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Who really said it

For my own part, I sincerely esteem it a system which without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interests

Attribution unconfirmed Unknown Writer using the pseudonym Caesar
Disputed Free to reuse

The sentence is in Caesar’s 1787 letter; Hamilton’s authorship is not established.

Last verified 9 Nov 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?

For presentations

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Disputed credit — copy with the correction

“For my own part, I sincerely esteem it a system which without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interests” — Caesar (pseudonym), Letter II (1787); Hamilton’s authorship unconfirmed

The slide-ready mistake: crediting this to Alexander Hamilton. Use the credit shown above instead.

Can you use it?

Free to use, including in commercial and paid presentations — no permission or licence needed.

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In context

Evoking the themes of leadership and hope. Theme: "For my own part, I sincerely esteem it a system which without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interests". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

Minimalist

Minimalist editorial slide for the quote "For my own part, I sincerely esteem it a system which without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interests". Clean background, a single muted accent color, generous negative space, subtle paper or linen texture, no literal illustration — let the words carry it. Reserve clear space for a serif quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

Provenance

The source

Source
Caesar, Letter II, New York Daily Advertiser
Source date
1787

Without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interests.

Read the attribution evidence

How we verified this

  • Teaching American History prints the sentence in Caesar, Letter II. Wikiquote cautions that the Hamilton attribution is not generally accepted. The transcription dates the letter October 17, while Wikiquote gives October 15; this dossier retains only the uncontested year. Caesar’s letter ↗
  • Wikiquote treats the Caesar authorship as uncertain, with a Cooke reference. Hamilton attribution caveat ↗
Public domain

The identified English source was published before 1931 and is public domain in the United States.

Rights status is our research, not legal advice — and copyright varies by country and edition. For commercial or published use, confirm with the rightsholder. See terms.

Fact-check

Attribution remains unconfirmed

The sentence is in Caesar’s 1787 letter; Hamilton’s authorship is not established.

Alexander Hamilton Authorship unconfirmed

Teaching American History prints the sentence in Caesar, Letter II. Wikiquote cautions that the Hamilton attribution is not generally accepted. The transcription dates the letter October 17, while Wikiquote gives October 15; this dossier retains only the uncontested year. Evidence ↗

The sentence is in Caesar’s 1787 letter; Hamilton’s authorship is not established. Source trail ↗

Context

Why it mattered

The sentence belongs to Caesar’s second letter in the argument over ratifying the United States Constitution. Its praise for the convention’s agreement comes from a partisan political essay, and the pseudonymous byline does not establish Hamilton’s authorship.

Explore

Filed under

More provenance-checked quotes on the same theme, each with its reuse status.

Leadership Hope

Go further

Dig deeper

Trusted places to keep pulling the thread — primary archives, fact-checks, and scholarship. We show how we used each one before you leave.

Caesar’s letterteachingamericanhistory.org

The fetched transcription contains the sentence and signs it Caesar.
Hamilton attribution caveaten.wikiquote.org

Wikiquote treats the Caesar authorship as uncertain, with a Cooke reference.
Hamilton bibliographyhetwebsite.net

A source-finding index for Hamilton’s authentic writings and collected editions.
Hamilton biographyen.wikipedia.org

Background on the statesman to whom the pseudonymous letter is sometimes credited.

The author

About Unknown

Unknown

Writer using the pseudonym Caesar

Caesar was a pseudonymous contributor to the constitutional ratification debate. The identity behind these letters remains disputed, so this page does not turn the pen name into a confirmed Hamilton byline.

For writers & researchers

Cite this

The documented evidence

Caesar, Letter II, New York Daily Advertiser (1787).

This verification page

Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘For my own part, I sincerely esteem it a system which without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interests’?” Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/for-my-own-part-i-sincerely-esteem-it-a-system-which/

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