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121 " As if the notion that all men were *created* equal somehow meant that one need not aspire to knowledge and ability -- all distinctions of class, breeding, or merit discarded, all notions of civility deserted. "
― Stephanie Dray , My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton
122 " her quiet and competent way. "
― Stephanie Dray , America's First Daughter
123 " Debt and credit are an entire thing. "
124 " This is, after all, a man who was president of a nation he never wished to come into being. Monroe had opposed the Constitution. And he helped Jefferson oppose damned near everything else. The debt, the bank, the Jay Treaty, and a standing army that would’ve prevented the nation’s capital from being burned to the ground. In short, James Monroe set himself against nearly every good "
125 " This was, I thought, why love was so dangerous. I searched for the right words, when a certain warmth stole over me at the realization that her happiness was more important than fear. Even if she left me... "
― Stephanie Dray , Song of the Nile (Cleopatra's Daughter, #2)
126 " useful work was the only defense against profound misery. "
127 " All my husband’s plans, all his schemes, were working—the promises of stability and prosperity finally being realized by our countrymen. And yet, the antifederalists saw in him some manner of corrupt, power-hungry upstart intent upon crushing the rights of our states and enriching the North at the South’s expense. They used pseudonyms, but we knew the identity of at least one of the writers because perhaps no one else in the world had better cause to know Madison’s writing than we did. And "
128 " An entire generation was growing up in a world without sure principles by which to live in peace. And I couldn’t help but wonder, would my own son, after what he’d seen in the streets, come of age believing that there was no way to solve any problem but with a club or a pistol? "
129 " enceinte.” “Polly, how unkind!” I scolded, my gaze whipping up. But something about the comment drew my father’s eyes to Sally’s middle. I looked, too, taking in the slight swell beneath the pink-ribboned belt of her flowing chemise gown. The moment might’ve passed without suspicion had Sally not spread her fingers over her belly like a fan, and turned her amber gaze to my father in what looked to be heartbreaking desperation. My sister giggled. But Sally didn’t laugh and neither did my father. Instead, they exchanged a stricken, naked look between them that resounded like a "
130 " Though she was a servant and a concubine, Sally had nearly perfect self-command. She’d borne a lifetime of slavery without allowing anyone to know her beyond what she was willing to be known. She seldom let pass an unguarded word, she kept a near iron rein over her passions—a virtue my father prized and admired more than any other. "
131 " measure bound to bring about the more perfect union of which he was now considered a founder. That he was a true hero in the Revolutionary War, I will never deny. That he finally came round to seeing good sense in some matters, I will grant. I can even give grudging admiration for his political genius in wrapping himself in the flag in an attempt to prevent the nation’s disunion. But James Monroe is not now and never was the better man. None of them were. Not Jefferson. Not Adams. Not Burr. Not Madison. Not Monroe. "
132 " This was, I thought, what it meant to be noble. Not a title conveyed by a king. Not by birth or blood. But through a learned and practiced strength of faith and character. "
133 " My fears seemed justified when, a few weeks later, ten thousand people were in the streets of Philadelphia threatening to drag Washington from his house and force us to join France’s war against England. Outside our door men shouted, “Down with Washington! "
134 " No man should be judged only for his best act or his worst. By only his greatness or his flaws. It seems to me, that the only way to judge a person is by the sum of their deeds, good and bad. And in the balance, your father did far more good than harm. That's all any of us can aim to do with our lives. "
135 " And, as you will find is so often the case in life, my dear Betsy, the only prudent thing to do was frown, make them humble, and forgive.” I realized that he was frowning now. That I was humbled. And that I was also forgiven. "
136 " Alarmed at the violence—he set out to use the mightiest power he had at his disposal. His pen. And though I didn’t know it then, my husband was the best writer of the founding generation. "
137 " Don’t grieve, Patsy. Don’t live with an open wound on your spirit "
138 " The happiness of your life depends now on pleasing a single person. To this, I know all other objects must be secondary, even your love for me. "
139 " I think you’ve already accomplished everything you set out to do.” It was not flattery. He’d fought and won a war and built a federal government. He’d created a coast guard, a national bank, and invented a scheme of taxation that held the states together. He’d founded a political party, smashed a rebellion, and put in motion a financial system that was providing prosperity for nearly everyone. In short, Alexander Hamilton was a greater man than the country deserved, and "
140 " It seems, to me,” I continue, “that the only just way to judge a person is by the sum of their deeds, good and bad. And in the balance, your father did far more good than harm. That’s all any of us can aim to do with our lives. "