Faith and Justice

• “Observe good faith and justice towards all Nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.” –George Washington, Farewell Address, 1796
  

Respected and Trusted

• “States, like individuals, who observe their engagements, are respected and trusted: while the reverse is the fate of those who pursue an opposite conduct.” –Alexander Hamilton, Report on Public Credit, 1790
  

From Nation to Nation

• “There can be no greater error than to expect, or calculate upon real favours from Nation to Nation. ‘Tis an illusion which experience must cure, which a just pride ought to discard.” –George Washington, Farewell Address, 1796
  

The Distinguished Character of Patriot

• “To the distinguished Character of Patriot, it should be our highest Glory to add the more distinguished Character of Christian. The signal Instances of providential Goodness which we have experienced and which have now almost crowned our labours with complete Success, demand from us in a peculiar manner the warmest returns of Gratitude and Piety to the Supreme Author of all Good.” –George Washington
  

Opinion Polls

• “If you are guided by opinion polls, you are not practicing leadership — you are practicing followship.” –British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
  

Religion and Virtue

• “[R]eligion and virtue are the only foundations, not of republicanism and of all free government, but of social felicity under all government and in all the combinations of human society.” –John Adams
  

Our moral duties . . .

• “We are firmly convinced, and we act on that conviction, that with nations as with individuals our interests soundly calculated will ever be found inseparable from our moral duties, and history bears witness to the fact that a just nation is trusted on its word when recourse is had to armaments and wars to bridle others.” –Thomas Jefferson, Second Inaugural Address, 1805
  

An American character . . .

• “My ardent desire is, and my aim has been … to comply strictly with all our engagements foreign and domestic; but to keep the United States free from political connections with every other country. To see that they may be independent of all, and under the influence of none. In a word, I want an American character, that the powers of Europe may be convinced we act for ourselves and not for others; this, in my judgment, is the only way to be respected abroad and happy at home.” –George Washington, letter to Partick Henry, 1775
  

Foreign power . . .

• “But if we are to be told by a foreign power … what we shall do, and what we shall not do, we have independence yet to seek, and have contended hitherto for very little.” –George Washington, letter to Alexander Hamilton, 1796
  

Foreign influence . . .

• “Foreign influence is truly the Grecian horse to a republic. We cannot be too careful to exclude its influence.” –Alexander Hamilton, Pacificus, No. 6, 1793