Wisdom from US Presidents

 

We hold these truths to be self-evident:
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights,
among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
- Thomas Jefferson (third President of the United States)
[Declaration of Independence, and inscribed in the Jefferson Memorial]

Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd President of the United States)

Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman,
before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.
- John Quincy Adams (sixth President of the United States)

Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble.
- George Washington (first President of the United States)

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie,
deliberate, contrived and dishonest,
but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.
- John F. Kennedy (35th President of the United States)

With self-discipline most anything is possible.
- Theodore Roosevelt (26nd President of the United States)

Nothing is more important in our national life
than the welfare of our children.
- Harry S. Truman (33rd President of the United States)

Further reading: Save Only the Best of the Old Ways

Independence Day

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Hold Your Anger
      

Presidents' Day 2021

 

We hold these truths to be self-evident:
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights,
among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
- Thomas Jefferson (third President of the United States)
[Declaration of Independence, and inscribed in the Jefferson Memorial]

Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd President of the United States)

Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman,
before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.
- John Quincy Adams (sixth President of the United States)

Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble.
- George Washington (first President of the United States)

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie,
deliberate, contrived and dishonest,
but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.
- John F. Kennedy (35th President of the United States)

With self-discipline most anything is possible.
- Theodore Roosevelt (26nd President of the United States)

Nothing is more important in our national life
than the welfare of our children.
- Harry S. Truman (33rd President of the United States)

Further reading: Save Only the Best of the Old Ways

Independence Day

Make a Difference, Vote

Hold Your Anger
      

Presidents' Day 2020

We hold these truths to be self-evident:
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights,
among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
- Thomas Jefferson (third President of the United States)
[Declaration of Independence, and inscribed in the Jefferson Memorial]

Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd President of the United States)

Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman,
before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.
- John Quincy Adams (sixth President of the United States)

Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble.
- George Washington (first President of the United States)

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie,
deliberate, contrived and dishonest,
but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.
- John F. Kennedy (35th President of the United States)

With self-discipline most anything is possible.
- Theodore Roosevelt (26nd President of the United States)

Nothing is more important in our national life
than the welfare of our children.
- Harry S. Truman (33rd President of the United States)

Further reading: Save Only the Best of the Old Ways

Independence Day

Make a Difference, Vote

Hold Your Anger
      

Presidents Day and Washington's Birthday 2019

Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman,
before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.
- John Quincy Adams (sixth President of the United States)

We hold these truths to be self-evident:
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights,
among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
- Thomas Jefferson (third President of the United States)
[Declaration of Independence, and inscribed in the Jefferson Memorial]

Nothing is more important in our national life
than the welfare of our children.
- Harry S. Truman (33rd President of the United States)

Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd President of the United States)

Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble.
- George Washington (first President of the United States)

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie,
deliberate, contrived and dishonest,
but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.
- John F. Kennedy (35th President of the United States)

With self-discipline most anything is possible.
- Theodore Roosevelt (26nd President of the United States)

Further reading: Save Only the Best of the Old Ways

Independence Day

Hold Your Anger

Make a Difference, Vote
      

Presidents' Day 2018

We hold these truths to be self-evident:
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights,
among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
- Thomas Jefferson (third President of the United States)
[Declaration of Independence, and inscribed in the Jefferson Memorial]

Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd President of the United States)

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie,
deliberate, contrived and dishonest,
but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.
- John F. Kennedy (35th President of the United States)

Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble.
- George Washington (first President of the United States)

Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman,
before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.
- John Quincy Adams (sixth President of the United States)

With self-discipline most anything is possible.
- Theodore Roosevelt (26nd President of the United States)

Nothing is more important in our national life
than the welfare of our children.
- Harry S. Truman (33rd President of the United States)

Further reading: Independence Day

Save Only the Best of the Old Ways

Hold Your Anger

Make a Difference, Vote
      

Presidents' Day 2017

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd President of the United States)

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie,
deliberate, contrived and dishonest,
but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.
- John F. Kennedy (35th President of the United States)

Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd President of the United States)

We hold these truths to be self-evident:
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights,
among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
- Thomas Jefferson (third President of the United States)
[Declaration of Independence, and inscribed in the Jefferson Memorial]

Nothing is more important in our national life
than the welfare of our children.
- Harry S. Truman (33rd President of the United States)

Further reading: Being a Leader

Difference of Opinion

Don't Borrow Trouble

Killing Each Other's Children
    

Presidents' Day 2016

Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?
- Abraham Lincoln (16th United States President)

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie,
deliberate, contrived and dishonest,
but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.
- John F. Kennedy (35th President of the United States)

Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd President of the United States)

We hold these truths to be self-evident:
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights,
among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
- Thomas Jefferson (third President of the United States)
[Declaration of Independence, and inscribed in the Jefferson Memorial]

Further reading: Being a Leader

Don't Borrow Trouble

Difference of Opinion

Killing Each Other's Children
    

Presidents Day 2015

Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd President of the United States)

With self-discipline most anything is possible.
- Theodore Roosevelt (26nd President of the United States)

Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble.
- George Washington (first President of the United States)

If your actions inspire others to dream more,
learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.
- John Quincy Adams (sixth President of the United States)

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie,
deliberate, contrived and dishonest,
but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.
- John F. Kennedy (35th President of the United States)

I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion,
in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.
- Thomas Jefferson (third President of the United States)

Nothing is more important in our national life
than the welfare of our children.
- Harry S. Truman (33rd President of the United States)

Further reading: Do What You Can

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Independence - Freedom - Liberty

Choose To Be Fearless

Life as Currency

Presidents Day 2014

We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other's children.
- Jimmy Carter (39th President of the United States)

I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion,
in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.
- Thomas Jefferson (third President of the United States)

Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd President of the United States)

Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble.
- George Washington (first President of the United States)

With self-discipline most anything is possible.
- Theodore Roosevelt (26nd President of the United States)

Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman,
before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.
- John Quincy Adams (sixth President of the United States)

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie,
deliberate, contrived and dishonest,
but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.
- John F. Kennedy (35th President of the United States)

Nothing is more important in our national life
than the welfare of our children.
- Harry S. Truman (33rd President of the United States)

Further reading: Abraham Lincoln (16th United States President)

Dwight D. Eisenhower (34th President of the United States)

William J. Clinton (42nd President of the United States)

John Adams (second President of the United States)

Theodore Roosevelt

John F. Kennedy

Men are not prisoners of fate... - Franklin D. Roosevelt

In recognition of President's Day in the United States. here are some quotes from US Presidents ... 

  Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder. - George Washington (First United States President) 

 Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them? - Abraham Lincoln (16th United States President) 

 Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds. - Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd United States President) 

 In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. - Thomas Jefferson (third President of the United States) 

 Further reading: Become Your Own Greatest Hero 

  This Above All, to Thine Own Self Be True - 5 Ways to Apply William Shakespeare's Advice Today

What is Honor? Is there a place for Honor today? 

In matters of principle, stand like a rock. Thomas Jefferson

In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. - Thomas Jefferson [attributed] 

  We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. - Thomas Jefferson [Declaration of Independence, and inscribed in the Jefferson Memorial] 

  I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. - Thomas Jefferson [inscribed in the Jefferson Memorial] 

 Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson was also a farmer, horticulturist, architect, archaeologist, paleontologist, and inventor. One of his lesser known accomplishments was editing his own version of the Bible - The Jefferson Bible - which merges the four Gospels and focuses on Jesus own words. The text of The Jefferson Bible is now in the public domain and is freely available online. 

 Further reading: The glow of one warm thought is to me worth more than money. Thomas Jefferson

Action will delineate and define you. Thomas Jefferson 

  Thomas Jefferson: I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.

Presidential Quotes for Presidents Day

Today, February 15, 2010, is President's Day in the United States. 

Here are several Presidential quotes ...

Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder.
- George Washington (First United States President)

Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?
- Abraham Lincoln (16th United States President)

Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd United States President)

In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.
- Thomas Jefferson (third President of the United States)

Further reading: Thomas Jefferson: Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

Jimmy Carter: We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other's children.

John F. Kennedy: Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth

Thomas Jefferson: Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
- Thomas Jefferson

Say NO to the demands of the world.
Say YES to the longings of your own heart.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

First ask why the task is on your to-do list. When possible, discard those items to which you are not truly committed. For the tasks which do speak to the longings of your own heart, begin now, today, this moment.

Further reading: Time is my friend

Gifts freely given are never obligations - jlh

Time, like life itself, has no inherent meaning. - jlh

Urgency is a grim taskmaster. Escape time, and life becomes irie. - jlh

Thomas Jefferson: Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none.

Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none.
- Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson: I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.

I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.
- Thomas Jefferson

Jimmy Carter: We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other's children.

We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other's children.
- Jimmy Carter

John F. Kennedy: Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth

Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.
- John F. Kennedy

Be yourself. There is nothing more for you to do than to be the best YOU that you can - no imitation, no pretense, no guilt, no shame.

George Washington: It is far better to be alone, than to be in bad company

It is far better to be alone, than to be in bad company.
- George Washington

Of course you can and should keep your composure and happiness regardless of circumstances - regardless of your friends, family and co-workers - regardless of gossip, sarcasm, and negativity. Nonetheless, life is much easier and more pleasant when you spend as much time as possible in the company of enthusiastic positive people - not necessarily those who agree with you, but those who respect your right to your point of view.

Dwight D. Eisenhower: How far you can go without destroying from within what you are trying to defend from without?

How far you can go without destroying from within what you are trying to defend from without?
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

The end does NOT justify the means. Freedom cannot be gained by sacrificing the freedom of others. Free speech cannot be gained by limiting the free speech of others. Human rights cannot be secured by trampling the human rights of others. Viciousness in others cannot be fought by becoming vicious oneself.

Neither individual nor nation can long survive by meeting hatred with hatred, injustice with injustice, prejudice with prejudice.

Imagine what President Eisenhower would have to say about the American military's prisoner torture camp at Guantanamo.

Abraham Lincoln: Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?

Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?
- Abraham Lincoln