Every day the increasing weight of years admonishes me more and more, that the shade of retirement is as necessary to me as it will be welcome. Satisfied, that, if any circumstances have given peculiar value to my services, they were temporary, I have the consolation to believe, that, while choice and prudence invite me to quit the political scene, patriotism does not forbid it.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker acknowledges aging and feels ready to retire, noting that leaving is not unpatriotic.
- In plain terms
- I am old and ready to leave politics without guilt.
- What can you take from it?
- Accept retirement as a natural life stage.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When is the right time to step down?
- Does leaving mean you failed?
Another view
Public service may be needed more when others step down.
More from George Washington
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'
Permalink to quote #48 Interwoven as is the love of liberty with every ligament of your hearts, no recommendation of mine is necessary to fortify or confirm the attachment. The unity…
Permalink to quote #50 Tis well.
Permalink to quote #47
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