“No person wishes more to save money to the public, than I do; and no person has aimed more at it. But there are some cases in which parsimony may be ill-laced.”
24. Virtue
a) THE FIRST INAUGURAL ADDRESS [April 30, 1789.]
“There is no truth more thoroughly established, than that there exists in the oeconomy and course of nature, an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness, between duty and advantage, between the genuine maxims of an honest and magnanimous policy, and the solid rewards of public prosperity and felicity: Since we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven, can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained: And since the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” (emphasis in the orginal)
b) To HENRY KNOX, Mount Vernon, July 16, 1798.
“But my dear Sir, as you always have found, and trust ever will find, candour a prominent trait of my character.”
c) THE FIRST INAUGURAL ADDRESS [April 30, 1789.]
“The foundations of our National policy will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private morality; and the pre-eminence of a free Government, be exemplified by all the attributes which can win the affections of its Citizens, and command the respect of the world. … there is no truth more thoroughly established, than that there exists in the oeconomy and course of nature, an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness, between duty and advantage, between the genuine maxims of an honest and magnanimous policy, and the solid rewards of public prosperity and felicity: Since we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven, can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained: And since the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” (emphasis in the orginal)
25. Wisdom
a) To BUSHROD WASHINGTON, Mount Vernon, November 10, 1787.
“If we cannot learn wisdom from experience, it is hard to say where it is to be found.”
b) To JAMES ANDERSON, July 25, 1798.
“I, believing that man was not designed by the all-wise Creator to live for himself alone, prepare for the worst that can happen.”
26. Vanity
a) To JAMES MADISON, Mount Vernon, May 20, 1792.
“…a previous declaration to retire, not only carries with it the appearance of vanity and self importance, but it may be construed into a maneuver to be invited to remain. And on the other hand, to say nothing, implies consent; or, at any rate, would leave the matter in doubt, and to decline afterwards might be deemed as bad, and uncandid.…I take the liberty at my departure from civil, as I formerly did at my military exit, to invoke a continuation of the blessings of Providence upon it; and upon all those who are the supporters of its interests, and the promoters of harmony, order and good government.”
b) To DR. JAMES CRAIK, March 25, 1784.
“I do not think vanity is a trait of my character.”
B. PERSONALITY & EMOTIONS
1. Busy / Overwhelmed
a) To JOHN WEST, Mount Vernon, January 13, 1775.
“I can solemnly declare to you, that, for a year or two past, there has been scarce a moment, that I could properly call my own. What with my own business, my present ward’s, my mother’s, which is wholly in my hands, Colonel Colvill’s, Mrs. Savage’s, Colonel Fairfax’s, Colonel Mercer’s, and the little assistance I have undertaken to give in the management of my brother Augustine’s concerns (for I have absolutely refused to qualify as an executor), together with the share I take in public affairs, I have been kept constantly engaged in writing letters, settling accounts, and negotiating one piece of business or another; by which means I have really been deprived of every kind of enjoyment, and had almost fully resolved to engage in no fresh matter, till I had entirely wound up the old.”
2. Candor
a) To HENRY KNOX, Mount Vernon, July 16, 1798.
“But my dear Sir, as you always have found, and trust ever will find, candour a prominent trait of my character.”
b) To THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, Mount Vernon, September 25, 1798.
“Let the purity of my intentions; the candour of my declarations; and a due respect for my own character, be received as an apology….But if you had been pleased, previously to the nomination, to have enquired into the train of my thoughts upon the occasion, I would have told you with the frankness and candour which I hope will ever mark my character, on what terms I would have consented to the nomination; you would then have been enabled to decide, whether they were admissible or not.”
c) To MAJOR GENERAL HORATIO GATES, Valley Forge, January 4, 1778. vol. 10.
“Thus Sir, with an openess and candour which I hope will ever characterize and mark my conduct have I complied with your request.”
d) To TIMOTHY PICKERING, August, 29, 1797.
“Candor is not a more conspicuous trait in the character of Governments than it is of individuals.”
e) To JAMES MADISON, November 30, 1785.
“It is an old adage, that honesty is the best policy. This applies to public as well as private life, to States as well as individuals.”
f) To RICHARD WASHINGTON, April 15, 1757.
“What can be so proper as the truth?”
3. Clothing
a) To BUSHROD WASHINGTON, Newburgh, January 15, 1783. “Do not conceive that fine Clothes make fine Men, any more than fine feathers make fine Birds. A plain genteel dress is more admired and obtains more credit than lace and embroidery in the Eyes of the judicious and sensible.”
b) To JAMES MCHENRY, Mount Vernon, January 27, 1799.
“On reconsidering the uniform for the Commander-in-Chief . . . as it respects myself personally, I was against all embroidery.” (emphasis in the orginal)
