Lord Baden-Powell

A Scout is never taken by surprise; he knows exactly what to do when anything unexpected happens.

Loyalty is a feature in a boy's character that inspires boundless hope.

We never fail when we try to do our duty, we always fail when we neglect to do it.

In Scouting, a boy is encouraged to educate himself instead of being instructed.

If you make listening and observation your occupation you will gain much more than you can by talk.

The uniform makes for brotherhood, since when universally adopted it covers up all differences of class and country.

Within My Power - Forest E. Witcraft

(1894 - 1967), a scholar, teacher, and Boy Scout administrator
and first published in the Scouting magazine, October 1950.

I am not a Very Important Man, as importance is commonly rated. I do not have great wealth, control a big business, or occupy a position of great honor or authority.

Yet I may someday mould destiny. For it is within my power to become the most important man in the world in the life of a boy. And every boy is a potential atom bomb in human history.

A humble citizen like myself might have been the Scoutmaster of a Troop in which an undersized unhappy Austrian lad by the name of Adolph might have found a joyous boyhood, full of the ideals of brotherhood, goodwill, and kindness. And the world would have been different.

A humble citizen like myself might have been the organizer of a Scout Troop in which a Russian boy called Joe might have learned the lessons of democratic cooperation.

These men would never have known that they had averted world tragedy, yet actually they would have been among the most important men who ever lived.

All about me are boys. They are the makers of history, the builders of tomorrow. If I can have some part in guiding them up the trails of Scouting, on to the high road of noble character and constructive citizenship, I may prove to be the most important man in their lives, the most important man in my community.

A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove. But the world may be different, because I was important in the life of a boy.

John Wayne: What the Scout Law means to me

A great American, John Wayne, passed away many years ago. One of his last public appearances was at a dinner. He was riddled with cancer and knew he was close to death. The purpose of the dinner was to benefit a land purchase for a Scout Reservation called John Wayne Outpost Camp.

At this dinner, Wayne recited the Scout Law. Then he said something unusual, he said the twelve points of the Scout Law are "nice words". "Trouble is" he continued. "We learn them so young we sometimes don't get all the understanding that goes with them. I take care of that in my family. As each boy reaches Scout age, I make sure he learns the Scout Law. Then I break it down for him, with a few things I have picked up in more than half a century since I learned it."

Then Wayne proceeded to explain the importance of the Scout Law, breaking it down for the guests at the dinner; much like he would have for his grandson.

TRUSTWORTHY  The badge of honesty. Having it lets you look at any man in the eye. Lacking it he won't look back. Keep this one at the top of your list.

LOYAL                    The Very word is life itself, for without loyalty we have no love of person or country

HELPFUL              Part sharing, part caring. By helping each other, we help ourselves, not to mention mankind. Be always full of help -- the dying man's last words.

FRIENDLY             Brotherhood is part of that word. You can take it in a lot of directions - and do - but make sure and start with brotherhood.

COURTEOUS       Allow each person his human dignity which means a lot more than saying, "yes ma'am" and "thank you sir". It reflects an attitude that later in life you wish you had honored more... earlier in life. Save yourself that problem. Do it now.

KIND                       This one word would stop wars and erase hatreds. But its like your bicycle, its just no good unless you get out and use it.

OBEDIENT            Starts at home. Practice it in your family. Enlarge it in your friends. Share it with humanity.

CHEERFUL           Anyone can put on a happy face when the going is good. The secret is to wear it as a mask for your problems. It might surprise you how many others do the same thing.

THRIFTY                Means a lot more than putting pennies away, and it is the opposite of cheap. Common sense covers it just about as well as anything.

BRAVE                   You don't have to fight to be brave. Millions of good, fine, decent folks show more bravery than heavyweight champs just by getting out of bed every morning, going out to do a good day's work and living the best life they know how against the law of odds.

CLEAN                   Soap and water helps a lot on the outside. But it is the inside that counts and don't ever forget it.

REVERENT           Believe in anything that you want to believe in, but keep God at the top of it. With Him, life can be a beautiful experience. Without Him, you are just biding time.

George W. Bush

On behalf of a grateful nation, I thank the Boy Scouts for serving on the front lines of America's armies of compassion. . .

The goodness of a person and of the society he or she lives in often comes down to very simple things and words found in the Scout Law. Every society depends on trust and loyalty, on courtesy and kindness, on bravery and reverence. These are the values of Scouting, and these are the values of Americans.

Lord Baden-Powell

In all of this, it is the spirit that matters. Our Scout law and Promise, when we really put them into practice, take away all occasion for wars and strife among nations.

Blake Clark (Actor)

Being in the army is like being in the Boy Scouts, except that the Boy Scouts have adult supervision.

Senator Ted Stevens

I was in the Boy Scouts for about four years until my troop disbanded. It is really one of the best activities youths can get involved in and nearly every scout I have known has been a class act due to the discipline the Scouts have instilled in them.

Senator Lloyd Bentsen

I have never forgotten my days as an Eagle Scout. I didn't know it at the time, but what really came out of my Scouting was learning how to lead and serve the community. It has come in handy in my career in government.

Bob Gates

Former CIA director and BSA executive board member

I think that American leadership is vital to peace and prosperity and the advancement of democracy in the world, and that requires having strong leaders. And I don't think there's any organization in the world, certainly not in the United States, that better prepares young men for leadership in this country than the Boy Scouts of America--in teaching leadership skills, in teaching values, in teaching importance of standing up for what's right.

His Holiness, Pope John Paul II

I assure you of my own personal appreciation of Scouting as a magnificent experience and form of social and religious commitment.

Rabbi Binyamin Walfish

Former executive vice president, Rabbinical Council of America

The Scouting program fosters development in youth and helps them become good citizens of their communities and loyal adherents to their religious heritage.

Wallace G. Wilkinson

Former Governor of Kentucky

Scouting exposes young men to people and experiences that encourage and nurture positive moral values. But we mustn't take Scouting for granted. You can do nothing more important for young people today than to continue, or begin, your support of Scouting. I have never met anyone with devoted Scouting experience who was not a solid citizen, a loyal friend, and a patriot. We need more of them.