We shall never be abandoned by Heaven while we act worthy of its aid and protection
Samuel AdamsRead
If men of wisdom and knowledge, of moderation and temperance, of patience, fortitude and perseverance, of sobriety and true republican simplicity of manners, of zeal for the honour of the Supreme Being and the welfare of the commonwealth; if men possessed of these other excellent qualities are chosen to fill the seats of government, we may expect that our affairs will rest on a solid and permanent foundation.
Interpretation
Good governance relies on wise and virtuous leaders who prioritize the common good.
This quote emphasizes the importance of selecting leaders who embody wisdom, knowledge, moderation, and other virtues. Samuel Adams argues that if individuals with these commendable qualities are in government, then society can be confident that its affairs will be managed effectively and endure over time.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech discussing the qualities necessary for effective governance.
We shall never be abandoned by Heaven while we act worthy of its aid and protection
Nothing is more essential to the establishment of manners in a State than that all persons employed in places of power and trust must be men of unexceptionable characters.
If taxes are laid upon us in any shape without our having a legal representation where they are laid, are we not reduced from the character of free subjects to the miserable state of tributary slaves? We claim British rights not by charter only! We are born to them.
Let no man thirst for good beer.
He therefore is the truest friend to the liberty of his country who tries most to promote its virtue, and who, so far as his power and influence extend, will not suffer a man to be chosen into any office of power and trust who is not a wise and virtuous man.
We boast of our freedom, and we have your example for it. We talk the language we have always heard you speak.
Humility must always be the portion of any man who receives acclaim earned in the blood of his followers and the sacrifices of his friends.
Management of many is the same as management of few. It is a matter of organization.
I am convinced that the best service a retired general can perform is to turn in his tongue along with his suit and to mothball his opinions.
We must be silent before we can listen. We must listen before we can learn. We must learn before we can prepare. We must prepare before we can serve. We must serve before we can lead.
A prince must not have any other object nor any other thought… but war, its institutions, and its discipline; because that is the only art befitting one who commands.
Get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats...
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