Jesse Flint

“Washington warned against “the baneful effects of the Spirit of Party,” or political factions. “This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human Mind,” Washington explained. In addition to agitating the community “with ill founded jealousies and false alarms,” Washington warned, the Spirit of Party “kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot & insurrection,” and “opens the door to foreign influence & corruption.”67”
― Jeffrey Rosen, The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America

“we are what we think, and life is shaped by the mind; that happiness requires virtue, and virtue requires the cultivation of daily habits of self-mastery and mental tranquility; that we should think and act mindfully rather than impulsively, using our powers of reason to moderate our ego-based passions; and that we should do good for its own sake rather than acting with any expectations about the reactions of others.”
― Jeffrey Rosen, The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America