; whom we shall wellcome to a participation of all our rights and previleges, if by decency and propriety of conduct they appear to merit the enjoyment.”
471. “If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to secure peace, one of the most powerful instruments of our rising prosperity, it must be known, that we are at all times ready for War.” ~ George Washington
472. “Of Congress, "party disputes and personal quarrels are the great business of the day whilst the momentous concerns of an empire...are but secondary considerations," that "business of a trifling nature and personal concernment withdraws their attention from matters of great national moment.” — George Washington
473. “I was sorry to see the gloomy picture which you drew of the affairs of your Country in your letter of December; but I hope events have not turned out so badly as you then apprehended. Of all the animosities which have existed among mankind, those which are caused by a difference of sentiments in religion appear to be the most inveterate and distressing, and ought most to be deprecated. I was in hopes, that the enlightened and liberal policy, which has marked the present age, would at least have reconciled Christians of every denomination so far, that we should never again see their religious disputes carried to such a pitch as to endanger the peace of Society.
474. “Let your heart feel for the afflictions and distress of everyone.” ~ George Washington
475. “Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company.” – George Washington
476. Outer appearance does not demonstrate one’s inner character.
477. “True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity, before it is entitled to the appellation.”
478. “The foundations of our national policy will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private morality, and the preeminence of free government be exemplified by all the attributes which can win the affections of its citizens, and command the respect of the world.” – George Washington
479. “Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all.” — George Washington
480. “The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations, is, in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible.” — George Washington
481. “Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all.”
482. “Nothing is more essential, than that permanent, inveterate antipathies against particular Nations, and passionate attachments for others, should be excluded; and that, in place of them, just and amicable feelings towards all should be cultivated.”
483. “Citizens by birth or choice of a common country, that country has a right to concentrate your affections. The name of American, which belongs to you, in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of Patriotism, more than any appellation derived from local discriminations.” – George Washington
484. “My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her.” ~ George Washington
485. “My first wish is to see this plague of mankind, war, banished from the earth.” George Washington
486. “Let your conversation be without malice or envy, for it is a sign of a tractable and commendable nature; and in all cases of passion admit reason to govern.”
487. “Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today.”
488. “Much was to be done by prudence, much by conciliation, much by firmness.”
489. “It will be found an unjust and unwise jealousy to deprive a man of his natural liberty upon the supposition he may abuse it.” George Washington
490. “One of the expedients of party to acquire influence, within particular districts, is to misrepresent the opinions and aims of other districts.”
491. “Let your heart feel for the afflictions and distress of everyone, and let your hand give in proportion to your purse.”
492. “For myself the delay may be compared with a reprieve; for in confidence I assure you, with the world it would obtain little credit that my movements to the chair of Government will be accompanied by feelings not unlike those of a culprit who is going to the place of his execution: so unwilling am I, in the evening of a life nearly consumed in public cares, to quit a peaceful abode for an Ocean of difficulties, without that competency of political skill, abilities and inclination which is necessary to manage the helm.”
493. “Happiness depends more upon the internal frame of a person's own mind, than on the externals in the world.”
494. “It is substantially true, that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. The rule, indeed, extends with more or less force to every species of free government.”
495. “But if we are to be told by a foreign power what we shall do, and what we shall not do, we have Independence yet to seek, and have contended hitherto for very little.” – George Washington
496. “We should not look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dearly bought experience.”
497. “All obstructions to the execution of the laws, all combinations and associations, under whatever plausible character, with the real design to direct, control, counteract, or awe the regular deliberation and action of the constituted authorities, are destructive of this fundamental principle, and of fatal tendency.”
498. “Freedom and Property Rights are inseparable. You can’t have one without the other.” ~ George Washington
499. “The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries, which result, gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of Public Liberty.”
500. “Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness.” George Washington
501. A knowledge of books is the basis upon which other knowledge is to be built.
502. “A bad war is fought with a good mind.” ~ George Washington
503. “Men may speculate as they will; they may talk of patriotism; they may draw a few examples from ancient story, of great achievements performed by its influence; but whoever builds upon it, as a sufficient Basis for conducting a long and bloody War, will find themselves deceived in the end. We must take the passions of Men as Nature has given them, and those principles as a guide which are generally the rule of Action. I do not mean to exclude altogether the Idea of Patriotism. I know it exists, and i know it has done much in the present Contest. But I will venture to assert, that a great and lasting War can never be supported on this principle alone. It must be aided by a prospect of Interest or some reward. For a time, it may, of itself push Men to Action; to bear much, to encounter difficulties; but it will not endure unassisted by Interest.” — George Washington
504. “I hold the maxim no less applicable to public than to private affairs, that honesty is always the best policy.” ~ George Washington
505. “Make sure you are doing what God wants you to do---then do it with all your strength.”
506. “Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation.”
507. Taking responsibility increases your chances of success.
508. “It is substantially true, that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. The rule, indeed, extends with more or less force to every species of free government.” ~ George Washington
509. “Much was to be done by prudence, much by conciliation, much by firmness.” — George Washington
510. “To enlarge the sphere of social happiness is worthy of the benevolent design of a Masonic institution; and it is most fervently to be wished, that the conduct of every member of the fraternity, as well as those publications, that discover the principles which actuate them, may tend to convince mankind that the grand object of Masonry is to promote the happiness of the human race.
511. “In the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” George Washington
512. “Speak not evil of the absent, for it is unjust.” ~ George Washington
513. “It is far better to be alone, than to be in bad company.”
514. Hold subordinates accountable.
515. “There is nothing which can better deserve our patronage than the promotion of science and literature. Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness.” — George Washington
516. “The finite mind of man can never grasp the mysteries of the infinite. It is the highest wisdom, as it is our great happiness, to accept our limitations, to use what we have, and leave the rest to God.” – George Washington
517. Be humble even when you are given high leadership positions.
518. “When any nation mistrusts it’s citizens with guns, it’s sending a clear message. It no longer trusts it’s citizens because such a government has evil plans.”
519. “Eskimo: "If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell?" Priest: "No, not if you did not know." Eskimo: "Then why did you tell me?" Annie Dillard, "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek”
520. “To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.” ~ George Washington
521. “If ever again our nation stumbles upon unfunded paper, it shall surely be like death to our body politic. This country will crash.” ~ George Washington
522. “How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these.”
523. “Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.”
524. “Decision making, like coffee, needs a cooling process.” ~ George Washington
525. “I had always hoped that this land might become a safe and agreeable asylum to the virtuous and persecuted part of mankind, to whatever nation they might belong.” ~ George Washington