George Washington

Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than read more

Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company.

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....

Friendship is a plant of slow growth and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is read more

Friendship is a plant of slow growth and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation.

In his address of 19 September 1796, given as he prepared to leave office, President George Washington spoke about the read more

In his address of 19 September 1796, given as he prepared to leave office, President George Washington spoke about the importance of morality to the country's well-being: Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports.... And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion.... Can it be that Providence has not connected the permanent felicity of a Nation with its virtue?

Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your read more

Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence.