“To be a leader, you have to make people want to follow you, and nobody wants to follow someone who doesn’t know where he is going.”
And
“We’re going to win Sunday. I guarantee it.”
And
“When we won the league championship, all the married guys on the club had to thank their wives for putting up with all the stress and strain all season. I had to thank all the single broads in New York.”
And
“When you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun. And when you have fun, you can do amazing things.”
And
“When you win, nothing hurts.”
And
“You learn how to be a gracious winner and an outstanding loser.”
“But this is the great danger America faces. That we will cease to be one nation and become instead a collection of interest groups: city against suburb, region against region, individual against individual. Each seeking to satisfy private wants.”
And
“Do not call for black power or green power. Call for brain power.”
And
“Education remains the key to both economic and political empowerment.”
And
“For all of its uncertainty, we cannot flee the future.”
And
“I felt somehow for many years that George Washington and Alexander Hamilton just left me out by mistake. But through the process of amendment, interpretation, and court decision, I have finally been included in “We, the people.”
And
“I never intended to become a run-of-the-mill person.”
And
“If we promise as public officials, we must deliver. If we as public officials propose, we must produce.”
And
“If you’re going to play the game properly, you’d better know every rule.”
And
“Let each person do his or her part. If one citizen is unwilling to participate, all of us are going to suffer. For the American idea, though it is shared by all of us, is realized in each one of us.”
And
“Let us heed the voice of the people and recognize their common sense. If we do not, we not only blaspheme our political heritage, we ignore the common ties that bind all Americans.”
And
“More is required of public officials than slogans and handshakes and press releases. More is required. We must hold ourselves strictly accountable. We must provide the people with a vision of the future.”
And
“The citizens of America expect more. They deserve and they want more than a recital of problems.”
And
“There is no executive order; there is no law that can require the American people to form a national community. This we must do as individuals and if we do it as individuals, there is no President of the United States who can veto that decision.”
And
“There is no obstacle in the path of young people who are poor or members of minority groups that hard work and preparation cannot cure.”
And
“We are a people trying not only to solve the problems of the present: unemployment, inflation… but we are attempting on a larger scale to fulfill the promise of America.”
And
“We call ourselves public servants but I’ll tell you this: we as public servants must set an example for the rest of the nation. It is hypocritical for the public official to admonish and exhort the people to uphold the common good.”
And
“We must exchange the philosophy of excuse – what I am is beyond my control for the philosophy of responsibility.”
And
“What the people want is very simple – they want an America as good as its promise.”
And
“What we have to do is strike a balance between the idea that government should do everything and the idea, the belief, that government ought to do nothing. Strike a balance.”
“I do believe we are going to have a major war, with Japan and Germany, and that the war is going to start by a very serious surprise attack and defeat of U.S. armed forces, and that there is going to be a major revulsion on the part of the political power in Washington against all those in command at sea, and they are going to be thrown out, though it won’t be their fault necessarily. And I wish to be in a position of sufficient prominence so that I will then be considered as one to be sent to sea, because that appears to be the route.”
And
“A ship is always referred to as “she” because it costs so much to keep her in paint and powder.”
And
“Through the skill and devotion to duty of their armed forces of all branches in the Midway area our citizens can now rejoice that a momentous victory is in the making.” After the Battle of Midway, CINCPAC Communiqué No. 3, June 6, 1942
And
“Is the proposed operation likely to succeed? What might be the consequences of failure? Is it in the realm of practicability in terms of material and supplies?” “Three favorite rules of thumb” Nimitz had printed on a card he kept on his desk
And
“They fought together as brothers in arms; they died together and now they sleep side by side…To them, we have a solemn obligation — the obligation to ensure that their sacrifice will help make this a better and safer world in which to live.” Of those who died in the war in the Pacific, after ceremonies in Tokyo Bay accepting the official surrender of Japan, September 2, 1945
And
“The U.S.’s major strength factor and weapon is its economy. If you cripple it, you cripple the military.”
And
“That is not to say that we can relax our readiness to defend ourselves. Our armament must be adequate to the needs, but our faith is not primarily in these machines of defense but in ourselves.”
And
“God grant me the courage not to give up what I think is right even though I think it is hopeless.”
And
“Sir Walter Raleigh declared in the early 17th century that “whoever commands the sea, commands the trade; whosoever commands the trade of the world commands the riches of the world, and consequently the world itself.” This principle is as true today as when uttered, and its effect will continue as long as ships traverse the seas.”Employment of Naval Forces, 1948
And
“The final objective in war is the destruction of the enemy’s capacity and will to fight, and thereby force him to accept the imposition of the victor’s will.”
And
“The qualities of the Nimitz character were apparent in his face, in his career, and in his heritage; combined these factors made him precisely the man he was and placed him in this particular situation at this moment in history. … He was not a cold man, or a bad tempered man — quite the contrary — to the world he presented a figure of almost total complacency; he seldom lost his temper or raised his voice. … It could be said that King was a driver who knew how to lead; it could also be said that Nimitz was a leader who conquered any personal urge to drive, and achieved his ends more by persuasion and inspiration to men under his command.”Edwin Palmer Hoyt in How They Won the War in the Pacific : Nimitz and His Admirals (2000), p. 28 – 29
And
“On April 13, 1943, Allied radio intelligence intercepted a message carrying the travel itinerary of Admiral Yamamoto. The detail in the message listed flight and ground schedules and included what type of fighter escort would be provided. Major Red Lasswell of FRUPAC broke the coded message. The decision of what to do with the information was left to Admiral Nimitz. Nimitz consulted Layton as to what the ramifications would be if Yamamoto were removed. They considered that he might be replaced with a better commander, and Nimitz felt familiar with Yamamoto as his opponent. Layton felt nobody could adequately replace Yamamoto, and based on this opinion Nimitz gave Admiral Halsey the authority to carry out the intercept of Yamamoto’s aircraft. On 18 April, a flight of P-38 fighters with specially selected pilots and equipped with long-range fuel tanks shot down Yamamoto’s aircraft, killing one of Japan’s top naval leaders.” Ricky J. Nussio, in Sherman and Nimitz: Executing Modern Information Operations (2001)
And
“He surrounded himself with the ablest men he could find and sought their advice, but he made his own decisions. He was a keen strategist who never forgot that he was dealing with human beings, on both sides of the conflict. He was aggressive in war without hate, audacious while never failing to weigh the risks.”E. B. Potter, Naval historian at the US Naval Academy, quoted on the cover jacket of his book Nimitz (1976)
And
“Of the Marines on Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue.”
And
“He brought to his new job a number of advantages, including experience, a detailed knowledge of his brother officers, and a sense of inner balance and calm that steadied those around him. He had the ability to pick able subordinates and the courage to let them do their jobs without interference. He molded such disparate personalities as the quiet, introspective Raymond A. Spruance and the ebullient, aggressive William F. Halsey, Jr. into an effective team.” Robert William Love, on the rise of Nimitz to CINCPAC in The Chiefs of Naval Operations
“I don’t believe in pessimism. If something doesn’t come up the way you want, forge ahead. If you think it’s going to rain, it will.”
And
“I have a very strict gun control policy: if there’s a gun around, I want to be in control of it.”
And
“I’m interested in the fact that the less secure a man is, the more likely he is to have extreme prejudice.”
And
“I’ve never met a genius. A genius to me is someone who does well at something he hates. Anybody can do well at something he loves – it’s just a question of finding the subject.”
And
“Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that’s real power.”
And
“Sometimes if you want to see a change for the better, you have to take things into your own hands.”
And
“Go ahead, make my day”
And
“I tried being reasonable, I didn’t like it.”
And
“I would just like to say something, ladies and gentlemen. Something that I think is very important. It is that, you, we – we own this country. We – we own it. It is not you owning it, and not politicians owning it. Politicians are employees of ours.”
And
“The less secure a man is, the more likely he is to have extreme prejudice.”
And
“I’m not really conservative. I’m conservative on certain things. I believe in less government. I believe in fiscal responsibility and all those things that maybe Republicans used to believe in but don’t any more.”
And
“You have to feel confident. If you don’t, then you’re going to be hesitant and defensive, and there’ll be a lot of things working against you.”
And
“I don’t believe in pessimism. If something doesn’t come up the way you want, forge ahead. If you think it’s going to rain, it will.”
And
“I’ve never met a genius. A genius to me is someone who does well at something he hates. Anybody can do well at something he loves – it’s just a question of finding the subject.”
And
“I’ve taken advantage of a few breaks that came along and moved along with them.”
And
“My old drama coach used to say, ‘Don’t just do something, stand there.’ Gary Cooper wasn’t afraid to do nothing.”
And
“I was always respectful of people who were deeply religious because I always felt that if they gave themselves to it, then it had to be important to them. But if you can go through life without it, that’s OK, too. It’s whatever suits you.”
“After all, the chief business of the American people is business. They are profoundly concerned with producing, buying, selling, investing and prospering in the world.”
And
“All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work.”
And
“I have found it advisable not to give too much heed to what people say when I am trying to accomplish something of consequence. Invariably they proclaim it can’t be done. I deem that the very best time to make the effort.”
And
“If I had permitted my failures, or what seemed to me at the time a lack of success, to discourage me I cannot see any way in which I would ever have made progress.”
And
“Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers. It may not be difficult to store up in the mind a vast quantity of face within a comparatively short time, but the ability to form judgments requires the severe discipline of hard work and the tempering heat of experience and maturity.”
And
“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated failures. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
And
“Parties do not maintain themselves. They are maintained by effort. The government is not self-existent. It is maintained by the effort of those who believe in it. The people of America believe in American institutions, the American form of government and the American method of transacting business.”
And
“I favor the policy of economy, not because I wish to save money, but because I wish to save people. The men and women of this country who toil are the ones who bear the cost of the Government. Every dollar that we carelessly waste means that their life will be so much the more meager. Every dollar that we prudently save means that their life will be so much the more abundant. Economy is idealism in its most practical form.”
And
“The chief business of the American people is business.”
And
“If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final.”
“At last the lake burst upon us–a noble sheet of blue water lifted six thousand three hundred feet above the level of the sea, and walled in by a rim of snow-clad mountain peaks that towered aloft three thousand feet higher still! As it lay there with the shadows of the mountains brilliantly photographed upon its still surface, I thought it must surely be the fairest picture the whole world affords.” Mark Twain on Lake Tahoe, Roughing It, 1861
And
“It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native criminal class except Congress.”
And
“Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.”
And
“Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company.”
And
“It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt.”
And
“A man is never more truthful than when he acknowledges himself a liar.”
And
“A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way. “
And
“In the first place, God made idiots. That was for practice. Then he made school boards.”
And
“Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.”
And
“Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.”
And
“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
And
“Apparently there is nothing that cannot happen today.”
And
“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.”
And
“Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t.”
And
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
And
“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.”
And
“There are lies, damned lies and statistics.”
And
“The lack of money is the root of all evil.”
And
“A man’s character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation.”
And
“When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.”
And
“All you need is ignorance and confidence and the success is sure.”
And
“My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it.”
And
“The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d rather not.”
And
“The most interesting information comes from children, for they tell all they know and then stop.”
And
“Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of eighty and gradually approach eighteen.”
And
“Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.”
And
“The trouble ain’t that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain’t distributed right.”
And
“I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.”
And
“Substitute “damn” every time you’re inclined to write “very”; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.”
And
“When angry, count to four; when very angry, swear.”
And
“Don’t tell fish stories where the people know you; but particularly, don’t tell them where they know the fish.”
And
‘There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded.”
And
“A person with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds.”
And
“I don’t give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way.”
And
“Let us live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.”
And
“It’s no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense.”
And
“It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare.”
And
“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”
And
“The man who is a pessimist before 48 knows too much; if he is an optimist after it, he knows too little.”
And
“The public is the only critic whose opinion is worth anything at all.”
And
“I haven’t a particle of confidence in a man who has no redeeming petty vices whatsoever.”
And
‘Reader, suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.”
And
“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—’tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning.”
And
“Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our hardnesses yield, all our irritations and resentments flit away and a sunny spirit takes their place.”
And
“I was sorry to have my name mentioned as one of the great authors, because they have a sad habit of dying off. Chaucer is dead, Spencer is dead, so is Milton, so is Shakespeare, and I’m not feeling so well myself.”
And
“Always do right. This will gratify some people, and astonish the rest.”
And
“The only reason why God created man is because he was disappointed with the monkey.”
And
“Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is lightning that does the work.”
And
“Always acknowledge a fault frankly. This will throw those in authority off their guard and give you opportunity to commit more.”
And
“Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered — either by themselves or by others. But for the Civil War, Lincoln and Grant and Sherman and Sheridan would not have been discovered, nor have risen into notice. … I have touched upon this matter in a small book which I wrote a generation ago and which I have not published as yet — Captain Stormfield’s Visit to Heaven. When Stormfield arrived in heaven he … was told that … a shoemaker … was the most prodigious military genius the planet had ever produced.”
And
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.” The Innocents Abroad, 1869
And
“He had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it — namely, that in order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to obtain.” The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, 1876
And
“Work consists of whatever a body is OBLIGED to do, and…Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.” The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, 1876
And
“France has neither winter nor summer nor morals. Apart from these drawbacks it is a fine country.”
And
“Familiarity breeds contempt — and children.”
And
“In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot”
And
“Never let your schooling interfere with your education.”
And
“Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.”
“A desire to be observed, considered, esteemed, praised, beloved, and admired by his fellows is one of the earliest as well as the keenest dispositions discovered in the heart of man.”
And
“A government of laws, and not of men.”
And
“All the perplexities, confusion and distress in America arise, not from defects in their Constitution or Confederation, not from want of honor or virtue, so much as from the downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit and circulation.”
And
“Because power corrupts, society’s demands for moral authority and character increase as the importance of the position increases.”
And
“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
And
“Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war.”
And
“I always consider the settlement of America with reverence and wonder, as the opening of a grand scene and design in providence, for the illumination of the ignorant and the emancipation of the slavish part of mankind all over the earth.”
And
“I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy.”
And
“If we do not lay out ourselves in the service of mankind whom should we serve?”
And
“Let us tenderly and kindly cherish, therefore, the means of knowledge. Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write.”
And
“Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people.”
And
“Old minds are like old horses; you must exercise them if you wish to keep them in working order.”
And
“Power always thinks… that it is doing God’s service when it is violating all his laws.”
And
“There are two educations. One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live.”
And
“Tis impossible to judge with much Præcision of the true Motives and Qualities of human Actions, or of the Propriety of Rules contrived to govern them, without considering with like Attention, all the Passions, Appetites, Affections in Nature from which they flow. An intimate Knowledge therefore of the intellectual and moral World is the sole foundation on which a stable structure of Knowledge can be erected.”
And
“There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty.”
And
“Yesterday the greatest question was decided which ever was debated in America; and a greater perhaps never was, nor will be, decided among men. A resolution was passed without one dissenting colony, “that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States.”
And
“There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution.”
And
“The consequences arising from the continual accumulation of public debts in other countries ought to admonish us to be careful to prevent their growth in our own.”
And
“Our obligations to our country never cease but with our lives.”
And
“As to the history of the revolution, my ideas may be peculiar, perhaps singular. What do we mean by the Revolution? The war? That was no part of the revolution; it was only an effect and consequence of it. The revolution was in the minds of the people, and this was effected from 1760–1775, in the course of fifteen years, before a drop of blood was shed at Lexington.”
And
“Power always sincerely, conscientiously, de très bon foi, believes itself right. Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views, beyond the comprehension of the weak.”
And
“Let the human mind loose. It must be loose. It will be loose. Superstition and dogmatism cannot confine it.”
And
“This is the most magnificent movement of all! There is a dignity, a majesty, a sublimity, in this last effort of the patriots that I greatly admire. The people should never rise without doing something to be remembered — something notable and striking. This destruction of the tea is so bold, so daring, so firm, intrepid and inflexible, and it must have so important consequences, and so lasting, that I can’t but consider it as an epocha in history!” On the Boston Tea Party (17 December 1773)
And
“Children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom.”
And
Posterity! you will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make a good use of it.” John Adams, Letters of John Adams, Addressed to His Wife
“An Army is a collection of armed men obliged to obey one man. Every change in the rules which impairs the principle weakens the army.”
And
“An army to be useful must be a unit, and out of this has grown the saying, attributed to Napoleon, but doubtless spoken before the days of Alexander, that an army with an inefficient commander was better than one with two able heads.”
And
“Courage – a perfect sensibility of the measure of danger, and a mental willingness to endure it.”
And
“I am tired and sick of war. Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, for vengeance, for desolation. War is hell.”
And
“I hate newspapermen. They come into camp and pick up their camp rumors and print them as facts. I regard them as spies, which, in truth, they are.”
And
“If I had my choice I would kill every reporter in the world but I am sure we would be getting reports from hell before breakfast.”
And
“I make up my opinions from facts and reasoning, and not to suit any body but myself. If people don’t like my opinions, it makes little difference as I don’t solicit their opinions or votes.”
And
“In our Country… one class of men makes war and leaves another to fight it out.”
And
“It’s a disagreeable thing to be whipped.”
And
“My aim, then, was to whip the rebels, to humble their pride, to follow them to their inmost recesses, and make them fear and dread us. Fear is the beginning of wisdom.”
And
“If nominated, I will not run; if elected, I will not serve.”
And
“I think I understand what military fame is; to be killed on the field of battle and have your name misspelled in the newspapers.”
And
“War is cruelty. There is no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over.”
And
“Every attempt to make war easy and safe will result in humiliation and disaster.”
And
“Grant stood by me when I was crazy, and I stood by him when he was drunk, and now we stand by each other.”
And
“War is the remedy that our enemies have chosen, and I say let us give them all they want.”
And
“I know I had no hand in making this war, and I know I will make more sacrifices today than any of you to secure peace.”
And
“There will soon come an armed contest between capital and labor. They will oppose each other, not with words and arguments, but with shot and shell, gun-powder and cannon. The better classes are tired of the insane howling of the lower strata and they mean to stop them.”
And
“There is many a boy here today who looks on war as all glory, but, boys, it is all hell.”
And
“I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah.”
And
“If the people raise a great howl against my barbarity and cruelty, I will answer that war is war, and not popularity seeking.”
