Quote #44

Government is not reason, it is not eloquence - it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.

More from George Washington

  1. I am principled against this kind of traffic in the human species... and to disperse the families I have an aversion.
  2. I had rather be in my grave than in my present situation, I had rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world; and yet they charge me w…
  3. It is infinitely better to have a few good men than many indifferent ones.
  4. I die hard but am not afraid to go. I believed from my first attack that I should not survive it - my breath cannot last long.
  5. Rise early, that by habit it may become familiar, agreeable, healthy, and profitable. It may, for a while, be irksome to do this, but that …
  6. Tis well.
  7. When one side only of a story is heard and often repeated, the human mind becomes impressed with it insensibly.
  8. A conflation of the last two quotes has also sometimes been reported as his last statement: 'It is well. I die hard but am not afraid to go'

All George Washington quotes