Good judgment seeks balance and progress; lack of it eventually finds imbalance and frustration.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Good Judgement
Topic: Justice, Vision, & Leadership
Throughout America’s adventure in free government, such basic purposes have been to keep the peace; to foster progress in human achievement, and to enhance liberty, dignity and integrity among peoples and among nations. To strive for less would be unworthy of a free and religious people…. But each proposal must be weighed in light of a broader consideration; the need to maintain balance in and among national programs – balance between the private and the public economy, balance between the cost and hoped for advantages – balance between the clearly necessary and the comfortably desirable; balance between our essential requirements as a nation and the duties imposed by the nation upon the individual; balance between the actions of the moment and the national welfare of the future. Good judgment seeks balance and progress; lack of it eventually finds imbalance and frustration.
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American army general and statesman who served as the 34th President of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was a five-star general in the United States Army and served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe. He was responsible for planning and supervising the invasion of North Africa in Operation Torch in 1942–43 and the successful invasion of France and Germany in 1944–45 from the Western Front.
Farewell Address to the Nation
Eisenhower, Dwight David. “Dwight D. Eisenhower, Farewell Address (17 January 1961).” Wikiquote, en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Dwight_D._Eisenhower#Farewell_address_(1961), [Eisenhower's Farewell Address to the Nation, January 17, 1961].
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Theme: A Vision of America
About This Dwight D. Eisenhower Quotation [Commentary]
Dwight D. Eisenhower’s statement—“Good judgment seeks balance and progress; lack of it eventually finds imbalance and frustration”—appears at the close of his Farewell Address, a reflection shaped by decades of public service and the weight of national responsibility. He frames this observation within a broader purpose: to “keep the peace; to foster progress in human achievement, and to enhance liberty, dignity and integrity among peoples and among nations.” These aims, he says, are the rightful work of “a free and religious people.” Good judgment, then, is not simply a personal virtue—it is a civic necessity. It weighs present actions against long-term consequences and evaluates every proposal in light of a broader need: balance.
Eisenhower repeats the word “balance” deliberately, calling for it across multiple dimensions of national life: “balance between the private and the public economy, balance between the cost and hoped for advantages… between the clearly necessary and the comfortably desirable.” He also urges balance “between our essential requirements as a nation and the duties imposed by the nation upon the individual.” In each case, he is describing not just policy trade-offs, but the inner workings of judgment. Without this quality, decisions drift toward excess, and the outcome is not only “imbalance” but lasting “frustration.” The careful sequencing of these phrases reveals a disciplined ethic—one that resists extremes and keeps national purpose aligned with democratic values.
In closing, Eisenhower reminds us that the survival of democracy depends on how power is used—not for domination, but for “human betterment.” A vision of America, in his words, should not mortgage “the political and spiritual heritage” of future generations for short-term ease. Balance is not neutrality or indecision; it is the structure that allows progress to endure. “To strive for less,” he says, “would be unworthy.”
Dwight David Eisenhower (14 October 1890 – 28 March 1969), also widely known by his nickname “Ike”, was an American soldier and politician. He served as Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II, and was later elected the 34th President of the United States of America.
More Quotes from Eisenhower’s Farewell Address to the Nation, January 17, 1961
“We now stand ten years past the midpoint of a century that has witnessed four major wars among great nations. Three of these involved our own country. Despite these holocausts, America is today the strongest, the most influential, and most productive nation in the world. Understandably proud of this pre-eminence, we yet realize that America’s leadership and prestige depend, not merely upon our unmatched material progress, riches and military strength, but on how we use our power in the interests of world peace and human betterment.
Throughout America’s adventure in free government, our basic purposes have been to keep the peace, to foster progress in human achievement, and to enhance liberty, dignity and integrity among peoples and among nations. To strive for less would be unworthy of a free and religious people. Any failure traceable to arrogance or our lack of comprehension or readiness to sacrifice would inflict upon us grievous hurt, both at home and abroad.”
–-Dwight D. Eisenhower [Farewell Address to the Nation]
“As we peer into society’s future, we–-you and I, and our government–-must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering for our own ease and convenience the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow.
During the long lane of the history yet to be written, America knows that this world of ours, ever growing smaller, must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect. Such a confederation must be one of equals. The weakest must come to the conference table with the same confidence as do we, protected as we are by our moral, economic, and military strength. That table, though scarred by many past frustrations, cannot be abandoned for the certain agony of the battlefield.
Disarmament, with mutual honor and confidence, is a continuing imperative. Together we must learn how to compose differences, not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose.”
–-Dwight D. Eisenhower [Farewell Address to the Nation]
Resources
Related Quotes
Copyright © 2017 – 2025 LuminaryQuotes.com About Us