George Washington’s Do's and Don’ts | God's World News
George Washington’s Do's and Don’ts
Time Machine
Posted: February 18, 2019

George Washington was America’s first president. He was a brave soldier and a smart leader. And Mr. Washington had good manners. What made him such a gentleman?

Once for a homework assignment, young George copied a list of 110 “rules.” There were rules about how to walk, how to talk, how to dress, and how to act at the dinner table. The rules reminded him to obey his parents, to honor God, and to keep from sin. George neatly copied the list into his notebook. He called the list his “Rules of Civility.” He took the list with him wherever he went. Proverbs 2:2 tells us to make our ears attentive to wisdom. George did just that.

If you read through George Washington’s 110 rules, you will notice something right away. The first rule in his list says this: “Every action done in company ought to be with some sign of respect to those that are present.” That was a good one to start with—because it tells us a lot about the rules that will come after. The manners in George’s list all have one thing in common: They are all designed to serve and show respect to others. For example: Don’t fall asleep when someone is talking. When someone comes into a room late, stand up and offer that person your chair. Don’t stand so close to someone while you’re talking that your spit gets on his or her face. Don’t act happy when someone else suffers—even if you don’t like that person.

George Washington eventually became the most respected man in his new country. But his rules show how much he prized humility. His rules talk a lot about offering respect to all—whether they are seen as important by others or not.

The Bible tells us to “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Romans 12:10) What a challenge! How can you “out-honor” the people you see today?