Almighty and eternal Lord God, the great Creator of heaven and earth, and the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; look down from heaven in pity and compassion upon me thy servant, who humbly prostrate myself before thee.
George WashingtonRead
There can be no greater error than to expect, or calculate, upon real favors from nation to nation. It is an illusion which experience must cure, which a just pride ought to discard.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Expecting true favors in international relations is naive and can lead to disappointment.
George Washington highlights the folly of expecting genuine goodwill between nations. He suggests that such expectations are illusions that experience will eventually correct, urging a more pragmatic understanding of international relations guided by a sense of pride and realism.
Themes
NationsExpectationsErrorIllusionsRelations
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a political discussion about international diplomacy.
More from George Washington
All quotes →If, in the opinion of the people, the distribution or modification of the constitutional powers be in any particular wrong, let it be corrected by an amendment in the way which the Constitution designates. But let there be no change by usurpation; for though this, in one instance, may be the instrument of good, it is the customary weapon by which free governments are destroyed.
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The duty of holding a Neutral conduct may be inferred, without any thing more, from the obligation which justice and humanity impose on every nation, in cases in which it is free to act, to maintain inviolate the relations of Peace and amity toward other Nations.
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We began a contest for liberty ill provided with the means for the war, relying on our patriotism to supply the deficiency. We expected to encounter many wants and distressed we must bear the present evils and fortitude
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What is most important of this grand experiment, the United States? Not the election of the first president but the election of its second president. The peaceful transition of power is what will separate this country from every other country in the world.
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Perseverance and spirit have done wonders in all ages.
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