President Truman Quotes

The 112th Congress passed only 220 laws, the lowest number enacted by any Congress. In 1948, when President Truman called the 80th Congress a 'Do-Nothing' Congress, it had passed more than 900 laws. ~ Juan Williams

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

Mr, Truman was jubilant. President Truman. True man; what a strange name, come to think of it. We refer to Jesus Christ as true God and true Man. Truman is a true man of his time in that he was jubilant. He was not a son of God, brother of Christ, brother of the Japanese, jubilating as he did. He went from table to table on the cruiser which was bringing him home from the Big Three conference, telling the great news; "jubilant" the newspapers said. Jubilate Deo. We have killed 318,000 Japanese. ~ Dorothy Day

I would like to say that no man ever was given finer cooperation than that given me by President Truman. ~ Paul Hoffman

Harry Truman once said, 'There are 14 or 15 million Americans who have the resources to have representatives in Washington to protect their interests, and that the interests of the great mass of the other people - the 150 or 160 million - is the responsibility of the president of the United States, and I propose to fulfill it.' ~ John F. Kennedy

That was the principle of reparations to which President Truman agreed at Potsdam. And the United States will not agree to the taking from Germany of greater reparations than was provided by the Potsdam Agreement. ~ James F. Byrnes

[President Truman] was free of the greatest vice in a leader, his ego never came between him and his job. ~ Dean Acheson

Country music was the most segregated kind of music in America, where even whites played jazz and even blacks sang in the opera. Something like country music was what lynch mobs must have enjoyed while stringing up their black victims. Country music was not necessarily lynching music, but no other music could be imagined as lynching's accompaniment. Beethoven's Ninth was the opus for Nazis, concentration camp commanders, and possibly President Truman as he contemplated atomizing Hiroshima, classical music the refined score for the high-minded extermination of brutish hordes. Country music was set to the more humble beat of the red-blooded, bloodthirsty American heartland. ~ Viet Thanh Nguyen

President Roosevelt proved that a President could serve for life. Truman proved that anyone could be elected. Eisenhower proved that your country can be run without a President. ~ Nikita Khrushchev

I would say that President Roosevelt probably was more intimately in touch with the press corps at the White House than President Truman was. ~ Clifton Daniel

President Truman had a little sign on his desk. I've always admired its philosophy. It read: THE BUCK STOPS HERE. I've envied certain people, too, the great majority of my colleagues whose sole mission in life is to attain the goal of mediocrity. They sail into a safe harbor, button up and conveniently and quietly sort their paper clips, avoiding responsibility and decisions. I can't explain, Nicole, why I was singled out and am unable to avoid conflict, but I can't run or plug my ears or close my eyes or turn my back. I often envy those who can. ~ Leon Uris

I am going to build the kind of nation that President Roosevelt hoped for, President Truman worked for, and President Kennedy died for. ~ Lyndon B. Johnson

The very first thing the President [Truman] did was to show me the new Presidential Seal, which he had just redesigned. He explained, 'The seal has to go everywhere the President goes. It must be displayed upon the lectern when he speaks. The eagle used to face the arrows but I have re-designed it so that it now faces the olive branches ... what do you think?' I said, 'Mr. President, with the greatest respect, I would prefer the American eagle's neck to be on a swivel so that it could face the olive branches or the arrows, as the occasion might demand.' ~ Winston Churchill

I don't pick my presidents because they were great presidents. I'm not much interested in ranking presidents and who is the best and who is the worst. I am much more inclined to be interested in them if they had an interesting life and if they were a complete person - and by that I mean they also had flaws and failings. ~ David McCullough

The [President's] Nomination, of Course, brings the Subject fully under the Consideration of the Senate; who have then a Right to decide upon its Propriety or Impropriety. ~ George Mason

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

We just sent our condolences to the President of the United States and the American people on what is a terrible, terrible tragedy. ~ Helen Clark

The president has undermined trust. No longer will the members of Congress be entitled to accept his veracity. Caveat emptor has become the word. Every member of Congress is on his or her own to determine the truth. ~ Bob Graham

I intend to be the president of all citizens of Macedonia, regardless of their ethnic or religious background, regardless of their political standing. I shall not allow ethnic hatred and intolerance to undermine Macedonia's stability. ~ Boris Trajkovski

President Bush offers the American people an optimistic vision and a clear choice in November. The President has provided steady leadership in remarkably changing times. He knows exactly where he wants to lead this country, and he has complete confidence in the American people. ~ Henry Bonilla

Nearly every crisis seems to be the worst one, but after it's over, it isn't so bad. ~ Harry Truman

I was ordained one of the standing High Council in Zion, under the hands of President Joseph Smith. ~ Orson Pratt

The central question is simply put: What did the president know and when did he know it? ~ Howard Baker

...the Constitution is an invitation for the president and Congress to struggle for the privilege of directing foreign policy. Although the president is the principal foreign policy actor, the Constitution delegates more specific foreign policy powers to Congress than to the executive. It designates the president as commander-in-chief and head of the executive branch, whereas it gives Congress the power to declare war and the power of the purse. The president can negotiate treaties and nominate foreign policy officials, but the Senate must approve them. Congress is also granted the power to raise and support armies, establish rules on naturalization, regulate foreign commerce, and define and punish offenses on the high seas.

Although the president is the chief foreign policy maker, Congress has a responsibility to be both an informed critic and constructive partner of the president. The ideal established by the founders is neither for one branch to dominate nor for there to be an identity of views between them. Rather, the founders wisely sought to encourage a creative tension between the president and Congress that would produce policies that advance national interests and reflect the views of the American people. Sustained consultation between the president and Congress is the most important mechanism for fostering an effective foreign policy with broad support at home and respect and punch overseas. In a world of both danger and opportunity, we need such a forei ~ Lee H. Hamilton

It has been an honor to work in the Obama Administration and to serve this President, particularly during a period of unprecedented change in the broader Middle East. Obviously, there is still work to do but I promised my wife I would return to government for only two years and we both agreed it is time to act on my promise. ~ Dennis Ross

I would sit and talk to any president who wishes to talk to me, but I'm not anxious to rule it in. ~ Colin Powell

I don't think any president that I worked with has ever said 'pretty please.' ~ Robert M. Gates

What are your chief vices? And virtues? I have no vices. The concept doesn't exist in my vocabulary. My chief virtue is gratitude ~ Truman Capote

I don't think there is one president that's come down the line that hasn't done something good somewhere. ~ Neil Young

I am not President Bush. ~ John McCain

Perhaps the mistake I made at the start of my mandate is not understanding the symbolic dimension of the president's role and not being solemn enough in my acts. A mistake for which I would like to apologise or explain myself and which I will not make again. Now, I know the job. ~ Nicolas Sarkozy

While President Obama was starting and expanding unconstitutiona l wars overseas, Bradley Manning, whose actions have caused exactly zero deaths, was shining light on the truth behind these wars. ~ Ron Paul

Remember that thing Truman Capote said years ago about Jack Kerouac: "That's not writing, it's typing"? I keep thinking that what we do now, with this medium of instant delivery, isn't writing, and doesn't even qualify as typing either: it's just sending. ~ Lynne Truss

If I were in the President's place, I would not get a chance to resign. I would be lying in a pool of my own blood
hearing Mrs. Armey, standing over me, saying, 'How do I reload this damn thing?' ~ Dick Armey

You mean Ronald just stepped down after ten years?' he asked. She had to be putting him on.
'He just stepped down and George Bush became president.'
'And then George Bush shot Ronald Reagan to prevent him from seizing power?'
'No,' she said. 'I think they were friends.'
'Friends?' he asked. 'It makes me wonder how we lost the Cold War.'
'Good point. ~ Anthony Marra

Mr. President, you were elected to lead. You chose to follow. And now it's time for you to get out of the way. ~ Mitt Romney

You drank acid, and it turned a vitality drink in your stomach. You had an accident, and you find yourself sleeping comfortably on your sofa. Robbers shot you, and the bullets became a basking fire on your skin. Your enemy cursed you, and you became a president next year. You were headstrong and rude, then suddenly, you find yourself very humble and compassionate. Don't think all these things are magic, you're not under the possession of the world nor its people, but God is the power behind your metamorphosis. ~ Michael Bassey Johnson

But there was already a club of people disappointed in me, with my mother as the president. ~ Sarah Tork

Thanks again, sir." Jules shook his hand again.
"You're welcome again," the captain said, his smile warm. "I'll be back aboard the ship myself at around nineteen hundred. If it's okay with you, I'll, uh, stop in, see how you're doing."
Son of a bitch. Was Jules getting hit on? Max looked at Webster again. He looked like a Marine. Muscles, meticulous uniform, well-groomed hair. That didn't make him gay. And he'd smiled warmly at Max, too. The man was friendly, personable. And yet . . .
Jules was flustered.
"Thanks," he said. "That would be . . . That'd be nice. Would you excuse me, though, for a sec? I've got to speak to Max, before I, uh . . . But I'll head over to the ship right away."
Webster shook Max's hand. "It was an honor meeting you, sir." He smiled again at Jules.
Okay, he hadn't smiled at Max like that.
Max waited until the captain and the medic both were out of earshot. "Is he - "
"Don't ask, don't tell." Jules said. "But, oh my God."
"He seems nice," Max said.
"Yes," Jules said. "Yes, he does."
"So. The White House?"
"Yeah. About that . . ." Jules took a deep breath. "I need to let you know that you might be getting a call from President Bryant."
"Might be," Max repeated.
"Yes," Jules said. "In a very definite way." He spoke quickly, trying to run his words together: "I had a very interesting conversation with him in which I kind of let slip that you'd resigned again and he was unhappy about tha ~ Suzanne Brockmann

A moment from another world! Imagine a reporter dictating an exclusive story, a lead story, sourced from the President of the United States, from a telephone just off the White House dance floor to the strains of Lester Lanin's dance band. ~ Ben Bradlee

Insulting the electorate and accusing it of spiritual weakness and sinfulness are not the ways to get yourself the job of president. ~ John Podhoretz

Maddie dropped into a curtsy. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Logan's dad."
"And you, Manchester's daughter." The president bowed at the waist. "You are a far lovelier sight than your father, I can assure you."
"Thank you. My dress wasn't wrinkled when I put it on, you should know. The wrinkles are entirely Charlie's fault."
"I'll have a word with Charlie," the president said as Maddie's dad tried to pull her into a hug. ~ Ally Carter

I didn't vote for Bush, and I'm not happy particularly that he's president. But I will say I'm impressed that he didn't start bombing Afghanistan the day after Sept. 11. The more time that passes without him bombing Afghanistan, the more I respect him. ~ William T. Vollmann

If the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris had nothing to do with Islam as President Francois Hollande suggested, why did he invite Muslim community leaders to meet him the day after the tragedy? ~ Amir Taheri

Now, like, I'm President. It would be pretty hard for some drug guy to come into the White House and start offering it up, you know? I bet if they did, I hope I would say, 'Hey, get lost. We don't want any of that. ~ George W. Bush

There is something about hearing your president affirm your humanity that you don't know what effect it has until you hear it. ~ Andrew Sullivan

My goal is to help elect not only the first but second woman president. That will be real progress. I believe our next presidential election will see women at the top of the ticket for both parties. ~ Barbara Lee

On the human rights side, administration policy has been marked by indifference. When the people of Iran flooded the streets to protest the theft of their presidential election in June 2009, President Obama was silent for 11 days. ~ Elliott Abrams

I say that when you elect a president you want a man to manage the legitimate business of your government. The government that is big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take it away. ~ Barry Goldwater

If we do not abolish war on this earth, then surely one day war will abolish us from the earth. ~ Harry S. Truman

Democrats fought to get health insurance for more Americans. Democrats fought for a strong consumer agency so big banks can't cheat people. We fought, we won, and we improved the lives of millions of people - thank you, President Obama! ~ Elizabeth Warren

The president's rattling the saber and beating the drums may have an effect. ~ Rand Paul

For me, I'm a dancer first. I could be the President of the United States, and I will always be a dancer, first and foremost. ~ Anne Fletcher