George Washington Qualities

Throughout history, there have no doubt been many great men who have influenced whole generations, started entire schools of thought, led large masses of people, and even started countries and religions. Although these are things that famous, great men have done, like Socrates or Alexander the Great, enormous effects and consequences that sound down history are not necessary for one to be a great man. There are many great men in society today that may not even be known, but in their daily lives live out the qualities of a great man. What sort of qualities? Well, they are qualities that are seen in all great men of history. These qualities of Leadership, Selflessness, Teaching, and Living by Principles are qualities that all great men inherently

George Washington was not a perfect man by any means, in how his actions effectively led to the start of the French and Indian War. However, even in his flaws and mistakes, Washington took it upon himself to lead the military that he was charged with, as following his duties was part of his principles that he lived by. As he became more of a veteran on the battlefield, Washington’s mere presence on the field boosted the morale of the soldiers around him and gave them the courage to fight. History records say that “Washington alone of Braddock’s aide emerged unscathed, though his hat and coat were riddled with bullet holes and two horses were shot from beneath him. Washington never ran. He stood and fought with great valor” (Metaxas 10). With this image of Washington’s courage as he watched over the men on his horse, clearly in the line of fire, he shot inspiration into the hearts of his men. Almost hand in hand with being a leader, Washington taught the soldiers he commanded what it really means to be brave. Washington stood firm while dealing with such difficulties as troop shortages, assassination attempts, and betrayals (Metaxas 15). Washington was the type of man who taught through example, and through his model of fairness, sincerity, and a

Marx was born in Prussia on May 15, 1818. As he grew up, he began to notice that there were some aspects of society that he did not think were correct. Soon enough, he would become the creator of Marxism, and one of the most influential people of the 20th century (Biography.com). The quality of leadership is seen more subtly in Marx’s life but is present in how he philosophically led the communist movement. While he was the physical leader in his preachings through the newspapers, and upon his writing of The Communist Manifesto, he began to more heavily lead the communist movement as well. His work has been given credit to sparking revolutions throughout Europe in 1848 (Biography.com). Now, these may seem like negative things, and while his methods of implementation may have been incorrect and imperfect, they are not what makes him a great man. Karl Marx tried going to school for teaching but eventually ended up in journalism. Throughout everything he did, he stood by his ideas of how society should be run, and living so strongly by his principles for the good of those who were seen as dirt is what made him a great man. Karl Marx was selfless in the way that he never gave up fighting for his ideals, even after being put into exile by Germany, France, and Belgium finally to reside in London. Marx followed his principles to the end. Even when his own father said that he had demons in him,