Presidential Wit and Wisdom: Memorable Quotes from George Washington to Barack Obama

By Joslyn Pine

The best thing about the future, noted Abraham Lincoln, "is that it only comes one day at a time." This handsome gift volume abounds in memorable presidential declarations and quips. It cites all 44 chief executives, from George Washington to Barack Obama, including written and verbal comments and remarks from inside and outside the Oval Office.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Release date: Nov 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9780486130712

Book preview

Presidential Wit and Wisdom

Memorable Quotes from George Washington to Barack Obama

Joslyn Pine

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To my parents,

in loving memory

Copyright

Copyright © 2009 by Dover Publications, Inc.

All rights reserved.

Bibliographical Note

Presidential Wit & Wisdom: Memorable Quotes from George Washington to Barack Obama, first published in 2009, is a revised and updated version of Wit and Wisdom of the American Presidents: A Book of Quotations, first published by Dover Publications, Inc., in 2001.

International Standard Book Number

9780486133188

Manufactured in the United States by Courier Corporation

47153502

www.doverpublications.com

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Note

George Washington

John Adams

Thomas Jefferson

James Madison

James Monroe

John Quincy Adams

Andrew Jackson

Martin Van Buren

William Henry Harrison

John Tyler

James Knox Polk

Zachary Taylor

Millard Fillmore

Franklin Pierce

James Buchanan

Abraham Lincoln

Andrew Johnson

Ulysses Simpson Grant

Rutherford Birchard Hayes

James Abram Garfield

Chester Alan Arthur

Grover Cleveland

Benjamin Harrison

William McKinley

Theodore Roosevelt

Woodrow Wilson

Warren Gamaliel Harding

Calvin Coolidge

Herbert Clark Hoover

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Harry S Truman

Dwight David Eisenhower

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Lyndon Baines Johnson

Richard Milhous Nixon

Gerald Rudolph Ford

James Earl Carter

Ronald Wilson Reagan

George Herbert Walker Bush

William Jefferson Clinton

George Walker Bush

Barack Hussein Obama

Index

Note

If men were angels, remarked James Madison in the 51st Federalist Paper, no government would be necessary. This notion at least partially expressed the sentiments of the Founding Fathers as they sought to shape the government of the young nation at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787. Yet it is just as true to say that they were equally mistrustful of too much authority. Their ultimate solution, therefore, was to achieve a balance by defining a strong central authority that was limited in its ability to abuse power.

While constitutional provisions for the legislative branch are described in meticulous detail, the American Constitution is rather vague and ambiguous on the subject of presidential powers. Some, of course, are enumerated, such as the role of commander in chief of the armed forces, the authority to grant pardons and reprieves, the veto power over legislation, as well as the ability to make treaties with the consent of the Senate, and to appoint judges and ambassadors.

In fact, as our history has unfolded, this lack of precise definition for the executive branch has been fortuitous. It has allowed the presidency to evolve through both historical circumstance and in accordance with the special gifts of the individual at the helm. Those presidents held in highest esteem by historians, such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, filled the office when far-reaching powers were demanded in order for the nation to survive times of crisis. Many others, while not so critically challenged by the turmoil of events, stillmanaged to distinguish themselves as the movers and shakers of their times.

Here, history is indeed