Quotes from Ron Chernow

Mills lashed out at Barbot as "an impertinent puppy"—the sort of fighting words that prompted duels.

Taking for granted the growth of his empire, he hired talented people as found, not as needed.

Mr. Monroe, if you have come to tell me that you repent, that you are sorry, very sorry, for the misrepresentations and the slanders and the stories you circulated against my dear husband, if you have come to say this, I understand it. But otherwise, no lapse of time, no nearness to the grave, makes any difference.

Everything was perfectly sorted, classified, and slotted in his compartmentalized mind and books. Washington's contemporaries recognized that this compulsive note taking, this itch to record his every action, went to the very essence of this well-regulated man.

In addition to his better-known title of Father of His Country, Washington is also revered in certain circles as the Father of the American Mule.

Franklin wanted a unicameral legislature and an executive council in lieu of a president. He also opposed a presidential veto on legislation, thinking it would lead to executive corruption "till it ends in monarchy.

Rockefeller feared that other states might copy this precedent and hold him hostage.

The Bank of the United States would enable the government to make good on four powers cited explicitly in the Constitution: the rights to collect taxes, borrow money, regulate trade among states, and support fleets and armies.

Things seldom happened accidentally to George Washington, but he managed them with such consummate skill that they often seemed to happen accidentally. By 1775 he had a fine sense of power—how to gain it, how to keep it, how to wield it.

Jack lacked the nerve to contest his terrifying, distant father.

having warned the children not to mention the nose

Neatly dressed and well groomed, Rockefeller was the first to arrive at and the last to leave work each day.

It did not occur to these tourists that Washington felt burdened by uninvited visitors gaping at him, particularly since he wasn't a backslapping soul who feigned friendship with total strangers. His modesty disappointed those who expected him to narrate the wartime drama especially for them.

The time had come to streamline operations, impose guidance, and attain new efficiencies.

He preferred to socialize on home turf, where guests had to conform to his rules and his timetable.

While extremely powerful, they were also inhibited in exercising that power.

He must have felt that his own health would be jeopardized if he varied his rituals.

Where Pierpont had the fortitude to confront Junius, Jack silently hoped for approval and leaned on his mother for emotional support.

and they pooled their money to set up the new bank.

Rockefeller seemed destined to succeed as much from his fastidious work habits as from innate intelligence.

Already so flush that he had invested in his first railroad stock, with cash to spare for the firm, Rockefeller was far more receptive.

The clandestine payoffs made by Standard Oil were a different matter, and Rockefeller never stinted in making payments to get the job done.

The most perplexing issue for Rockefeller was how to square philanthropy with self-reliance.

He was also uncomfortable around illness, which served as an unpleasant reminder of his own mortality.