In the United States, we’re celebrating Independence Day. This is a special time because of great leaders, who in the late 1700s risked everything to form a new country where people could pursue their dreams. Those men were not only great leaders in their day, but their influence continues to inspire others—all around the world—to step up and do great things.

Independence Day is a time to reflect on the freedoms we have and the people who paved the way. Though many readers of this blog reside outside the US, I hope you will also appreciate the great things that happened back in the late 1700s and the impact those men had on establishing freedoms enjoyed by many throughout the world today.

To celebrate I want to share some of my favorite inspiring quotes from the Founding Fathers of the United States of America:

“Be courteous to all, but intimate with a few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence.”
George Washington

“All through your life, you’ll be faced with making a decision between two things-choose the one that is right. If they are both right, then choose the one that will make you feel the best about it at the end of the day.”
Thomas Jefferson

“Take time for all things: great haste makes great waste.”
Benjamin Franklin

“Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
John Adams 

“The citizens of the U.S. are responsible for the greatest trust ever confided to a political society. We base all our experiments on the capacity of mankind for self-government.”
James Madison

“If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.”
Thomas Paine

“A free people [claim] their rights as derived from the laws of nature, and not as the gift of their chief magistrate.”
Thomas Jefferson

“Give me liberty or give me death.”
Patrick Henry

“Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.”
George Washington

“Well done is better than well said.”
Benjamin Franklin

Happy Independence Day!

Questions: What do you appreciate the most about the founding fathers? Why do you value independence? Please leave a comment in the space below.

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The Product Management Perspective: I hope all of you in the product world find joy and independence in the work you’re doing.