02/17/2026
Yesterday on Presidents’ Day, I shared an essay titled “George Washington by George W. Bush: For a Leader, Humility is the Ultimate Strength.”
In it, George W. Bush shares this about George Washington:
“As a boy, he schooled himself in the ‘gentlemanly arts’ by copying the 110 maxims from Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation, which shaped his character for the rest of his life.”
Isn’t that powerful?
Before Washington became a president, he became a person of character.
You can read and vote for your favorite maxim here through George Washington's Mount Vernon:
The Rules of Civility | George Washington's Mount Vernon
https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/rules-of-civility?page=0
I truly believe we have never needed more conversations between parents and kids about good character than we do today.
That’s why I wrote My Character Check — to help families spark meaningful conversations that build responsibility, empathy, and self-reflection.
If you’d like to support this mission, you can find the book at:
https://www.mycharactercheck.com or on Amazon.
Let’s keep raising good humans.
George Washington's Rules of Civility
