Previous
Angelica
Both historically and in the musical, George Washington is the oldest, wisest figure in Hamilton’s group of young revolutionaries. As the Commander-in-Chief of the American army—and later as the country’s first president—Washington is keenly aware that his every move will be recorded and remembered for generations to come (“History Has Its Eyes on You”). He often acts as a moderating force for Hamilton, tempering the upstart’s dreams of martyrdom by reminding him that “dying is easy, young man / living is harder” (“Right Hand Man”). Additionally, more than perhaps any other character in the play, Washington feels the need for compromise and consensus: he mediates debates between Hamilton and Jefferson, and he insists on stepping down as president so that the country can learn to function without him. On the one hand, then, he exemplifies several of the play’s most important thematic messages, showing the gap between lived experience and history and the importance of patience and collaboration. But Washington, a lifelong slaveholder, is also a deeply compromised figure, a fact the musical never outright references.
George Washington Quotes in Hamilton
The Hamilton quotes below are all either spoken by George Washington or refer to George Washington. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 1: Right Hand Man
Quotes
WASHINGTON: It’s alright, you wanna fight, you’ve got a hunger.
I was just like you when I was younger.
Head full of fantasies of dyin’ like a martyr?
HAMILTON: Yes.
WASHINGTON: Dyin’ is easy, young man.
Living is harder.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 1: History Has Its Eyes On You
Quotes
WASHINGTON: Let me tell you what I wish I’d known
When I was young and dreamed of glory.
You have no control
WASHINGTON, COMPANY: Who lives, who dies, who tells your story.
Act 2: The Room Where it Happens
Quotes
HAMILTON, JEFFERSON, MADISON, WASHINGTON: What do you want, Burr?
What do you want, Burr?
If you stand for nothing,
Burr, what do you fall for?
BURR: I
Wanna be in
The room where it happens.
The room where it happens.
I
Wanna be in
The room where it happens.
The room where it happens.
Act 2: Cabinet Battle #2
Quotes
JEFFERSON: He knows nothing of loyalty.
Smells like new money, dresses like fake royalty.
Desperate to rise above his station,
Everything he does betrays the ideals of our nation.
And if ya don’t know, now ya know, Mr. President.
Act 2: One Last Time
Quotes
HAMILTON: Though, in reviewing the incidents of my administration, I am unconscious of intentional error, I am nevertheless too sensible of my defects not to think it probable that I have committed many errors. I shall also carry with me
HAMILTON, WASHINGTON: The hope that my country will view them with indulgence
And that after forty-five years of my life dedicated to its service with an upright zeal, the faults of incompetent abilities will be consigned to oblivion, as I myself must soon be.
Get the entire Hamilton LitChart as a printable PDF.
George Washington Quotes in Hamilton
The Hamilton quotes below are all either spoken by George Washington or refer to George Washington. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 1: Right Hand Man
Quotes
WASHINGTON: It’s alright, you wanna fight, you’ve got a hunger.
I was just like you when I was younger.
Head full of fantasies of dyin’ like a martyr?
HAMILTON: Yes.
WASHINGTON: Dyin’ is easy, young man.
Living is harder.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 1: History Has Its Eyes On You
Quotes
WASHINGTON: Let me tell you what I wish I’d known
When I was young and dreamed of glory.
You have no control
WASHINGTON, COMPANY: Who lives, who dies, who tells your story.
Act 2: The Room Where it Happens
Quotes
HAMILTON, JEFFERSON, MADISON, WASHINGTON: What do you want, Burr?
What do you want, Burr?
If you stand for nothing,
Burr, what do you fall for?
BURR: I
Wanna be in
The room where it happens.
The room where it happens.
I
Wanna be in
The room where it happens.
The room where it happens.
Act 2: Cabinet Battle #2
Quotes
JEFFERSON: He knows nothing of loyalty.
Smells like new money, dresses like fake royalty.
Desperate to rise above his station,
Everything he does betrays the ideals of our nation.
And if ya don’t know, now ya know, Mr. President.
Act 2: One Last Time
Quotes
HAMILTON: Though, in reviewing the incidents of my administration, I am unconscious of intentional error, I am nevertheless too sensible of my defects not to think it probable that I have committed many errors. I shall also carry with me
HAMILTON, WASHINGTON: The hope that my country will view them with indulgence
And that after forty-five years of my life dedicated to its service with an upright zeal, the faults of incompetent abilities will be consigned to oblivion, as I myself must soon be.
