Nothing can be better calculated to advance our interests and

The words of Sam Houston—“Nothing can be better calculated to advance our interests and character than the establishment of a liberal and disinterested policy, enlightened by patriotism and guided by wisdom.”—resound like the counsel of a statesman who had seen the storms of ambition and war, and who sought to anchor his people in the virtues that endure. In this declaration, Houston reminds us that the strength of a nation lies not in narrow self-interest or reckless passion, but in policies that are generous, just, and uncorrupted by greed. A liberal policy, open and farsighted, and a disinterested policy, free from selfish ambition, are the foundations upon which both national prosperity and moral greatness are built.

To the ancients, this truth was already known. Plato spoke of the guardians of the republic, who must rule not for wealth or pleasure, but with eyes fixed on the good of the whole. Aristotle taught that governments fall into ruin when leaders serve themselves rather than the people. In echoing this tradition, Houston declares that patriotism is not blind loyalty, but a light that illuminates the path of wisdom—a patriotism that tempers power with restraint, and ambition with justice. True love of country, he teaches, is not shown in plunder or domination, but in policies that uplift both the nation’s interests and its character.

Sam Houston spoke from the crucible of his own life. He was a soldier and a general, a president of the Republic of Texas, and later a governor of the state. He knew both victory and defeat, both the intoxication of power and the burden of responsibility. In his era, when Texas wrestled with independence and the storms of slavery, Houston’s call for a liberal and disinterested policy was not mere philosophy but survival. He counseled caution when others clamored for reckless war, and he urged generosity when others hungered for conquest. His words remind us that greatness is not measured by conquest alone, but by the justice of one’s decisions.

History is filled with examples of the ruin that follows when nations abandon Houston’s wisdom. Consider Napoleon, whose early rule promised reforms and liberty but who later plunged Europe into endless war, guided by ambition rather than disinterested policy. His interests were vast, but his character was consumed by pride, and so his empire collapsed into ashes. Contrast this with leaders like George Washington, who stepped down from power willingly, his policy guided not by self-interest but by devotion to the republic. Washington’s restraint, enlightened by patriotism and guided by wisdom, ensured the endurance of the American experiment.

The meaning of Houston’s words is therefore both noble and practical: a nation’s prosperity and moral standing cannot be secured by selfishness, corruption, or greed. Only when its leaders embrace a liberal vision—open to humanity, justice, and fairness—and a disinterested spirit—seeking not personal gain but the common good—can the nation advance in both interests and character. When such policies are animated by patriotism, not as a cloak for ambition but as a genuine devotion to the people, and when they are tempered by wisdom, the nation will stand unshaken, admired by others and secure in itself.

The lesson for us is clear. In our own lives, as in our governments, let us not be ruled by selfish ambition or narrow desire. Let our choices be generous, liberal in spirit, willing to serve more than ourselves. Let our motives be disinterested, unmoved by vanity or greed, but guided by conscience and duty. Let our patriotism be pure, not as noise or fury, but as a quiet fire that seeks the true good of the community. And let every action be tested by the measure of wisdom, for wisdom alone transforms loyalty into justice, and power into service.

Practical action flows from this. Leaders must place justice before ambition, and citizens must demand policies that serve not the few but the many. In your own home, in your work, in your dealings with others, act with a spirit that is liberal in generosity and disinterested in selfish gain. When you vote, when you labor, when you speak, let your motives be anchored in the love of truth and the good of the whole. For in this way, you carry forward Houston’s legacy: a life and a nation both advanced in interest and radiant in character.

Thus, Sam Houston’s words endure as a timeless call: the destiny of a people rests not only in strength of arms, but in the nobility of their policies. Patriotism without wisdom is blind, wisdom without patriotism is cold. But together they form the compass by which a nation may steer safely through the storms of history. Let us pass this teaching forward: love your country not by serving your own desires, but by seeking its good with justice, generosity, and truth.