U.S. Presidents | Miller Center (original) (raw)
1
The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government.
2
Liberty, according to my metaphysics is a self-determining power in an intellectual agent. It implies thought and choice and power.
3
…some honest men fear that a republican government can not be strong, that this Government is not strong enough;
4
If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be…
5
To what, then, do we owe these blessings? It is known to all that we derive them from the excellence of our institutions.
6
Union, justice, tranquillity, the common defense, the general welfare, and the blessings of liberty—all have been promoted by the Government under…
7
But you must remember, my fellow-citizens, eternal vigilance by the people is the price of liberty, and that you must pay the price if you wish to…
8
...in all the attributes of a great, happy, and flourishing people we stand without a parallel in the world.
9
I too well understand the dangerous temptations to which I shall be exposed from the magnitude of the power which it has been the pleasure of the…
10
Wealth can only be accumulated by the earnings of industry and the savings of frugality...
11
Mexico has passed the boundary of the United States, has invaded our territory and shed American blood upon the American soil.
12
...I shall make honesty, capacity, and fidelity indispensable prerequisites to the bestowal of office...
13
The great law of morality ought to have a national as well as a personal and individual application.
14
The storm of frenzy and faction must inevitably dash itself in vain against the unshaken rock of the Constitution.
15
Next in importance to the maintenance of the Constitution and the Union is the duty of preserving the Government free from the taint or even the…
16
With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we…
17
Legislation can neither be wise nor just which seeks the welfare of a single interest at the expense and to the injury of many...
18
It was my fortune, or misfortune, to be called to the office of Chief Executive without any previous political training.
19
It is the desire of the good people of the whole country that sectionalism as a factor in our politics should disappear.
20
There can be no permanent disfranchised peasantry in the United States.
21
Experience has shown that the trade of the East is the key to national wealth and influence.
22
It is a plain dictate of honesty and good government that public expenditures should be limited by public necessity...
23
...opportunities offered to the individual to secure the comforts of life are better than are found elsewhere and largely better than they were here…
24
It is a plain dictate of honesty and good government that public expenditures should be limited by public necessity...
25
War should never be entered upon until every agency of peace has failed; peace is preferable to war in almost every contingency.
26
...legislation will generally be both unwise and ineffective unless undertaken after calm inquiry and with sober self-restraint.
27
Our international policy is always to promote peace.
28
The world must be made safe for democracy. Its peace must be planted upon the tested foundations of political liberty.
29
Our most dangerous tendency is to expect too much of government, and at the same time do for it too little.
30
The fundamental precept of liberty is toleration.
31
In the soil poisoned by speculation grew those ugly weeds of waste, exploitation, and abuse of financial power.
32
And the love of freedom is still fierce and steady in the nation today.
33
No government is perfect. One of the chief virtues of a democracy, however, is that its defects are always visible...
34
A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.
35
Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans...
36
We believe that all men have certain unalienable rights. Yet many Americans do not enjoy those rights.
37
In any organization, the man at the top must bear the responsibility. That responsibility, therefore, belongs here, in this office. I accept it.
38
We are bound together by the most powerful of all ties, our fervent love for freedom and independence, which knows no homeland but the human heart.
39
We simply must have faith in each other, faith in our ability to govern ourselves, and faith in the future of this Nation.
40
…let us begin an era of national renewal. Let us renew our determination, our courage, and our strength. And let us renew our faith and our hope.…
41
We are approaching the conclusion of an historic postwar struggle between two visions: one of tyranny and conflict and one of democracy and freedom.
42
Our democracy must be not only the envy of the world but the engine of our own renewal.
43
Today, we affirm a new commitment to live out our nation's promise through civility, courage, compassion and character.
44
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.
45
...we all bleed the same red blood of patriots, we all enjoy the same glorious freedoms, and we all salute the same great American Flag.
46
This is a life-changing election...Character is on the ballot. Compassion is on the ballot. Decency. Science. Democracy. They’re all on the ballot.