George Washington ( 10 of 65 )
Government is not reason, it is not eloquence -- it is force.
Government is not reason, it is not eloquence -- it is force.
On April 30, 1789, George Washington, standing on the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York, took read more
On April 30, 1789, George Washington, standing on the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York, took his oath of office as the first President of the United States. Of this he wrote to James Madison: As the first of every thing, in our situation will serve to establish a Precedent, it is devoutly wished on my part, that these precedents may be fixed on true principles.
The new constitution established a president with powers unheard of in the republican United States. Some even wanted him to read more
The new constitution established a president with powers unheard of in the republican United States. Some even wanted him to be king, a thought that GW found ludicrous: What astonishing changes a few years are capable of producing! I am told that even respectable characters speak of a monarchical form of government without horror. From thinking proceeds speaking, thence to acting is often but a single step. But how irrevocable and tremendous! What a triumph for the advocates of despotism to find that we are incapable of governing ourselves, and that systems founded on the basis of equal liberty are merely ideal & fallacious!
I die hard but am not afraid to go.
I die hard but am not afraid to go.
'Tis our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances, with
any portion of the foreign world--so far, I read more
'Tis our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances, with
any portion of the foreign world--so far, I mean, as we are now
at liberty to do it.
As to pay, Sir, I beg leave to assure the Congress that as no
pecuniary consideration could have tempted read more
As to pay, Sir, I beg leave to assure the Congress that as no
pecuniary consideration could have tempted me to accept this
arduous employment at the expense of my domestic ease and
happiness, I do not wish to make any profit from it.
- George Washington,
Make the most of the hemp seed and sow it everywhere.
Make the most of the hemp seed and sow it everywhere.
Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable, procures success to the weak, and esteem to read more
Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable, procures success to the weak, and esteem to all.
Justice is the firm and continuous desire to render to everyone that which is his due
Justice is the firm and continuous desire to render to everyone that which is his due
Written about Washington after his death by another of the founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson: His mind was great and powerful read more
Written about Washington after his death by another of the founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson: His mind was great and powerful ... as far as he saw, no judgment was ever sounder. It was slow in operation, being little aided by invention or imagination, but sure in conclusion.... Perhaps the strongest feature in his character was prudence, never acting until every circumstance, every consideration, was maturely weighed; refraining if he saw doubt, but, when once decided, going through his purpose, whatever obstacles opposed. His integrity was the most pure, his justice the most inflexible I have ever known.... He was, indeed, in every sense of the words, a wise, a good and a great man ... On the whole, his character was, in its mass, perfect ... it may truly be said, that never did nature and fortune combine more perfectly to make a man great....
