They stand on a hilltop in Elbert County, Georgia, about 90 miles east of Atlanta. They were erected in 1980 by the Elbert Granite Finishing Company, at the paid request of a man who only identified himself as R. C. Christian (an obvious pseudonym). They convey ten dictates of human conduct in eight modern languages, and a brief introduction (“Let these be guidestones to an age of reason”) in four ancient languages: Egyptian hieroglyphics, classical Greek, Sanskrit, and Babylonian cuneiform. Their precise alignments function as a clock, a calendar, and a compass. They have inspired countless conspiracy theories about the New World Order. Almost nothing else is known about them.
- Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.
- Guide reproduction wisely — improving fitness and diversity.
- Unite humanity with a living new language.
- Rule passion — faith — tradition — and all things with tempered reason.
- Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts.
- Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court.
- Avoid petty laws and useless officials.
- Balance personal rights with social duties.
- Prize truth — beauty — love — seeking harmony with the infinite.
- Be not a cancer on the earth — Leave room for nature — Leave room for nature.