A brass balance scale with a pile of gold coins outweighing a small white porcelain feather on a deep green background.

Original artwork, not a still

George Washington

Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

A sober observation about integrity: few people can resist when someone offers more money than anyone else. It suggests that principles often have a price, and that the highest offer is the hardest test of whether someone's virtue holds.

Context reviewed

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