RULES for LIFE by America's Founding Fathers and Mothers

Statue of Thomas Jefferson in the
Jefferson Memorial, Washington D.C.

For several months now, we have been discussing the topic of "RULES for LIFE." I began this series of posts by sharing Ten Rules for Living by Thomas Jefferson: one of America's most famous and venerated Founding Leaders.

Click HERE to review Thomas Jefferson's 10 Rules. 

I followed that post up by sharing examples of "Life Rules" from others, including myself. More recently, my friend and colleague—Dr. Chris Neck—and I have expanded this theme to the topic of PARENTING.

Click HERE to review Dr. JJ's posts on parenting young children.

Click HERE to review Dr. CN's post on parenting teenagers. 

This week's post continues this theme of "Life Rules" by sharing a collection of thought-provoking and inspiring quotes from famous American leaders from the past and present—but mostly from the past. 

Mount Rushmore, South Dakota
Left to right: Washington, Jefferson, T. Roosevelt, Lincoln

Freedom Focused cherishes the memory of the Founding Fathers and Mothers of the United States of America. These men and women were imperfect individuals whose legacies have been marred in the minds of some by the sins and stains of past eras in which they lived.

Nevertheless, these imperfections and unpalatable past realities do not change the noble and august words, deeds, and examples put forth by these extraordinary men and women—people that Freedom Focused will ever hold up as worthy of our respect, admiration, study, and emulation.

Sadly, we live in a poisonous era of presentism when persons in both the past and present are often judged not by their greatest accomplishments and noblest aims, but by their worst impulses and most regrettable missteps. This pattern of thinking, speaking, and judging is a sure-fire recipe for negativity, disunity, incivility, discord, hatred, and even violence.

Winston Churchill, who understood better than most the value of heritage and tradition, once wisely cautioned against the pitfalls of presentism. Said he: If the present tries to sit in judgment of the past, it will lose the future (1). 

"If the present tries to sit in judgment of the past, it will lose the future." 

—Sir Winston Churchill

In an effort to counter this quarrelsome culture of endless enmity and character crucifixions, Freedom Focused encourages men and women everywhere to practice patterning our judgements of others after a manner once suggested by a great religious teacher, even Jesus of Nazareth, who, when he was queried whether an adulteress should be put to death for her sins, replied simply—yet oh, so cogently—"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

This is not to say we should turn a blind eye to immorality, criminality, or evil (past or present); it is merely an appeal to adjust the focus of our minds and hearts more fully on the best (and future possibility) that lies within a person (or nation), rather than incessantly replaying an individual's (or country's) past foibles and sins. While self-action leaders always learn from the past, they are never fixated on looking backward. Instead, they are focused ever forward in a continual effort to effectively and productively think, speak, and act in the present in order to create an even better future.  

Since I was just a little boy, I have carefully studied and been inspired and mentored by the examples and anecdotes gifted to us by the legacies of the remarkably talented, generous, and principle-centered leaders that built, maintained, saved, and perpetuated our imperfect, yet still gradually improving Union of States.   

This admiration is, in part, why we at Freedom Focused incorporate principles and practices hewn out of the American Declaration of Independence and Constitution into the drafting of similar documents aimed at building and enhancing the Self-Action Leadership (SAL)-capacity of individuals and organizations everywhere.

Simply stated, I am who and what I am today because of the lessons I've learned and the legacies I've observed from the leaders (both men and women, and both black and white) quoted below. My character, personality, and philosophy for living is an aggregate of these stirring statements. I hope readers will find the following words of wisdom as enlightening, compelling, persuasive, and inspiring as I do—as well as all of us at Freedom Focused. 

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1732-1826

"Always stand on principle, even if you stand alone." 

"If conscience disapproves, the loudest applauses of the world is of little value."

"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence."

"To be good, and to do good, is all we have to do."

"Move or die is the language of our Maker in the constitution of our bodies."

"The longer I live, the more I read, the more patiently I think, and the more anxiously I inquire, the less I seem to know. ... Do justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly. This is enough." 

—John Adams (1732-1826), 2nd President of the United States

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Abigail Adams
1744-1818

"Learning is not attained by chance. It must be sought after with ardor and diligence."

"I've always felt that a person's intelligence is directly reflected by the number of conflicting points of view he can entertain simultaneously on the same topic."

"We have too many high sounding words, and too few actions that correspond to them."

"If we mean to have heroes, statesmen, and philosophers, we should have learned women."

"Wisdom and penetration are the fruit of experience, not the lessons of retirement and leisure. Great necessities call out great virtues." 

—Abigail Adams (1744-1818), First Lady of the United States

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Thomas Jefferson
1743-1826

"If you want something you've never had, you must do something you've never done."

"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past."

"The glow of one warm thought is to me worth more than money."

"I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; and that His justice cannot sleep forever."

Thomas Jefferson on the US $2.00 bill

"I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."

"Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far." 

"I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as reason for withdrawing from a friend."

"He who knows best knows how little he knows."

—Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), 3rd President of the United States

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George Washington
1732-1799

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

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

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

"It is far better to be alone, than in bad company."

Washington Monument in D.C.

"Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected."

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

"It is impossible to reason without arriving at a Supreme Being."

—George Washington (1732-1799, 1st President of the United States

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Benjamin Franklin
1706-1790

"Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of."

"Love your enemies, for they will tell you your faults."

"He that lies down with dogs shall rise up with fleas."

"Well done is better than well said."

Benjamin Franklin on the US $100 bill

"A right heart exceeds all."

"He that would live in peace and at ease, Must not speak all he knows nor judge all he sees."

"What's more valuable than gold?

Diamonds.  Than Diamonds?  Virtue."

"A true friend is the best possession."

—Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), Signer of the Declaration of Independence & Constitution

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"The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty."

"Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."

"If men were angels, no government would be necessary."

"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of freedoms of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."

"The essence of government is power, and power, lodged as it must be, in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse."

"The people are the only legitimate fountain of power, and it is from them that the constitutional charter, under which the several branches of government hold their power, is derived."

"It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood."

—James Madison (1751-1836), 4th President of the United States

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Sam Houston
General, President, Senator, Governor

"Do right and risk the consequences."

"Govern wisely — and as little as possible."

"I am aware that in presenting myself as an advocate of the [Native Americans] and their rights, I shall stand very much alone."

"Texas is the finest portion of the globe that has ever blessed my vision!"

"We view ourselves on the eve of battle. We are nerved for contest, and must conquer or perish. It is vain to look for present aid: none is at hand. We must act now or abandon all hope! Rally to the standard, and be no longer the scoff of mercenary tongues! Be men, be free men, that your children may bless their father's name."

Sam Houston Museum w/ my favorite Texan, Frank McLane.
Huntsville, Texas; April 13, 2019

"Let me tell [The Southern States] what is coming. After the sacrifice of countless millions of treasure and hundreds of thousands of lives you may win Southern independence, but I doubt it. The North is determined to preserve this Union. They are not a fiery, impulsive people as you are, for they live in colder climates. But when they begin to move in a given direction, they move with the steady momentum and perseverance of a mighty avalanche."

"To be a good man, an affectionate husband, a kind parent, ... a true patriot, and to leave my family and the world a spotless reputation, comprise all the objects of my earthly ambition!"

—Sam Houston (1786-1863), General (Army of Texas), President of the Republic of Texas, Governor of the State of Texas

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Abraham Lincoln
1809-1865

"You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time."

"Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right."

"How many legs does a dog have if you call his tail a leg? Four. Saying that a tail is a leg doesn't make it a leg." 

"The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next." 

"I will prepare and someday my chance will come."

"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts."

Statue of Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.

"My dream is of a place and time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of Earth." 

"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan  — to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace for ourselves and for all nations."

"All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years. At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction is to be our lot, we ourselves must be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide."   

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Frederick Douglass
1818-1895

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."

"If there is no struggle, there is no progress."

"I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs."

"One and God make a majority."

"The soul that is within me no man can degrade."

"I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own ridicule."

"The life of the nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful, and virtuous."

"A gentleman will not insult me, an no man not a gentleman can insult me."

—Frederick Douglass (1817-1895), Early Civil Rights Leader

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General/President U.S. Grant
1822-1885

"I have never advocated war except as a means for peace."

"Hold fast to the Bible. To the influence of this book we are indebted for all the progress made in ... civilization and to this we must look as our guide in the future."

"Leave the matter of religion to the family altar, the church, and the private school, supported by private contributions. Keep the church and state forever separate." 

President U.S. Grant on the US $50.00 bill

"Nations, like individuals, are punished for their transgressions."

"Everyone has his superstitions. One of mine has always been when I started to go anywhere, or to do anything, never to turn back until the thing intended was accomplished."

"Let us have peace."

—Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), Full General of the U.S. Army and 18th President of the United States

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1803-1882

"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."

"Life is a journey, not a destination."

"Be silly. Be honest. Be kind."

"Hitch your wagon to a star."

"Don't be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better."

"To be great is to be misunderstood."

"You become what you think about all day long."

"Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

"One of the most beautiful compensations in life is that no person can help another without helping themselves."

"Knowledge is the antidote to fear."

"Let us be silent, that we may hear the whispers of the gods."

"He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life."

"Every person I meet is in some way my superior — in that I learn of them."

"Character is higher than intellect."

—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), Scholar, Philosopher, Essayist, Poet

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Henry David Thoreau
1817-1862

"It's not what you look at that matters; it's what you see."

"Rather than love, than money, than fame; give me truth."

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."

"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root."

"Goodness is the only investment that never fails."

Sketch of Thoreau's Cabin near Walden Pond

"Things do not change; we change."

"What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

"I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor."

"None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm."

"Life your beliefs and you can turn the world around."

—Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), Philosopher, Essayist, Friend of Emerson's

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Theodore Roosevelt
1858-1919

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." 

"People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."

"I am part of everything that I have read."

"To educate a person in the mind but not in morals is to educate a menace to society."

"Never throughout history has a person who has lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering."

"The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with other people."

"With self-discipline, almost anything is possible."

"Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." 

"Order without liberty and liberty without order are equally destructive."

"Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."

"The only person who never makes mistakes is the person who never does anything."

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

—Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), 26th President of the United States.

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"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." 

"When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on."

"I'm not the smartest person in the world, but I can sure pick smart colleagues."

"It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something."

Franklin with his wife, Eleanor

"If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships — the ability of peoples, of all kinds, to live together in the same world in peace."

"Confidence ... thrives on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection and on unselfish performance. Without them it cannot live."

—Franklin Roosevelt (1884-1945), 32nd President of the United States.

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Eleanor Roosevelt
1884-1948

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

"You can often change your circumstances by changing your attitude." 

"No matter how plain a woman may be, if truth and honesty are written across her face, she will be beautiful."

"Life is what you make it. Always has been, and always will be."

"It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself."

Eleanor with her husband, Franklin

"It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."

"Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people."

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

—Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1948), First Lady of the United States.

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Martin Luther King, Jr.
1929-1968

"We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope."

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."

"Forgiveness is not an occasional act. It is a permanent attitude."

"Life's most persistent and pressing question is: what am I doing for others." 

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

"Never succumb to the temptation to bitterness."

"Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education."

—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968), Civil Rights Leader

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Ronald Reagan
1911-2004

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."

"We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone."

"Trust, but verify."

"If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under."

"There are no easy answered, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what is morally right."

"The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would steal them away."

"Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a close resemblance to the first."

"They say the world has become too complex for simple answers. They are wrong." 

—Ronald Reagan (1911-2004), 40th President of the United States.

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"I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition."

—Martha Washington (1731-1802), First Lady of the United States

"There ain't no ticks like poly-ticks. Bloodsuckers all."

"You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas."

"Remember these words when I am dead. First, be sure you're right; then go ahead."

—Davy Crockett (1786-1836), Soldier, Frontiersman, Soldier

"I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible and die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his honor and that of his Country; Victory or death."

—William Barrett Travis (1809-1836), Soldier, Army Lieutenant Colonel

"Remember, no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost."

—Helen Keller (1880-1968), Political activist, disability rights advocate, author and lecturer

"There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can circumvent, hinder, or control, the firm resolve of a determined soul."

—Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919), Poet

"Be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else."

—Judy Garland (1922-1969), Hollywood Actor

"I'm a big believer that eventually everything comes back to you. You get back what you give out." 

—Nancy Reagan (1911-2004), First Lady of the United States.

"Love and hope can conquer hate." 

"The best judge of whether or not a country is going to develop is how it treats its women."

—Barack Obama (1961-Present), 44th President of the United States.

"Always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody says distract you from your goals."

—Michelle Obama (1964-Present), First Lady of the United States

"There is no greater gift you can give or receive than to honor your calling. It's why you were born."

—Oprah Winfrey (1954-Present), Billionaire Media Mogul

NOTE: This article is the 20th in a series of 22 articles on the subject of LIFE RULES.

Click HERE to access quick links to the other 21 articles.   

—Dr. JJ

April 20, 2022

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 261st Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013. 

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 260 FF Blog Articles.  

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Notes:

1. Mansfield, S. Never Give In: The Extraordinary Character of Winston Churchill. Nashville, TN: Cumberland House. Pages 190-193.