06/22/2026
Last night I had the honor of addressing the American Legion Virginia Boys State. Looking out over a sea of rising seniors from across the Commonwealth, I felt great hope and left them with this closing thought:
“The obstacles in life present us with the opportunity to deploy our best characteristics, to exercise our best selves against the adversity of life.
Pierre Hadot, the French philosopher who spent decades recovering what a Stoic practice actually demanded, called it 'The Inner Citadel' in his book of the same name.
It's not a withdrawal from the world, but an unconquerable discipline of character brought to bear fully in it.
Jocko Willink, former Navy Seal, is often credited with the quote “Discipline equals freedom.”
Opposition, when engaged with discipline and clarity, can sharpen ideas, expose weaknesses, and produce more durable outcomes. Whether in scientific inquiry, professional practice, or civic life, the work begins by confronting obstacles or difficult conflicts, directly and thoughtfully.
These themes echo throughout the history of the Town of Farmville where I serve as Mayor.
That is the work Farmville has endeavored to do. It is what America has historically aspired to do. That is the path I choose as an elected official here, acknowledging the past while calling us to rise together toward the future. This moment calls for intentionality.
We need disciplined calm and the pursuit of intellectual and emotional excellence, even
as our culture careens toward shorter attention spans and compromised comprehension. We have to keep pushing forward. We must continue to hold the line and advance the standard.
As Ben Franklin left Independence Hall on September 17, 1787, a local woman named Elizabeth Powel got his attention and asked whether the delegates had created a monarchy or a republic.
Ben Franklin’s famous reply…: "A Republic, if you can keep it."
That is the practical application of the lessons learned here at Boys State. How to keep it. How to keep this republic. That is our charge. That is your charge.
We are in an age where some men and women with power are threatened by men and women of character. Use this week to dive into the conflicts, compromises, and obligations of citizenship, and seek to better understand how we keep this democratic republic we love. Be of good character. It takes fortitude and discipline. Our ability to value one another even in disagreement, is paramount to the success of America. I believe in you. I believe in us.
Thank you “
