Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations. 1989.
| NUMBER: | 341 |
| AUTHOR: | George Washington (1732–99) |
| QUOTATION: | Should the States reject this excellent Constitution, the probability is, an opportunity will never again offer to cancel another in peace—the next will be drawn in blood. |
| ATTRIBUTION: | Attributed to Charles Warren, The Making of the Constitution, p. 717 (1937, originally published 1928), quotes this, with slight variation in wording, but adds in a footnote: “As Madison does not mention this speech, there is some doubt as to the accuracy of the report.” |
| SUBJECTS: | Constitution of the United States |