The Wisdom of Dead Presidents
Washington and Lincoln on Life and Leadership
I wonder what Washington and Lincoln would think if they knew their birthdays, established to commemorate their contributions to this country of ours, had exploded into one of the biggest sales days of the year. A business ‘opportunity’? An opportunistic marketer’s dream? While it does detract a bit from the original intent of the day, I’m sure these celebrated dead presidents would have applauded the creativity of the entrepreneurial spirit.
Though quite different by personality and upbringing, and contrary to popular belief, Washington did not chop down the cherry tree, and not every story Lincoln told was his own. They were common men, whose wisdom grew from life experience, and whose visions supported a cause far greater than their own. They put their lives on the line to serve the greater good. They succeeded.
Forward-thinking leaders, their values, compassion, humility and understanding of the human spirit represent the best of what servant leadership is all about. It remains not only viable, but prized today. Proof that while times change, the traits inherent in true leadership remain constant.
And as for President’s Day sales? How lucky we are to be able to buy and sell in a land of opportunity and free enterprise, thanks in good measure to their leadership.
We thought it would be interesting to juxtapose quotes from Washington and Lincoln. Leaders born in different centuries, at different points in history, and far removed from the world we know today, and show how vital their perspectives remain in our modern times:
Happiness:
Lincoln: “People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
Washington: “Happiness depends more upon the internal frame of a person’s own mind, than on the externals in the world.”
Friendship:
Lincoln: “Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?”
Washington: “True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity, before it is entitled to the appellation.”
Humility:
Lincoln: “I’m a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn’t have the heart to let him down.”
Washington: ‘I beg it may be remembered by every gentleman in the room that I this day declare with the utmost sincerity, I do not think myself equal to the command I am honored with.”
Perfection:
Lincoln: “Those who look for the bad in people will surely find it.”
Washington: “We must take human nature as we find it, perfection falls not to the share of mortals.”
Networking:
Lincoln: “I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better.”
Washington: “It is far better to be alone than in bad company.”
Preparedness:
Lincoln: “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
Washington: “To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.”
Perseverance:
Lincoln: “When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”
Washington: “I’ll die on my feet before I’ll live on my knees!”
Time Management:
Lincoln: “The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.”
Washington: “99% of failures come from people who make excuses.”
Productivity:
Lincoln: “Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”
Washington: “Real men despise battle, but will never run from it.”
Motivation:
Lincoln: “If my father’s son can become President of these United States, then your father’s son can become anything he wishes.”
Washington: “A people… who are possessed of the spirit of commerce, who see and who will pursue their advantages may achieve almost anything.”
Honesty:
Lincoln: “No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.”
Washington: “I hold the maxim no less applicable to public than to private affairs, that honesty is the best policy.”
Entrepreneurship:
Lincoln: ” That some should be rich shows that others may become rich, and hence is just encouragement to industry and enterprise.”
Washington: “Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder.”
Positive Thinking:
Lincoln: “We can complain because the rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
Washington: “We should not look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors and for the purpose of profiting by dearly bought experience.”
Success:
Lincoln: “Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.”
Washington: “How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these.”
Perspective:
Lincoln: “Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.”
Washington: “The turning points of lives are not the great moments. The real crises are often concealed in occurrences so trivial in appearance that they pass unobserved.”
And, in a very human sense, they knew how to express gratitude. Both men freely gave credit, where credit was due – to their mothers:
Lincoln: “All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”
Washington: “My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her.”
Have a good and prosperous day everyone!