“I wish to be useful, and every kind of service necessary to the public good becomes honorable by being necessary.”

— Nathan Hale

Statement to Captain William Hull prior to his spying mission, as quoted in "Captain Nathan Hale (1755 - 1776)" http://www.connecticutsar.org/patriots/hale_nathan.htm by Rev. Edward Everett Hale
Context: I wish to be useful, and every kind of service necessary to the public good becomes honorable by being necessary. If the exigencies of my country demand a peculiar service, its claim to perform that service are imperious.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

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Nathan Hale 2

soldier for the Continental Army during the American Revolu… 1755–1776

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“I wish to be useful, and every kind of service necessary to the public good becomes honorable by being necessary.”

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