Eisenhower Quotes

The day before my inauguration President Eisenhower told me, You'll find that no easy problems ever come to the President of the United States. If they are easy to solve, somebody else has solved them. I found that hard to believe, but now I know it is true. ~ John F. Kennedy

I never thought to ascribe my mother's emotional and physical exhaustion to the lack of a husband and father; rather, I ascribed it to my existence. In other words, I grew up learning the exact opposite of what Eisenhower was taught. I learned that if I didn't exist, the family would be better off. I grew up believing that if I had never been born, things would be easier for the people I loved. (page 35) ~ Donald Miller

Why should the Eisenhower memorial be over twice the size of WWII Memorial? Why should it be so vast as to comfortably house two Lincoln Memorials, two Washington Monuments, and two Jefferson Memorials - all six at once? ~ Leon Krier

May we, in our dealings with all the peoples of the earth, ever speak the truth and serve justice. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

There is one thing about being President
nobody can tell you when to sit down. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

There were no jobs created in America from 1945, when the war ended, through 2003. How could there be? Taxes were too high. Preposterously so under Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Reagan (who left office with a 28 percent rate on long-term capital gains) and Bush the Elder. ~ Andrew Tobias

Today in America, unions have a secure place in our industrial life. Only a handful of reactionaries harbor the ugly thought of breaking unions and depriving working men and women of the right to join the union of their choice. I have no use for those - regardless of their political party - who hold some vain and foolish dream of spinning the clock back to days when organized labor was huddled, almost as a hapless mass. Only a fool would try to deprive working men and women of the right to join the union of their choice. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Take your job seriously, but not yourself ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

We are tired of aristocratic explanations in Harvard words. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

There have been many amazing Presidents in American history, including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan, all of whom I greatly admire. ~ Donald Trump

You know, my dad was a lieutenant colonel at Ft. Lewis on the 3rd of March, 1941. Fifteen months later, he was commanding a theater of war. ~ John Eisenhower

Almost everything else I have done during my adult years has been affected to some extent by my name - by my father's position, if you will. But in the air, I had no name; to the Federal Aviation Agency I was simply Comanche Nine-Nine POP. The quality of my landings, navigation and judgment were mine alone. ~ John Eisenhower

President Roosevelt and President Truman and President Eisenhower had the same experience, they all made the effort to get along with the Russians. But every time, finally it failed. And the reason it failed was because the Communists are determined to destroy us, and regardless of what hand of friendship we may hold out or what arguments we may put up, the only thing that will make that decisive difference is the strength of the United States. ~ John F. Kennedy

It is probably a pity that every citizen of each state cannot visit all the others, to see the differences, to learn what we have in common, and come back with a richer, fuller understanding of America - in all its beauty, in all its dignity, in all its strength, in support of moral principles. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Eisenhower has been much criticized for his failure publicly to endorse the Court's decision. But he felt that doing so would set an undesirable precedent. If a president endorsed decisions he agreed with, might he feel compelled to oppose decisions he did not agree with? And what would that do to the rule of law? "The Supreme Court has spoken and I am sworn to uphold ... the constitutional processes ... I will obey."3 ~ William J. Bennett

The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Now-what's our game plan?"
Coach Hedge belched. He'd already had three espressos and a plate of doughnuts, along with two napkins and another flower from the vase on the table. He would've eaten the silverware, except Piper had slapped his hand.
"Climb the mountain," Hedge said. "Kill everything except Piper's dad. Leave."
"Thank you General Eisenhower," Jason grumbles. ~ Rick Riordan

I don't like the idea of something where you have to depend upon the integrity of the man and not the integrity of the institution. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

With 450,000 U. S. troops now in Vietnam, it is time that Congress decided whether or not to declare a state of war exists with North Vietnam. Previous congressional resolutions of support provide only limited authority. Although Congress may decide that the previously approved resolution on Vietnam given President Johnson is sufficient, the issue of a declaration of war should at least be put before the Congress for decision. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Preventive war was an invention of Hitler. I would not even listen to anyone seriously that came and talked about such a thing. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

The past sharpens perspective, warns against pitfalls, and helps to point the way. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

I have found out in later years that we were very poor, but the glory of America is that we didn't know it then. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

The people of the world genuinely want peace. Some day the leaders of the world are going to have to give in and give it to them. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

But I noted with real satisfaction how well ex-footballers seemed to have leadership qualifications ... I believe that football, perhaps more than any other sport, tends to instill in men the feeling that victory comes through hard - almost slavish - work, team play, self-confidence, and an enthusiasm that amounts to dedication. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Because, therefore, we are defending a way of life, we must be respectful of that way of life as we proceed to the solution of our problem. We must not violate its principles and its precepts, and we must not destroy from within what we are trying to defend from without. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Uncle Fitzy!" the girl yells. "Gingersnap is being bad!" Eisenhower hates it when she calls him Gingersnap. He complains about it with a statesman's pomp: "Gentlemen, there exists no more odious appellation than"
nose crumpling, black lips curling
"Gingersnap."
From The Barn at the End of Our Term ~ Karen Russell

So - our readiness to meet and defeat this kind of possible attack is forced upon us, both as a potent preventive of actual war and to insure survival in event of attack. This alertness to danger has to be translated into specific policies and activities in the several parts of the world where our rights - our way of life - can be seriously damaged. Work of this kind occupies my days and nights. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Any satirist writing a futuristic novel who had imagined a President Reagan during the Eisenhower years would have been accused of perpetrating a piece of crude, contemptible, adolescent, anti-American wickedness, when, in fact, he would have succeeded, as prophetic sentry, where Orwell failed. ~ Philip Roth

The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

The problem is not merely man against man or nation against nation. It is man against war. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Love of liberty means the guarding of every resource that makes freedom possible-from the sanctity of our families and the wealth of our soil to the genius [of] our scientists ... ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

You can decide to invade Russia at dinner, pick Waterloo for battle on a whim. It's the details, the small stuff. Its easy to gamble a million lives. Whats hard is to see how that can hurt one single person. And if you cant keep that straight, hell, you'll lose your humanity. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

The essence of war is fire, famine, and pestilence. They contribute to its outbreak; they are among its weapons; they become its consequences. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Over the next two months Eisenhower labored ~ Stephen E. Ambrose

The middle of the road is all of the usable surface. The extremes, right and left, are in the gutters. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

[On Richard M. Nixon:] The Republican nominee would be far worse than another Eisenhower - he is Tricky Dicky of the first magnitude. His entire record is one of opportunism. I cannot feel that there is the remotest sincerity in him, and that clearly he would be the tool of the highest bidder, which is always 'big business. ~ Marguerite Rawalt

Having established as our goals a lasting world peace with justice and the security of freedom on this earth, we must be prepared to make whatever sacrifices are demanded as we pursue this path to its end. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

I've been a Republican since age 13, when we got our first television set, and I saw the Republican National Convention on television. And President Eisenhower was talking about personal responsibility, about opening the door for opportunity and that people could really take care of themselves without a lot of government intrusions. ~ Lionel Sosa

For all that we cherish and justly desire - for ourselves or for our children - the securing of peace is the first requisite. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

American working men are principals in the three-member team of capital, management, labor. Never have they regarded themselves as a servile class that could attain freedom only through destruction of the industrial economy. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

After the Cold War ended, there was an agreement between the former Soviet Union and America to convert weapons-grade nuclear materials into reactor-grade materials. So disarmament and nuclear energy actually are strongly linked. ~ Susan Eisenhower

Now all of us deplore this vast military spending. Yet, in the face of the Soviet attitude, we realize its necessity. Whatever the cost, America will keep itself secure. But in the process we must not, by our own hand, destroy or distort the American system. This we could do by useless overspending. I know one sure way to overspend. That is by overindulging sentimental attachments to outmoded military machines and concepts. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

When I was a kid, Eisenhower had been President forever, and all of a sudden, everything in the world was all about Jack Kennedy. I was 12, interested in politics; my father was from Massachusetts, had an accent like Kennedy. ~ James Ellroy

My ambition in the Army was to make everybody I worked for regretful when I was ordered to other duty. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Peace signifies more than the stilling of guns, easing the sorrow of war. More than escape from death, it is a way of life. More than a haven for the weary, it is a hope for the brave. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

The gravity of the time is such that every new avenue of peace, no matter how dimly discernible, should be explored. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Public opinion wins wars. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

No battle was ever won according to plan, but no battle was ever won without one. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

The world must know what happened, and never forget. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

All told, over the period 1932-1980, nearly half a century, the top federal income tax rate in the United States averaged 81 percent. ~ Thomas Piketty

But we know that freedom cannot be served by the devices of the tyrant. As it is an ancient truth that freedom cannot be legislated into existence, so it is no less obvious that freedom cannot be censored into existence. And any who act as if freedoms defenses are to be found in suppression and suspicion and fear confess a doctrine that is alien to America. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

I feel like the fellow in jail who is watching his scaffold being built. (On construction of reviewing stands for inauguration of his successor John F Kennedy) ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Nothing could be more personal than a tape. ~ Julie Nixon Eisenhower

If Wellington epitomizes the English gentleman, Eisenhower epitomizes the natural American gentleman. ~ John Keegan

We succeed only as we identify in life, or in war, or in anything else, a single overriding objective, and make all other considerations bend to that one objective. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

The final battle against intolerance is to be fought
not in the chambers of any legislature
but in the hearts of men. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

This world of ours ... must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Change is the law of life and of relations between nations. When two great peoples such as ours, energetic and optimistic, live side by side in all the diversity that freedom offers, change is rapid and brings in its wake problems, sometimes frictions. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

In opposing Communism, we are defeating ourselves if we use methods that do not conform to the American sense of justice. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

We reject any idea that one race of people is in any way better than another. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

The world must learn to work together, or finally it will not work at all. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

The hand of the aggressor is stayed by strength-and strength alone. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Innovations and discoveries have created new industries giving more and more Americans better jobs and adding greatly to the prosperity and well being of all. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

I know only one method of operation: to be as honest with others as I am with myself. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

America's leadership and prestige depend, not merely upon our unmatched material progress, riches and military strength, but on how we use our power in the interests of world peace and human betterment. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans' organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

I firmly believe that the army of persons who urge greater and greater centralization of authority and greater and greater dependence upon the Federal Treasury are really more dangerous to our form of government than any external threat that can possibly be arrayed against us. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

How has retirement affected my golf game? A lot more people beat me now. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

They [the founders] proclaimed to all the world the revolutionary doctrine of the divine rights of the common man. That doctrine has ever since been the heart of the American faith. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Unlike the Afghans and Iraqis, the South Korean people solidly supported the American military presence, which was part of a United Nations operation. ~ John Eisenhower

Like all successful politicians I married above myself. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Never waste a minute thinking about people you don't like. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

There are no victories at discount prices. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Eisenhower, in contrast, turned spirituality into spectacle. At a transition meeting with his cabinet nominees, he announced that they and their families were invited to a special religious service at National Presbyterian Church the morning of the inauguration. ~ Kevin M. Kruse

Mob rule can not be allowed to override the decisions of our courts. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Every gathering of Americans-whether a few on the porch of a crossroads store or massed thousands in a great stadium-is the possessor of a potentially immeasurable influence on the future. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

To be true to one's own freedom is, in essence, to honor and respect the freedom of all others. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

This desk of mine is one at which a man may die, but from which he cannot resign. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

We will accept nothing less than full Victory! ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

I will not get into a pissing contest with that skunk [Joseph McCarthy]. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

The system is not intended as a substitute for private savings, pension plans, and insurance protection. It is, rather, intended as the foundation upon which these other forms of protection can be soundly built. Thus, the individual's own work, his planning and his thrift will bring him a higher standard of living upon his retirement, or his family a higher standard of living in the event of his death, than would otherwise be the case. Hence the system both encourages thrift and self-reliance, and helps to prevent destitution in our national life. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

There had been a cross-fertilizing trickle of researchers moving in both directions on a strictly one-for-one basis for years, dating back to the days of Eisenhower and Krushchev. There were a great many good motives for that: an honest appreciation of the supranational character of science; impulses of friendliness that are hard to wipe out completely in the individual human being; the desire to be exposed to a fresh and interesting outlook and to have your own slightly stale notions greeted by others as fresh and interesting. ~ Isaac Asimov

The peace we seek and need means much more than mere absence of war. It means the acceptance of law, and the fostering of justice, in all the world. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

For a just and lasting peace, here is my solemn pledge to you: by dedication and patience we will continue, as long as I remain your President, to work for this simple - this single - this exclusive goal. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

I could have spoken from Rhode Island where I have been staying ... But I felt that, in speaking from the house of Lincoln, of Jackson, and of Wilson, my words would better convey both the sadness I feel in the action I was compelled today to make and the firmness with which I intend to pursue this course until the orders of the federal court at Little Rock can be executed without unlawful interference. (On sending troops to enforce integration in Little Rock AR High School) ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Let's never try to get even with our enemies, because if we do we will hurt
ourselves far more than we hurt them. Let's do as General Eisenhower does: let's never
waste a minute thinking about people we don't like. ~ Dale Carnegie

A constitutional amendment for congressional term limits could never achieve the blessing of Congress; it could be initiated only by the states. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

The world moves, and ideas that were once good are not always good. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

As Dwight Eisenhower observed, Plans are worthless, but planning is everything. ~ Gretchen Rubin

Any man who wants to be president is either an egomaniac or crazy. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Speeches are for the younger men who are going places. And I'm not going anyplace except six feet under the floor of that little chapel adjoining the museum and library at Abilene. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Statesmanship is developed in the hard knocks of general experience, private and public. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Don't join the book burners. Do not think you are going to conceal thoughts by concealing evidence that they ever existed. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Eisenhower was the living symbol of what felt in 1969 like an easier age, when greatness was an American birthright, when the torrents of change had not yet crashed into every corner of the culture, when there was a majesty about the presidency that allowed Eisenhower to leave office as beloved, respected, and above all, trusted, as he had been when he assumed it. ~ Nancy Gibbs; Michael Duffy

If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Art is a universal language and through it each nation makes its own unique contribution to the culture of mankind. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

And they can appreciate, through personal experience, that the really decisive battleground of American freedom is in the hearts and minds of our own people ... The path we travel is narrow and long, beset with many dangers. Each day we must ask that Almighty God will set and keep His protecting hand over us so that we may pass on to those who come after us the heritage of a free people, secure in their God-given rights and in full control of a Government dedicated to the preservation of those rights ... ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower