Getting ready for the inauguration yesterday, I found some interesting quotes from past American Presidents and posted them on Twitter. 43 American Presidents have had a lot to say, some of it has been inspiring and others have been funny. Here is look at some of the more memorable Presidential quotes.
George Washington (1789-1797), the first president and often referred to as the father of our nation said...
"Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master."
"To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace."
"Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder."
John Adams (1797–1801) said...
"I pray Heaven to bestow the best of blessing on this house (the White House) and on all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof!"
"A pen is certainly an excellent instrument to fix a man's attention and to inflame his ambition."
Thomas Jefferson (1801–1809) said...
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."
James Madison (1809–1817) said...
"The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted."
"The problem to be solved is, not what form of government is perfect, but which of the forms is least imperfect."
James Monroe (1817–1825) said...
"A little flattery will support a man through great fatigue."
John Quincy Adams (1825–1829) said...
"May our country be always successful, but whether successful or otherwise, always right."
Andrew Jackson (1829–1837) said...
"I know what I am fit for. I can command a body of men in a rough way; but I am not fit to be President."
Martin Van Buren (1837–1841) said...
"It is easier to do a job right than to explain why you didn't."
"As to the Presidency, the two happiest days of my life were those of my entrance upon the office and my surrender of it."
William Henry Harrison (1841) said...
"A decent and manly examination of the acts of the Government should be not only tolerated, but encouraged."
John Tyler (1841–1845) said...
"Here lies the body of my good horse, 'The General.' For twenty years he bore me around the circuit of my practice, and in all that time he never made a blunder. Would that his master could say the same!"
James Polk (1845–1849) said...
"I am heartily rejoiced that my term is so near its close. I will soon cease to be a servant and will become a sovereign."
Zachary Taylor (1849–1850 ) said...
"The idea that I should become President seems to me too visionary to require a serious answer. It has never entered my head, nor is it likely to enter the head of any other person."
Millard Fillmore (1850–1853) said...
"An honorable defeat is better than a dishonorable victory."
"The man who can look upon a crisis without being willing to offer himself upon the altar of his country is not for public trust."
Franklin Pierce (1853–1857) said...
"The storm of frenzy and faction must inevitably dash itself in vain against the unshaken rock of the Constitution."
"The revenue of the country, levied almost insensibly to the taxpayer, goes on from year to year, increasing beyond either the interests or the prospective wants of the Government."
Jame Buchanan (1857–1861) said...
"The ballot box is the surest arbiter of disputes among freemen."
"There is nothing stable but Heaven and the Constitution."
Abraham Lincoln (1861–1865), a man that is legendary among presidents, Americans, and mankind in general, said...
"You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time."
"If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong."
"Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?"(sounds like something that Gandhi might have said, doesn't it)
Andrew Johnson (1865–1869) said...
"If the rabble were lopped off at one end and the aristocrat at the other, all would be well with the country."
"Honest conviction is my courage; the Constitution is my guide."
"The goal to strive for is a poor government but a rich people."
Ulysses S. Grant (1869–1877) famous Northern general of the Civil War said..
"The Southern rebellion was largely the outgrowth of the Mexican war. Nations, like individuals, are punished for their transgressions. We got our punishment in the most sanguinary and expensive war of modern times."
"My failures have been errors of judgment, not of intent."
"I have never advocated war except as a means of peace."
Rutherford B. Hayes (1877–1881) said...
"He serves his party best who serves the country best."
"Nothing brings out the lower traits of human nature like office seeking."
James Garfield (1881) said...
"I have had many troubles in my life, but the worst of them never came."
"Whoever controls the volume of money in any country is absolute master of all industry and commerce."
"We can not overestimate the fervent love of liberty, the intelligent courage, and the sum of common sense with which our fathers made the great experiment of self-government."
Chester Arthur (1881–1885) said...
"If it were not for the reporters, I would tell you the truth."
Grover Cleveland (1885–1889) said...
"It is the responsibility of the citizens to support their government. It is not the responsibility of the government to support its citizens."
"A man is known by the company he keeps, and also by the company from which he is kept out."
"Above all, tell the truth."
Benjamin Harrison (1889–1893) said...
"The disfranchisement of a single legal elector by fraud or intimidation is a crime too grave to be regarded lightly."
"Lincoln had faith in time, and time has justified his faith."
"We Americans have no commission from God to police the world."
William McKinley (1897–1901) said...
"In the time of darkest defeat, victory may be nearest."
"That's all a man can hope for during his lifetime—to set an example—and when he is dead, to be an inspiration for history."
"Unlike any other nation, here the people rule, and their will is the supreme law. It is sometimes sneeringly said by those who do not like free government, that here we count heads. True, heads are counted, but brains also . . ."
Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909) said...
"The only man who makes no mistake is the man who does nothing."
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."
William H. Taft (1909–1913) said...
"The intoxication of power rapidly sobers off in the knowledge of its restrictions and under the prompt reminder of an ever-present and not always considerate press, as well as the kindly suggestions that not infrequently come from Congress."
Woodrow Wilson (1913–1921) said...
"If you want to make enemies, try to change something."
"Some people call me an idealist. Well, that is the way I know am an American. America is the only idealistic nation in the world."
"We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers."
Warren G. Harding (1921–1923)said...
"Ambition is a commendable attribute without which no man succeeds. Only inconsiderate ambition imperils."
"Our most dangerous tendency is to expect too much of government, and at the same time do for it too little."
"My God, this is a hell of a job! I have no trouble with my enemies . . . but my damn friends, they're the ones that keep me walking the floor nights."
Calvin Coolidge (1923–1929) said...
"I have never been hurt by anything I didn't say."
"The business of America is business."
Herbert Hoover (1929–1933) said...
"Absolute freedom of the press to discuss public questions is a foundation stone of American liberty."
"Peace is not made at the Council table or by treaties, but in the hearts of men."
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933–1945) said...
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
Harry S. Truman (1945–1953) said...
"A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties."
"You can not stop the spread of an idea by passing a law against it."
"We need not fear the expression of ideas—we do need to fear their suppression."
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961) said...
"There is nothing wrong with America that the faith, love of freedom, intelligence and energy of her citizens cannot cure."
"I never saw a pessimistic general win a battle."
John F. Kennedy (1961–1963) said...
"If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity."
"The American, by nature, is optimistic. He is experimental, an inventor and a builder who builds best when called upon to build greatly."
"And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."
Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969) said...
"If government is to serve any purpose it is to do for others what they are unable to do for themselves."
"A president's hardest task is not to do what is right, but to know what is right."
"You ain't learnin' nothin' when you're talkin'." (what does this say about many politicians?)
Richard M. Nixon (1969–1974) said...
"I like the job I have, but if I had to live my life over again, I would like to have ended up a sports writer."
"A man who has never lost himself in a cause bigger than himself has missed one of life's mountaintop experiences. Only in losing himself does he find himself."
"Always give your best, never get discouraged, never be petty; always remember, others may hate you. Those who hate you don't win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself."
Gerald Ford (1974–1977) said...
"A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have."
"We . . . declared our independence 200 years ago, and we are not about to lose it now to paper shufflers and computers."
"Truth is the glue that holds governments together. Compromise is the oil that makes governments go."
Jimmy Carter (1977–1981) said...
"We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles."
"The best way to enhance freedom in other lands is to demonstrate here that our democratic system is worthy of emulation."
Ronald W. Reagan (1981–1989) said...
"We are a nation that has a government—not the other way around. And that makes us special among the nations of the earth."
"America is too great for small dreams."
George H.W. Bush (1989–1993) said...
"If anyone tells you that America's best days are behind her, they're looking the wrong way."
Bill Clinton (1993–2001) said...
"If you live long enough, you'll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you'll be a better person. It's how you handle adversity, not how it affects you. The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit."
"There is nothing wrong in America that can't be fixed with what is right in America."
George W. Bush (2001-2009) said...
"Recognizing and confronting our history is important. Transcending our history is essential. We are not limited by what we have done, or what we have left undone. We are limited only by what we are willing to do."
Barack Obama (2009-?)
Well, I guess that we"ll need to see what he has to say!
If you're interested in more quotes from the presidents here are a few places that you might look...
- Infoplease.com
- Thomas Jefferson at Quotations Page
- Abraham Lincoln quotes
- Theodoreroosevelt.org
- FDR @ World of Quotes
Maybe you're inspired now or have had a good laugh. History is often times just as intriguing and stranger than fiction. I hope that you enjoyed your visit.
Photo credit: Abraham Lincoln Memorial courtesy of tomlara.
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