The United States has had 46 different presidents in its history. People don’t reach that high office without considerable experience, grit, and determination. And they aren’t successful in that office unless they can mobilize the public and the government with some inspiring, well-chosen words that motivate action on the president’s agenda.
We’ve selected quotable quotes from 30 of our most well-known U.S. presidents. Love ’em or hate ’em, each of these presidents said some timely things that spoke volumes about the time they lived in and American national values. And some of them seem surprisingly timely for the country or even for what we’re going through in our individual circumstances today.
24/7 Wall St. Insights
- Many U.S. presidents left behind profound quotes about big American values like freedom and democracy.
- Others had things to say that reveal their personal interests, sense of humor, and practical ways of dealing with people.
- Presidential quotations are often useful inspiration for leaders in business, government, and academia.
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Did They Really Say That?
With all the business of running the country, you’d be forgiven for wondering how on earth each of our presidents has found the time to ponder and pontificate and leave behind flawless quotes just begging to be on a bumper sticker.
In fact, most presidents have used speechwriters extensively. George Washington himself got Alexander Hamilton to write most of Washington’s famous Farewell Address. Woodrow Wilson wrote his own speeches on his favorite typewriter. Modern presidential speechwriters have included historians, political analysts, playwrights, poets, newspaper editors, and college administrators. John F. Kennedy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book Profiles in Courage was written by several ghostwriters including Theodore Sorensen, a lawyer from Nebraska.
Even though presidents have leaned heavily on others for assistance in composing their speeches and books, each of them has modified the work that was prepared for them with their own ideas and last minute changes. And once they put it out under their name, they’re responsible for it. So, “the buck stops here,” in the words of Harry S. Truman (or his speechwriter!)
1. George Washington (1789-1797)
“It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.”
2. Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)
“I cannot live without books.”
3. James Madison (1809-17)
“If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”
4. James Monroe (1817-25)
“The best form of government is that which is most likely to prevent the greatest sum of evil.”
5. John Quincy Adams (1825-1829)
“Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.”
6. Martin Van Buren (1837-1841)
“It is easier to do a job right than to explain why you didn’t.”
7. Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)
“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
8. Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877)
“The will of the people is the best law.”
9. Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881)
“He serves his party best who serves the country best.”
10. Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885)
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
11. Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)
“Speak softly and carry a big stick.”
12. Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)
“The world must be made safe for democracy.”
13. Warren G. Harding (1921-1923)
“America’s present need is not heroics, but healing.”
14. Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929)
“If you see ten troubles coming down the road, you can be sure that nine will run into the ditch before they reach you.”
15. Herbert Hoover (1929-1933)
“Blessed are the young, for they shall inherit the national debt.”
16. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
17. Harry S. Truman (1945-1953)
“The buck stops here.”
18. Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)
“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.”
19. John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)
“Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”
20. Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969)
“We can draw lessons from the past, but we cannot live in it.”
21. Richard M. Nixon (1969-1974)
“A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is finished when he quits.”
22. Gerald Ford (1974-1977)
“Our long national nightmare is over.”
23. Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)
“We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”
24. Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)
“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
25. George H. W. Bush (1989-1993)
“”We are not the sum of our possessions.”
26. Bill Clinton (1993-2001)
“There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be fixed by what is right with America.”
27. George W. Bush (2001-2009)
“We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail.”
28. Barack Obama (2009-2017)
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time.”
29. Donald Trump (2017-2021)
“Make America Great Again.”
30. Joe Biden (2021-present)
“We are the United States of America. There is not a single thing we cannot do if we do it together.”
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