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"Duty is the sublimest word in our language. Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more. You should never wish to do less."

— Robert E. Lee

January 1, 1970

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Added on April 10, 2026

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Military leaders from the United States Episcopalians from the United States United States Military Academy alumni People from Virginia Confederate military leaders

Original Language: English

Sources

Letter purportedly written to his son, G. W. Custis Lee (5 April 1852); published in The New York Sun (26 November 1864). Although the “Duty Letter” was presumed authentic for many decades and included in many biographies of Lee, it was repudiated in December 1864 by “a source entitled to know.” This repudiation was rediscovered by University of Virginia law professor Charles A. Graves who verified that the letter was inconsistent with Lee's biographical facts and letter-writing style. Lee's son

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_E._Lee

Letter purportedly written to his son, G. W. Custis Lee (5 April 1852); published in The New York Sun (26 November 1864). Although the “Duty Letter” was presumed authentic for many decades and included in many biographies of Lee, it was repudiated in December 1864 by “a source entitled to know.” This repudiation was rediscovered by University of Virginia law professor Charles A. Graves who verified that the letter was inconsistent with Lee's biographical facts and letter-writing style. Lee's son