In 1754, when George Washington was a colonel, he got into a heated argument with a man named William Payne and said something extremely offensive to him. In a fury, Payne knocked him to the ground. But when Washington's men came running up, determined to avenge their commander, Washington stopped them.
The next morning, he sent Payne a note requesting his presence at the local tavern. Payne went to the tavern expecting a duel. To his surprise, he saw wine and glasses instead of pistols. Washington rose to meet him and, smiling, offered his hand. "Mr Payne," he said, "I believe I was wrong yesterday; you have already had some satisfaction, and if you deem that sufficient, here is my hand ─ let us be friends." From then on, Payne was an enthusiastic admirer of Washington.
一七五四年，喬治˙華盛頓時為上校，曾與一個叫威廉˙佩恩的漢子激烈爭吵，說了些非常侮辱對方的話。佩恩怒不可遏，動手把他擊倒地上。華盛頓的手下連忙跑上前，要為他們的指揮官報復，卻被華盛頓阻止。
第二天早上，華盛頓遣人送一便條與佩恩，請他到當地酒館見面。佩恩如約前往，準備決鬥，不料卻見桌上放的是酒和酒杯，不是手槍。華盛頓站起來相迎，微笑着伸出手說：「佩恩先生，我自覺昨天有失檢點，你已討回了一點公道。假如你認為那已經足夠，我們握手做朋友吧。」佩恩從此對華盛頓十分心折。