George Washington Famous Quotes

George Washington (22 February 1732 – 14 December 1799) was the successful Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1783 and served two terms as the first U.S. president, from 1789 to 1797.

George Washington
(22 February 1732 – 14 December 1799)

The son of a prosperous planter, Washington was raised in colonial Virginia. As a young man, he worked as a surveyor then fought in the French and Indian War (1754-63). During the American Revolution, he led the colonial forces to victory over the British and became a national hero.

In 1787, he was elected president of the convention that wrote the U.S. Constitution. Two years later, Washington became America's first president. Realizing that the way he handled the job would impact how future presidents approached the position, he handed down a legacy of strength, integrity and national purpose. Less than three years after leaving office, he died at his Virginia plantation, Mount Vernon, at age 67.

Famous Quotes of George Washington

1. 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.


2. If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.


3. 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.


4. Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples' liberty's teeth.


5. A slender acquaintance with the world must convince every man that actions, not words, are the true criterion of the attachment of friends.


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. Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness.


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


9. 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.


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


11. Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all.


12. Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.


13. Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.


14. I have no other view than to promote the public good, and am unambitious of honors not founded in the approbation of my Country.


15. 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.


16. It is better to be alone than in bad company.

It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.

17. 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.


18. Laws made by common consent must not be trampled on by individuals.


19. 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.


20. Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair; the rest is in the hands of God.


21. 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.


22. Let your heart feel for the afflictions and distress of everyone, and let your hand give in proportion to your purse.


23. My first wish is to see this plague of mankind, war, banished from the earth.


24. 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.


25. Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.


26. Some day, following the example of the United States of America, there will be a United States of Europe.


27. The administration of justice is the firmest pillar of government.


28. The basis of our political system is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government.


29. The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon.


30. The constitution vests the power of declaring war in Congress; therefore no offensive expedition of importance can be undertaken until after they shall have deliberated upon the subject and authorized such a measure.


31. The marvel of all history is the patience with which men and women submit to burdens unnecessarily laid upon them by their governments.


32. The time is near at hand which must determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves.


33. There can be no greater error than to expect, or calculate, upon real favors from nation to nation. It is an illusion which experience must cure, which a just pride ought to discard.


34. To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.


35. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity, before it is entitled to the appellation.


36. Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light.


37. War - An act of violence whose object is to constrain the enemy, to accomplish our will.


38. 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.


39. When we assumed the Soldier, we did not lay aside the Citizen.


40. Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble.

Related Posts by Categories