The Pursuit of Excellence: The Uncommon Behaviors of the World's Most Productive Achievers

by Ryan Hawk

“The life of George Washington was characterized by a scrupulous regard for punctuality,” write Brett and Katie McKay. “When he asked a man to bring by some horses he was interested in buying at five in the morning, and the man arrived fifteen minutes late, he was told by the stable groom that the general had been waiting there at five.” Washington had gone on to the other business of his day, “and he wouldn’t be able to examine the horses again until the following week.” Washington “ate dinner each day at exactly 4 o’clock, and when he invited members of Congress to dine with him, and they arrived late, they were often surprised to find the president halfway done with his meal or even pushing back from the table. To his startled, tardy guest he would say, ‘We are punctual here. My cook never asks whether the company has arrived, but whether the hour has come.’ And when Washington’s secretary arrived late to a meeting, and blamed his watch for his tardiness, Washington quietly replied, ‘Then you must get another watch, or I another secretary.’ . . . For Washington, being on time was a way of showing respect to others, and he expected to be treated with the same level of respect in return.”