George Washington – Quotes
1732 - 1799
First President of the United States
First President of the United States
1. I know
[patriotism] exists, and I know it has done much in the present contest. But 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.
2.
Few men have virtue to
withstand the highest bidder.
3.
It is better to be alone than
in bad company.
4.
Ninety-nine
percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.
5. I hope I shall
always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most
enviable of all titles, the character of an "Honest Man."
6. Friendship is a
plant of slow growth and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity
before it is entitled to the appellation.
7. The preservation
of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of
government are justly considered... deeply, ...finally, staked on the
experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.
8. Labor to keep
alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire, called conscience.
9. Government is not
reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and
a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.
10. 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 grow, and must undergo
and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation.
11.
An inspirational collection of famous
quotes by George Washington
12.
True 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
13.
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
14. Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from
people who have the habit of making excuses. George Washington
15.
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.
16.
It is better to be alone than in bad company.
17.
Let your heart feel for the afflictions and
distress of everyone, and let your hand give in proportion to your purse.
18. If the freedom of speech is taken away then
dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.
19.
Friendship is a plant of slow growth
and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to
the appellation.
20.
If
we are wise, let us prepare for the worst.
21.
Be
courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before
you give them your confidence.
22.
Labor
to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire, called
conscience.
23.
Happiness
and moral duty are inseparably connected.
24.
It
is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.
25.
Let
us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair; the rest is in the
hands of God.
26.
Liberty,
when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.
George Washington
George Washington
27. Worry
is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble.
28.
Observe
good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with
all.
29.
Few
men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder.
30.
My
first wish is to see this plague of mankind, war, banished from the earth.
31.
Few
men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder.
32.
Reason,
too late perhaps, may convince you of the folly of misspending time.
33.
If,
to please the people, we offer what we ourselves disapprove, how can we
afterward defend our work? Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest
can repair.
34. Do not conceive that fine
clothes make fine men, any more than fine feathers make fine birds. A plain,
genteel dress is more admired, obtains more credit in the eyes of the judicious
and sensible.
35.
To err is natural; to rectify
error is glory.
36.
There
is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily.
37.
It
is well, I die hard, but I am not afraid to go.
38.
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.
George Washington
George Washington
39.
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
George Washington
40.
Associate
yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation. It is
better be alone than in bad company.
George Washington
George Washington
41.
A slender acquaintance with
the world must convince every man that actions, not words, are the true
criterion of the attachment of friends.
42. Arbitrary power is most easily
established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness.
43. Associate with men of good quality if
you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad
company.
44.
Bad seed is a robbery of the worst
kind: for your pocket-book not only suffers by it, but your preparations are
lost and a season passes away unimproved.
45.
Be courteous to all,
but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them
your confidence.
46.
Discipline is the
soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the
weak, and esteem to all.
47.
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.
48. Few men have virtue to withstand the
highest bidder.
49. Firearms are second
only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples' liberty's teeth.
50.
Friendship
is a plant of slow growth and must undergo and withstand the shocks of
adversity before it is entitled to the appellation.
51. Government is not reason; it is not
eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful
master.
52. Guard against the
impostures of pretended patriotism.
53. Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.
54. 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.
55. I have no other view
than to promote the public good, and am unambitious of honors not founded in
the approbation of my Country.
56. 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.
57.
I walk on untrodden ground. There is
scarcely any part of my conduct which may not hereafter be drawn into
precedent.
58. If the freedom of speech is taken away
then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.
59. 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.
