George Washington

"Be just and good, let every object of your life be your country's good."

"Perseverance and spirit have done wonders in all ages."

"I always consider the religious element to be the foundation on which all legislative bodies must rest."

"Speak seldom, but to important subjects, except when duty requires."

"Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing."

"The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right."

"The foundation of our national policy shall be laid in the principles of private morality and religion."

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

"Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder."

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

"Undertake not what you cannot perform, but be careful to keep your promise."

"The very idea of the power and the right of the people to establish government is in itself something so commanding in the contemplation."

"Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience."

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

"Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty."

"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to defend ourselves."

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

"When once the general object and character of the war is understood, perseverance in its prosecution becomes an absolute duty."

"Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation."

"No people can be bound to acknowledge the Deity or worship Him whose minds are not free."

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

"It is impossible to reason soundly without attending to the importance of time."

"Intrepidity and perseverance do not fail of their effect."

"Let your heart feel for the afflictions and distress of everyone, especially of the poor."

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

"Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."

"Nothing is a greater stranger to my breast than avarice and as little is my heart attached to the splendor of pomp and parade."

"Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can."

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

"The rising sun never yet saw me in bed in my calculations."