Coubertin Quote for Feb, 19
Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.Share
Since it is Presidents Day in the U.S., today's quote comes from George Washington and expresses an ethos that finds parallels in Coubertin's philosophy of Olympism. In his Farewell Speech in 1796, in which he explained why he would not run for a third term despite his overwhelming popularity, George Washington delivered a series of axioms for those who would follow him into the highest office of our land, including this one.
One hundred years later, as Pierre de Coubertin summarized the impact of the first modern Olympic Games in Athens, he wrote "Should the institution (of the Olympic Games) prosper--as I am persuaded, all civilized nations aiding, that it will--it may be a potent, if indirect, factor in securing universal peace."
Obviously, Washington and Coubertin shared the same hopes for the future of humanity.
This Coubertin quote is drawn from an article entitled, the Olympic Games of 1896, which appeared in the November issue of The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine that year.