- Constitutional: asserts that the law is constitutionally defective in order to guide executive agencies in limiting its implementation;
- Political: defines vague terms in the law to guide executive agencies in its implementation as written;
- Rhetorical: uses the signing of the bill to mobilize political constituencies.
Happy President’s Day: Great Quotes From Every U.S. President at The Iowa Republican February 15, 2010
| George Washington (1789–1797) | John Adams (1797–1801) | |
|
“To be prepared
for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving
peace.”
—Jan. 8, 1790 “Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” “Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.” |
“A pen is
certainly an excellent instrument to fix a man’s
attention and to inflame his ambition.”
“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!” “Let every sluice of knowledge be open and set a-flowing.” “The happiness of society is the end of government.” |
| Thomas Jefferson (1801–1809) | James Madison (1809–1817) | |
|
“One man with
courage is a majority.”
“That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves.” “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” |
“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.” “I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.” |
| James Monroe (1817–1825) | John Quincy Adams (1825–1829) | |
|
“National honor
is a national property of the highest value.”
“A little flattery will support a man through great fatigue.” |
“May our country
be always successful, but whether successful or
otherwise, always right.”
“America, with the same voice which spoke herself into existence as a nation, proclaimed to mankind the inextinguishable rights of human nature, and the only lawful foundations of government.” “Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.” |
| Andrew Jackson (1829–1837) | Martin Van Buren (1837–1841) | |
|
“The individual
who refuses to defend his rights when called by his
government, deserves to be a slave, and must be punished
as an enemy of his country and friend to her foe.”
“Internal improvement and the diffusion of knowledge, so far as they can be promoted by the constitutional acts of the Federal Government, are of high importance.” |
“It is easier to
do a job right than to explain why you didn’t.”
“I tread in the footsteps of illustrious men, whose superiors it is our happiness to believe are not found on the executive calendar of any country.” “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) | John Tyler (1841–1845) | |
|
“The prudent
capitalist will never adventure his capital . . . if
there exists a state of uncertainty as to whether the
Government will repeal tomorrow what it has enacted
today.”
“A decent and manly examination of the acts of the Government should be not only tolerated, but encouraged.” “But I contend that the strongest of all governments is that which is most free.” |
“Wealth can only
be accumulated by the earnings of industry and the
savings of frugality.”
“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 Knox Polk (1845–1849) | Zachary Taylor (1849–1850 ) | |
|
“With me it is
exceptionally true that the Presidency is no bed of
roses.”
“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.” |
“For more than
half a century, during which kingdoms and empires have
fallen, this Union has stood unshaken. The patriots who
formed it have long since descended to the grave; yet
still it remains, the proudest monument to their memory.
. .”
“It would be judicious to act with magnanimity towards a prostrate foe.” |
| Millard Fillmore (1850–1853) | Franklin Pierce (1853–1857) | |
|
“It is not
strange . . . to mistake change for progress.”
“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.” |
“We have nothing
in our history or position to invite aggression; we have
everything to beckon us to the cultivation of relations
of peace and amity with all nations.”
“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.” |
| James Buchanan (1857–1861) | Abraham Lincoln (1861–1865) | |
|
“To avoid
entangling alliances has been a maxim of our policy ever
since the days of Washington, and its wisdoms no one
will attempt to dispute.”
“The ballot box is the surest arbiter of disputes among freemen.” “There is nothing stable but Heaven and the Constitution.” |
“You can fool
all of the people some of the time, and some of the
people all of the time, but you cannot 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?” |
| Andrew Johnson (1865–1869) | Ulysses Simpson Grant (1869–1877) | |
|
“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.” |
“I have never
advocated war except as a means of peace.”
“My failures have been errors of judgment, not of intent.” |
| Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1877–1881) | James Abram Garfield (1881) | |
|
“Nothing brings
out the lower traits of human nature like office
seeking.”
“He serves his party best who serves the country best.” “It is now true that this is God’s Country, if equal rights—a fair start and an equal chance in the race of life are everywhere secured to all.” |
“I have had many
troubles in my life, but the worst of them never came.”
“We cannot 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.” “Whoever controls the volume of money in any country is absolute master of all industry and commerce.” |
| Chester Alan Arthur (1881–1885) | Stephen Grover Cleveland (1885–1889) | |
|
“Good
ballplayers make good citizens.”
“If it were not for the reporters, I would tell you the truth.” “Men may die, but the fabrics of our free institutions remain unshaken.” Sept. 22, 1881 |
“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.” “It is the responsibility of the citizens to support their government. It is not the responsibility of the government to support its citizens.” |
| Benjamin Harrison (1889–1893) | William McKinley (1897–1901) | |
|
“No other people
have a government more worthy of their respect and love
or a land so magnificent in extent, so pleasant to look
upon, and so full of generous suggestion to enterprise
and labor.”
“Lincoln had faith in time, and time has justified his faith.” “We Americans have no commission from God to police the world.” “The disfranchisement of a single legal elector by fraud or intimidation is a crime too grave to be regarded lightly.” |
“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 . . .” “In the time of darkest defeat, victory may be nearest.” |
| Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909) | William Howard Taft (1909–1913) | |
|
“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.”
“Speak softly and carry a big stick.” “The only man who makes no mistake is the man who does nothing.” |
“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.”
“Politics, when I am in it, makes me sick.” “Next to the right of liberty, the right of property is the most important individual right guaranteed by the Constitution . .” |
| Thomas Woodrow Wilson (1913–1921) | Warren Gamaliel Harding (1921–1923) | |
|
“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.” “If you want to make enemies, try to change something.” |
“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.” “Ambition is a commendable attribute without which no man succeeds. Only inconsiderate ambition imperils.” |
| John Calvin Coolidge (1923–1929) | Herbert Clark Hoover (1929–1933) | |
|
“The business of
America is business.”
“I have never been hurt by anything I didn’t say.” “Character is the only secure foundation of the state.” |
“Peace is not
made at the Council table or by treaties, but in the
hearts of men.”
“A splendid storehouse of integrity and freedom has been bequeathed to us by our forefathers. In this day of confusion, of peril to liberty, our high duty is to see that this storehouse is not robbed of its contents.” “Absolute freedom of the press to discuss public questions is a foundation stone of American liberty.” |
| Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933–1945) | Harry S. Truman (1945–1953) | |
|
“The only thing
we have to fear is fear itself.”
“A good leader can’t get too far ahead of his followers.” “Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.” |
“You cannot 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.” “A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.” |
| Dwight David Eisenhower (1953–1961) | John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1961–1963) | |
|
“America is best
described by one word, freedom.”
“I never saw a pessimistic general win a battle.” “There is nothing wrong with America that the faith, love of freedom, intelligence and energy of her citizens cannot cure.” |
“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.” “If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.” |
| Lyndon Baines Johnson (1963–1969) | Richard Milhous Nixon (1969–1974) | |
|
“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’.” “For this is what America is all about. It is the uncrossed desert and the unclimbed ridge. It is the star that is not reached and the harvest sleeping in the unplowed ground. . .” “If government is to serve any purpose it is to do for others what they are unable to do for themselves.” |
“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.”
“What kind of nation we will be, what kind of world we will live in, whether we shape the future in the image of our hopes, is ours to determine by our actions and our choices.” “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 Rudolph Ford (1974–1977) | James Earl Carter, Jr. (1977–1981) | |
|
“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.” “A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.” |
“The best way to
enhance freedom in other lands is to demonstrate here
that our democratic system is worthy of emulation.”
“Our American values are not luxuries but necessities—not the salt in our bread, but the bread itself. Our common vision of a free and just society is our greatest source of cohesion at home and strength abroad—greater than the bounty of our material blessings.” “We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.” |
| Ronald Wilson Reagan (1981–1989) | George Herbert Walker Bush (1989–1993) | |
|
“America is too
great for small dreams.”
“We are a nation that has a government—not the other way around. And that makes us special among the nations of the earth.” “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” |
“If anyone tells
you that America’s best days are behind her, they’re
looking the wrong way.”
“The United States is the best and fairest and most decent nation on the face of the earth.” “I want a kinder, gentler nation.” |
| William Jefferson Clinton (1993–2001) | George Walker Bush (2001–) | |
|
“There is
nothing wrong in America that can’t be fixed with what
is right in America.”
“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.” “We need a spirit of community, a sense that we are all in this together. If we have no sense of community, the American dream will wither.” |
“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.”
“If you don’t feel something strongly you’re not going to achieve.” “We will bring the terrorists to justice; or we will bring justice to the terrorists. Either way, justice will be done.” Barack Hussien Obama (2009–) Americans…
still believe in an America where anything’s possible –
they just don’t think their leaders do. Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.
I consider it
part of my responsibility as President of the United
States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam
wherever they appear. I don’t care
whether you’re driving a hybrid or an SUV. If you’re
headed for a cliff, you have to change direction. That’s
what the American people called for in November, and
that’s what we intend to deliver. I don’t take
a dime of their [lobbyist] money, and when I am
president, they won’t find a job in my White House. I found this
national debt, doubled, wrapped in a big bow waiting for
me as I stepped into the Oval Office. I opposed the
Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. It should be repealed
and I will vote for its repeal on the Senate floor. I
will also oppose any proposal to amend the U.S.
Constitution to ban gays and lesbians from marrying. I think when you spread the wealth around it’s good for everybody. |