His enemies sneered at him for that, but we see plainly how much it meant to this new Nation to have such qualities exemplified.

Had Thomas Jefferson been our first President in his _sans-culotte_ days, our Government might not have outlasted the _sans-culottist_ enthusiasts in France.

A man is known by his friends.

The chosen friends of Washington were among the best of his time in America.

Hamilton, Henry Knox, Nathanael Greene, John Jay, John Marshall--these were some.
Although Washington was less learned than many of the men of his time in political theory and history, he excelled them all in a concrete application of principles.