Alexander Hamilton was an American statesman, politician, legal scholar, military commander, lawyer, banker, and economist. He was the major author of the Federalist papers and the first secretary of the United States' treasury.
Alexander was born on January 11, 1755, at Charlestown Nevis, British Leeward Islands. He spent most of his childhood at Charlestown itself. He and his older brother were born out of wedlock to Rachel Faucette, who was already married and James Hamilton. In 1765 James abandoned her and two children. Even though Rachel did set up a small shop and at the age of 11, Alexander started working. He became a clerk in the countinghouse of the two New York merchants who had recently established themselves at St. Croix.
When his mother died in 1768, he became a ward of his mother's relatives. By 1772, his ability made him a manager from a bookkeeper. Later on, he was sent to a preparatory school in Elizabethtown in New Jersey and in 1773, he joined King's College in New York. Even though he was an aspiring student, his studies were interrupted by the brewing revolt against Great Britain.
Through his friends' influence, he was commissioned as a Captain in the provisional artillery in March 1776. He did organize his own company, and at the Battle of Trenton, he and his men prevented the British attack and attacked George Washington's main army. Washington invited him and asked him to become an aide-de-camp with the rank of lieutenant colonel. In these fours, he grew close and became a contact officer between Washington, French generals and admirals.
He started analyzing the financial and political weaknesses of the government. In November 1781, he moved to Albany and studied and started practicing law with the war virtually over. After a few months, the New York legislature elected him to the Continental Congress. He started practicing law in New York by 1783. He mainly defended the unpopular loyalists who had remained faithful to the British during the Revolution in suits. This brought them under a state law called Trespass Act.
He recruited John Jay and James Madison to write a series of essays defending the proposed ConstitutionConstitution, now known as The Federalist Papers. He made the greatest efforts by contributing about 51 of the total 85 essays published. He supervised the entire project, enlisted the participants, wrote most essays, and even oversaw the publication. He did contribute to many other changes that were mainly brought a revolution.
The duel between him and Aaron Burr was the reason for his death. Burr's shot hit him in the lower abdomen above his right hip. After suffering for almost 31 hours, he died on the afternoon of July 12 1804. He was buried in the Trinity Churchyard Cemetery in Manhattan.
Following are some of the famous Alexander Hamilton Quotes on Democracy, Education, Economy that will surely inspire you.
A promise must never be broken.
It is an assurance that one will do something or a particular thing will happen. It is also a declaration where you refrain someone from doing something specific.
Alexander says that a promise is something that must never be broken. It is the guarantee you give to a person that you will not break the trust. When you promise a person, trust starts developing.
Trust is the belief that a person places on you or something that you place on them. And if you lose it, then no matter, it is not going to be formed any time sooner. As once you break a promise, the trust gets misplaced. If there is no trust, then no relationship can survive. There will pain and ache, and eventually, you will end up getting hurt.
Thus, you need to strive to maintain the promise.
You should not have taken advantage of my sensibility to steal into my affections without my consent.
Sensibility is the quality of being able to appreciate and respond to complex emotions. It is the ability to receive sensations.
This quote says that Alexander says that one should not take advantage of his sensitive side. He is a very sensible person, which is why many people made efforts to steal his heart.
He is very soft-hearted, so people often strive to affect his opinions. He says that it is extremely wrong to get into his heart without his consent as you can control what the heart wants. It surely takes what it needs. So, he wishes that people do not take advantage of his affections.
The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed.
Concern is the feeling of worry or care about a person or a thing. Being concerned is a way of thinking that really prepares you for life's challenges. When we worry about a person, we start to direct our energy towards the situation.
Alexander says that the best we can hope about having to worry about a person at large is that they should be properly armed. As war can be at any time and there is no safety for the people. The common people are the ones who get affected in these situations.
For the safety of the common people, they must be armed to protect themselves against injustice. They are the only people who can help themselves as they are common mass.
Therefore, for their safety, people need to be equipped with arms.
Those who stand for nothing fall for everything.
Human beings are people who are the most selfish among all the creatures in the world. According to the situations, they start to have a change in their attitude and behave accordingly.
This quote says that when people don't stand up for anything in life, they almost fall for everything. People mostly get nervous and scared to try new things. They are afraid to take responsibilities if they stand up for things. To avoid it they do not stand up against any situations.
As they fail to stand for nothing, they start to fall into the trap. As they do not believe in anything, they start to fall for every small thing. So, at least start to stand up for something. Having certain beliefs and principles, or else you will be fooled.
Hard words are very rarely useful. Real firmness is good for every thing. Strut is good for nothing.
Words are something that are spoken when you communicate with people. When you speak hard words, it does not affect people to a greater extent. It is something which is not very useful. They are hardly helpful to us.
Firmness is to have unwavering determination and strength of a character. It is the quality of being strong. This quote says that words, even though they are hard, are not convenient enough. Real safety is good for everything.
Safety is the condition of being safe and freedom from danger. It is good for everything. Strut is something that acts as support but you do not need support for everything. Instead of support, you just need to have the strength to deal with the worst.
Thus, start to be tough as only then you can be prepared for anything.
Continue reading some more Alexander Hamilton Quotes....
Caution and investigation are a necessary armor against error and imposition.
Caution is the care that you need to take to avoid danger or mistakes. It can also be termed as a warning that is given to keep away from the consequences and situation that accompanies it.
An investigation is an inquiry or a search where you make active efforts in order to find out something. It can be termed as a systematic and thorough attempt to learn the facts about something complex or hidden.
This quote says that awareness and inquiry is a mandatory shield against any blunder and burden that you cause. Search and exploration is something which is something that cannot be avoided.
In order to protect ourselves from the faults and impositions, you need to be careful and have to search before doing anything. Thus, start being cautious and exploring things or else you will be at a loss.
A well-adjusted person is one who makes the same mistake twice without getting nervous.
A mistake is a wrong judgment or action that is made. It is inaccurate. To make a mistake is the most common thing, so does not get anxious when you make when.
Alexander says that a person who is well adjusted to make the same slip twice without getting anxious. When a person makes an error for the first time, he gets stressed as he doesn't know what needs to be done in order to make it right. The person gets scared as he does not know where to begin with.
But when you make the same mistake twice, you know what all you need to do. So you learn to deal with the situation. Thus, learn to deal with any situation in your life. No matter how difficult it gets, learn to handle it.
Experience is the oracle of truth; and where its responses are unequivocal; they ought to be conclusive and sacred.
Experience is an event or occurrence that creates an impression on someone. It is also something where you have had practical contact with certain facts and observation.
This quote says that an incident that takes place gives us a certain sense of the truth. As through it, we understand the certain reality which often differs from our thoughts. It is something that helps us to deal with the worst. It is what creates a stronger person.
When you experience things in life, you become aware of the consequences you need to face in life. The truth of our encounter is said to be something that cannot be argued over. And the event itself turns to be profane. Experience is what makes a person understand certain truths in life.
Therefore, learn from your experience as it is one of the best teachers you can ever get.
I may not live to see the glory. But I will gladly join the fight. And when our children tell our story, they will tell the story of tonight.
Alexander was a great personality who made his share of contributions against the injustices of the government. He always stood up for what he believed in, making him one of the most revolutionary leaders.
Alexander says that he may not live enough to see the spectacle it creates. But he will make it a point to join the fight. He believed that if the government does not help people gain their rights, they should be courageous enough to lead a fight.
Even though he will not be alive to see the changes the fight brings about, and when our children will tell our story, they will surely tell the story of this night where we people strived enough to make it a history.
Therefore, create changes when you can as it might be something that will create a revolution.
Give all the power to the many, they will oppress the few. Give all the power to the few, they will oppress the many.
Power is the ability to do or act as you please. It is the capability of doing or accomplishing something in your life. It can generally help to gain control or give a command to people.
This quote says that we should give power to many people as they will only exercise their authority over very few people. It means that when many people have authority, they will only show their strength towards a few. Also, most people will be common man, and they understand the problems of the masses. So, they will only show their power when they have to.
But when you give the power to very few people, they will start taking advantage of the situation and make laws that will satisfy their desires. After a time when power gets over their head, they start to oppress the people. As no actions can be taken on the people who have authority, they feel confident about suppressing people's voices.
Thus, Alexander believes that power should be something that should be given to many.
Few more Alexander Hamilton Quotes....
The art of reading is to skip judiciously.
Reading is an active process that helps us to build the meaning of words. It can also be defined as the process of thinking. It can also be termed as something where you connect the ideas on the page to what you already know about.
Alexander says that the art of reading is to skip it with sense. It means that the reader will surely skip the sentences, paragraphs and even words that do not hold an obvious meaning. While reading nonfictional books, most people do not enjoy the narrative as they feel it gets bored, but the real fact is that the narrative does hold some hidden facts of the story.
He says that when you are not interested in reading something, skip it sensibly. And also, it is the reader's choice to decide what is good for him. Choice can also include skipping a particular genre as a reader cannot relate to it. And when you can really differ and understand your preference, you too know the art of reading.
Let us recollect that peace or war will not always be left to our option; that however moderate or unambitious we may be, we cannot count upon the moderation, or hope to extinguish the ambition of others.
War is a state of armed conflict between different countries or different groups in the same country. It is a situation in which there is strong competition between the opposing sides against something terrible.
This quote says that we must remember that peace or war will not always be left as our choice. Even though we may be an ordinary person or a lazy one; we still cannot count upon all the extremes or aspire to quench out the objective of others.
Peace and war are situations which we cannot choose as no matter how the person we are, we cannot make the other person behave in the same way. The values we have cannot be forcefully inculcated to others.
No matter what the situation is, never control a person the way you want to.
I never expect a perfect work from an imperfect man.
To be perfect means to make something completely free from faults or defects and make it as good as possible. It can also be termed as being right and complete in every possible way.
None of us is perfect, and we ourselves should never expect perfection from others. When we expect perfection from people, we are only setting goals for our disappointment. Also, we all make mistakes, and if we do not make them, we aren't learning anything new.
Hamilton says that he never expects any perfect work from an imperfect man, which means that he never expects anything from anyone. It is something which he believed firmly. Also, this is one of the practical approaches that everyone needs to follow. We can always strive to attain perfection but can never achieve it.
Thus, we can always try to do our best, and it is the best we can actually expect from others and ourselves.
If we must have an enemy at the head of government, let it be one whom we can oppose, and for whom we are not responsible.
This quote is from one of the letter of Alexander on the Election of 1800. It is an excerpt from his letter to Theodore Sedgwick concerning Thomas Jefferson and John Adams's election.
This quote says that if it is necessary for us to have an enemy at the person who leads the government, let that person be someone we can fight against. It should be a person we can resist and the one for whom we do not share any liability.
If we have to fight against our enemy, let it be someone whom we can truly withstand. It also should be a person who is not dependent on us. We should not hold any responsibility against our enemy, or else we will be in a difficult situation.
If the sword of oppression be permitted to lop off one limb without opposition, reiterated strokes will soon dismember the whole body.
Oppression is often the ill-natured or unjust treatment or the implementation of power under governmental authority's disguise. It is also the act of placing several restrictions on a group, individual or institution.
Alexander says that if the dagger of tyranny is allowed to cut off one a single limb without any resistance, then with repeated strokes, it will soon mutilate the whole body. It means that if you do not fight against a small issue soon, a bundle of injustice will be toppled upon you.
If you allow a small issue to rise without any opposition, it will soon hit back repeatedly with a huge one. And then it will soon be a tough case to deal with. Thus, start to fight when there is a need or else it will soon turn into a miserable situation.
The inquiry constantly is what will please, not what will benefit the people. In such a government there can be nothing but temporary expedient, fickleness, and folly.
Inquiry means to search or investigate about certain facts. It can also be termed as an examination into facts and principles.
This quote says that when you inquire about something constantly, you learn about the truth. You understand how things are actually done and what they really mean. But inquiry will only please people but not benefit them.
Even though you inquire about things, it will not help you. If there is only an inquiry in a government, then people will not get any benefit as they need to take actions and act according to the needs of the people. The rule where only inquiry exists is nothing but a temporary scheme, disloyalty and mistakes.
Thus, create a government where each person is heard or at least a place where there is no suppression.
All communities divide themselves into the few and the many. the first are the rich and well-born, the other the mass of the people.
A community is a group or a social unit with things in common: norms, traditions, religions, values, or even an identity. It can also be called the people living in an area or a group with similar interests.
This quote says that each community divides itself into hardly any and countless. It is the distance that is created between people according to the class they belong to. Class means the social status, which is determined by how much they earn.
The first division is the people who have become rich and people who are already born rich. In other divisions, there are common people who need to struggle to meet their daily ends.
The community itself makes this division, and this is what creates a boundary that creates further clashes. Thus, try to reduce the boundaries after we all are human beings who all need basic things to survive.
Constitutions should consist only of general provisions; the reason is that they must necessarily be permanent, and that they cannot calculate for the possible change of things.
Constitution is the basic principles or laws of a nation, state or a particular social group that determines the powers and duties of government. It also guarantees certain rights to the people.
This quote says that ConstitutionConstitution should only comprise general services in it. The reason behind this thought is that it should be something that should necessarily be abiding. It should be something that can withhold any changes when made to it.
We believe the reason behind it is that the Constitution is majorly followed, and over time, things keep changing. Those changes are sometimes quite difficult to be incorporated and also daunting one.
Thus, let the ConstitutionConstitution be something that will surely protect the rights of people.
It will be of little avail to the people, that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood.
Law is generally a system or rule that which a particular country or community follows. And when you fail to follow the law there will surely be certain penalties which you need to pay.
Alexander says that it is only of little help to the people when people make the laws according to their own choice. Law should neither have lots of volumes for people to ignore it nor should be something which is written in a confusing way.
Law should be something that is easily understood by the people so that everyone of us can abide by the law. Rather than contain long words, make it simple and clear so that the common man can depict what the law actually means.
Thus, be sure to follow the law as it something that can be an example to others.
No man is allowed to be a judge in his own cause, because his interest would certainly bias his judgment, and, not improbably, corrupt his integrity.
To judge a person is to form, give or have an opinion on something or someone. It can sometimes have a negative effect as you start criticizing people even without knowing them, and we humans generally have the tendency to do so.
In this quote, Alexander says that no person is allowed to be a judge of his own case. Every person has his own rights and principles by which he lives. And when you judge yourself, you certainly believe that you make the verdict in your favor.
You judge yourself in an expected and unlikely manner which makes spoils your honesty. In order to prove yourself right, you rule the decisions in your fair.
Thus, let someone be your judge as only then you can truly know what went wrong.
Smile a curve that sets everything right. It is a curve that can change your life. It is said that it is a cheap way to improve your looks. So keep on smiling as one day life will surely get tired of upsetting you.
