Sarah Vowell Quote

The words Lafayette used to describe that triumph—I did not hesitate to be disagreeable to preserve my independence—applied to getting his way regarding America as well. Perhaps the most emblematic anecdote foretelling Lafayette’s stubborn refusal to give up his American dream was the boyhood story about how one day, one of his Parisian schoolteachers was talking up the virtues of an obedient horse. According to Lafayette, I described the perfect horse as one which, at the sight of the whip, had the sense to throw his rider to the ground before he could be whipped.