Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations. 1989.
| NUMBER: | 1561 |
| AUTHOR: | Nathan Hale (1755–76) |
| QUOTATION: | I am not influenced by the expectation of promotion or pecuniary reward. I wish to be useful, and every kind of service necessary for the public good, becomes honorable by being necessary. |
| ATTRIBUTION: | Captain While General Washington desperately needed someone to provide information on the strength and location of the enemy, he could not command someone to be a spy. He needed a paid spy or a volunteer. Hale was the sole volunteer. At the end of his mission, Hale was captured by the British and hanged on September 22, 1776. He was twenty-one years old. See also No. 1304. |
| SUBJECTS: | Public service |