Colin Powell Quotes

Citizenship is a lifetime job.

The foundation of every state is the education of its youth.

I feel it's a person's duty to participate in the governing of the country in which he lives.

Government will not fail to employ education, to strengthen its hands, and perpetuate its institutions.

Join America taught English, an understanding of the U.S. Constitution, that the Bill of Rights is the ultimate insurance policy for a citizen, and that being a citizen is not an entitlement. And we also taught a bit of capitalism.

A constitutional democracy is in serious trouble if its citizenry does not have a certain degree of education and civic virtue.

On the diffusion of education among the people rest the preservation and perpetuation of our free institutions.

Let us all take more responsibility, not only for ourselves and our families but for our communities and our country.

Citizens are not born. They are raised.

Whatever we do in government, teaches.

Clergymen do well to preach the neglected doctrine that the first duty of a citizen is to consider what he can do for the state and not what the state will do for him.

An actual residence of such a length of time as would give a man an opportunity of esteeming the Government from knowing its intrinsic value, was essentially necessary to assure us of a man’s becoming a good citizen.

A popular society must provide a school for citizens where through the best, most accessible and direct means they may be educated in the pure doctrine of Patriotism.

… schools of liberty …. warehouses of disinterested patriotism

Essentially, social education is moral education, and moral education is preparation for citizenship... When Jefferson and others advocated public education, it was to prepare for citizenship in a new, constitutional, democratic society.

I have always been very open about my respect for public service.

The true purpose of education is to prepare young men and women for effective citizenship in a free form of government.

The business of education has lay[ed] the foundations for nurseries of wise and good men, to adapt our modes of teaching to the peculiar form of our government . . . . He must be taught to love his fellow creatures in every part of the world, but he must cherish with a more intense and peculiar affection the citizens of Pennsylvania and of the United States.

The era of big government is over, but the era of big challenge is not. We need an era of big citizenship. There are many important people at this summit, but the most important title is 'citizen.' This is our republic. Let us keep it!

The job of a citizen is to keep his mouth open.

It is the State which educates its citizens in civic virtue, gives them a consciousness of their mission and welds them into unity.

Please, please, stop referring to yourselves as 'consumers.' OK? Consumers are different than citizens. Consumers do not have obligations, responsibilities and duties to their fellow human beings.

I had become increasingly concerned in recent years about the lack of civics education in our nation's schools. In recent years, the schools have stopped teaching it. And it's unfortunate.

A healthy society rests on three pillars: business, government and civil society, or non-profits. Each has a distinct and important role to play, and all three need to work together synergistically to create the most value for society.

The government can give citizens opportunity and it's their responsibility to take advantage of it.