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Words of Wisdom on Public Service

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What do I owe to my times, to my country, to my neighbors, to my friends? Such are the questions which a virtuous [person] ought often to ask himself.

– Johann Kaspar Lavater, German poet

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

– Mohandas Gandhi, Indian civil rights leader

Serve your neighbors as you would be served yourself.

– Japanese proverb

A civilization flourishes when people plant trees under which they will never sit.

– Greek proverb

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

– Margaret Mead, American anthropologist (1901-1978)

You can only govern men by serving them.

– Victor Cousin, French philosopher

A statesman is he who thinks in the future generations, and a politician is he who thinks in the upcoming elections.

– Abraham Lincoln

Let the public service be a proud and lively career.
 

– John F. Kennedy

Everybody can be great… because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.

– Martin Luther King, Jr.

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