How did George washington live a life of action based on true principles?

George Washington believed in republicanism, representative democracy, and limited state power, and he acted in accordance to his principles in two ways:

When he was president, he never tried to extend his power and become and authoritarian ruler, which was the common thing to do in that era. After he ended his second presidential period, he was offered the opportunity of becoming president for life, but he rejected this, because he believed that presidents should not only have limited power, but also a limited time.