William Jennings Bryan Quotes

The Bible holds up before us ideals that are within sight of the weakest and the lowliest, and yet so high that the best and the noblest are kept with their faces turned ever upward. It carries the call of the Saviour to the remotest corners of the earth; on its pages are written the assurances of the present and our hopes for the future ~ William Jennings Bryan

There have always been hucksters, cranks and populists who see a brief rise in American politics, going back to William Jennings Bryan at the turn of the century. The body politic has a way of expelling these invaders. ~ Joseph Rago

Today the earth speaks with resonance and clearness and every ear in every civilized country of the world is attuned to its wonderful message of the creative evolution of man, except the ear of William Jennings Bryan; he alone remains stone-deaf, he alone by his own resounding voice drowns the eternal speech of nature. ~ Henry Fairfield Osborn

The late William Jennings Bryan, L.L.D., always had one great advantage in controversy; he was never burdened with an understanding of his opponent's case. ~ H.L. Mencken

That is the one thing in my public career that I regret
my work to secure the enactment of the Federal Reserve Law. ~ William Jennings Bryan

In commemoration of the fact that France was our ally in securing independence the citizens of that nation joined with the citizens of the United States in placing in New York harbor an heroic statue representing Liberty enlightening the world. What course shall our nation pursue? Send the statue of Liberty back to France and borrow from England a statue of William the Conqueror? ~ William Jennings Bryan

You cannot judge a man's life by the success of a moment, by the victory of an hour, or even by the results of a year. You must view his life as a whole. You must stand where you can see the man as he treads the entire path that leads from the cradle to the grave - now crossing the plain, now climbing the steeps, now passing through pleasant fields, now wending his way with difficulty between rugged rocks - tempted, tried, tested, triumphant. ~ William Jennings Bryan

The greatest things ever done on Earth have been done little by little. ~ William Jennings Bryan

New York is the city of privilege. Here is the seat of the Invisible Power represented by the allied forces of finance and industry. This Invisible Government is reactionary, sinister, unscrupulous, mercenary, and sordid. It is wanting in national ideals and devoid of conscience ... This kind of government must be scourged and destroyed. ~ William Jennings Bryan

Next to the ministry I know of no more noble profession than the law. The object aimed at is justice, equal and exact, and if it does not reach that end at once it is because the stream is diverted by selfishness or checked by ignorance. Its principles ennoble and its practice elevates. ~ William Jennings Bryan

None so little enjoy themselves, and are such burdens to themselves, as those who have nothing to do. Only the active have the true relish of life. ~ William Jennings Bryan

The Imperial German Government will not expect the Government of the United States to omit any word or any act necessary to the performance of its sacred duty of maintaining the rights of the United States and its citizens and of safeguarding their free exercise and enjoyment. ~ William Jennings Bryan

The humblest citizen of all the land, when clad in the armor of a righteous cause, is stronger than all the hosts of error. ~ William Jennings Bryan

Destiny is not a matter of chance, but of choice.
Not something to wish for, but to attain ~ William Jennings Bryan

He [William Jennings Bryan] recognized that what Darwin proposed on the biological level, when applied on the societal level, might legitimize an ideology that supports the survival of the fittest, with all of its dire complications. Byran was able to envision the kind of society that Social Darwinism would create- the kind of exploitation that comes from unbridled capitalism, for instance- and chose to war against it. ~ Tony Campolo

Do not compute the totality of your poultry population until all the manifestations of incubation have been entirely completed. ~ William Jennings Bryan

If God himself was not willing to use coercion to force man to accept certain religious views, man, uninspired and liable to error, ought not to use the means that Jehovah would not employ. ~ William Jennings Bryan

I hope the two wings of the Democratic Party may flap together. ~ William Jennings Bryan

Our government conceived in freedom and purchased with blood can be preserved only by constant vigilance. ~ William Jennings Bryan

Remember our Red scares and our Catholic scares, when all well-informed people knew that the O.G.P.U. were hiding out in Oskaloosa, and the Republicans campaigning against Al Smith told the Carolina mountaineers that if Al won the Pope would illegitimatize their children? Remember Tom Heflin and Tom Dixon? Remember when the hick legislators in certain states, in obedience to William Jennings Bryan, who learned his biology from his pious old grandma, set up shop as scientific experts and made the whole world laugh itself sick by forbidding the teaching of evolution?. . .Remember the Kentucky night-riders? Remember how trainloads of people have gone to enjoy lynchings? Not happen here? Prohibition - shooting down people just because they might be transporting liquor - no, that couldn't happen in America! Why, where in all history has there ever been a people so ripe for a dictatorship as ours! ~ Sinclair Lewis

The large banking interests were deeply interested in the World War because of the wide opportunities for large profits. ~ William Jennings Bryan

Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved. ~ William Jennings Bryan

We spend months inside them, then the rest of our lives getting babied by them. ~ William Jennings Bryan

The people of Nebraska are for free silver and I am for free silver. I will look up the arguments later. ~ William Jennings Bryan

Whenever one refuses to admit such a self-evident truth, for instance, as that it is wrong to steal, don't argue with him-search him; the reason may be found in his pocket. ~ William Jennings Bryan

If there is no God there is no hereafter. When, therefore, one drives God out of the universe he closes the door of hope upon himself. ~ William Jennings Bryan

Most of the temptations that come to us to sell the soul come in connection with the getting of money. ~ William Jennings Bryan

The money problem facing the country from 1789 to 1896 existed because Congress never exercised is authority to "coin money or regulate the value thereof" - but rather delegated that authority, sometimes by charter and sometimes by default, to the banking system. This despite the provision in the Constitution that charged Congress with the power to 'coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standards of weight and Measures.' ~ William Jennings Bryan

You came to tell us that the great cities are in favour of the gold standard; we reply that the great cities rest upon our broad and fertile plains. Burn down your cities and leave our farms, and your cities will spring up again as if by magic. But destroy out farms and the grass will grow in the city ... You shall not press down upon the brow of labour this crown of thorns. You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold. ~ William Jennings Bryan

The Old Testament gave us the law; the New Testament reveals the love upon which the law rests. ~ William Jennings Bryan

God may be a matter of indifference to the evolutionists, and a life beyond may have no charm for them, but the mass of mankind will continue to worship their creator and continue to find comfort in the promise of their Savior that he has gone to prepare a place for them. ~ William Jennings Bryan

The speech of one who knows what he is talking about and means what he says-it is thought on fire. ~ William Jennings Bryan

Our government, conceived in liberty and purchased with blood, can be preserved only by constant vigilance. May we guard it as our children's richest legacy, for what shall it profit our nation if it shall gain the whole world and lose "the spirit that prizes liberty as the heritage of all men in all lands everywhere"? ~ William Jennings Bryan

If it be true, as I believe it is, that morality is dependent upon religion, then religion is not only the most practical thing in the world, but the first essential. ~ William Jennings Bryan

Never be afraid to stand with the minority when the minority is right, for the minority which is right will one day be the majority. ~ William Jennings Bryan

Atheists have just as much civil right to teach atheism as Christians have to teach Christianity; agnostics have just as much right to teach agnosticism as Christians have to teach their religion. ~ William Jennings Bryan

If we have to give up either religion or education, we should give up education. ~ William Jennings Bryan

Clarence Darrow," the New York Times proclaimed in its lead story, "bearded the lion of Fundamentalism today, faced William Jennings Bryan and a court room filled with believers of the literal word of the Bible and with a hunch of his shoulders and a thumb in his suspenders defied every belief they hold sacred. ~ Edward J. Larson

The Rock of Ages is more important than the age of rocks. ~ William Jennings Bryan

The great political questions are in their final analysis great moral questions. ~ William Jennings Bryan

Principles are eternal ... ~ William Jennings Bryan

Christ has made of death a narrow starlit strip between the companionships of yesterday and the reunions of tomorrow. ~ William Jennings Bryan

I have been so satisfied with the Christian religion that I have spent no time trying to find arguments against it ... I am not afraid now that you will show me any. I feel that I have enough information to live and die by. ~ William Jennings Bryan

Patriotism is a mystery-intangible, invisible, and yet eternal. ~ William Jennings Bryan

Behold a republic standing erect while empires all around are bowed beneath the weight of their own armaments - a republic whose flag is loved while other flags are only feared. ~ William Jennings Bryan

When the history of this period is written, [William Jennings] Bryan will stand out as one of the most remarkable men of his generation and one of the biggest political men of our country. ~ William Howard Taft

Love makes money-grabbing seem contemptible; love makes class prejudice impossible; love makes selfish ambition a thing to be despised; love converts enemies into friends. ~ William Jennings Bryan

We can exterminate Ku Kluxism better by recognizing their honesty and teaching them that they are wrong. ~ William Jennings Bryan

I am the first to admit that I am no great orator or no person that got where I have gotten by any William Jennings Bryan technique. ~ Gerald R. Ford

There is no more reason to believe that man descended from some inferior animal than there is to believe that a stately mansion has descended from a small cottage. ~ William Jennings Bryan

The government being the peoples business, it necessarily follows that its operations should be at all times open to the public view. Publicity is therefore as essential to honest administration as freedom of speech is to representative government. Equal rights to all and special privileges to none is the maxim which should control in all departments of government. ~ William Jennings Bryan

When we advocate a thing which we believe will be successful we are not compelled to raise a doubt as to our own sincerity by trying to show what we will do if we are wrong. ~ William Jennings Bryan

This is not a contest between persons. The humblest citizen in all the land, when clad in the armor of a righteous cause, is stronger than all the hosts of error. I come to you in defense of a cause as holy as the cause of liberty - the cause of humanity. ~ William Jennings Bryan

Nation after nation, when at the zenith of its power, has proclaimed itself invincible because its army could shake the earth with its tread and its ships could fill the seas, but these nations are dead, and we must build upon a different foundation if we would avoid their fate. ~ William Jennings Bryan

If we steal a man's purse we are thieves. If we steal twelve hundred islands we are patriots. If you steal a man's money you will be sent to the penitentiary. If you steal his liberty you will be sent to the White House. ~ William Jennings Bryan

Agnosticism is the natural attitude of the evolutionist. How can a brute mind comprehend spiritual things? ~ William Jennings Bryan

Service is the measure of greatness; it always has been true; it is true today, and it always will be true, that he is greatest who does the most of good. Nearly all of our controversies and combats grow out of the fact that we are trying to get something from each other
there will be peace when our aim is to do something for each other. The human measure of a human life is its income; the divine measure of a life is its outgo, its overflow
its contribution to the welfare of all. ~ William Jennings Bryan

When I find a man who is not willing to pay his share of the burden of the government which protects him, I find a man who is unworthy to enjoy the blessings of a government like ours. ~ William Jennings Bryan

The poor man who takes property by force is called a thief, but the creditor who can by legislation make a debtor pay a dollar twice as large as he borrowed is lauded as the friend of a sound currency. The man who wants the people to destroy the Government is an anarchist, but the man who wants the Government to destroy the people is a patriot. ~ William Jennings Bryan

A belief in God is fundamental; upon it rest the influences that control life. ~ William Jennings Bryan

If we desire rules to govern our spiritual development we turn back to the Sermon on the Mount. ~ William Jennings Bryan

Success is brought by continued labor and continued watchfulness. We must struggle on, not for one moment hesitate, nor take one backward step. ~ William Jennings Bryan

An orator is a man who says what he thinks and feels what he says. ~ William Jennings Bryan

As long as there are human rights to be defended; as long as there are great interests to be guarded; as long as the welfare of nations is a matter for discussion, so long will public speaking have its place. ~ William Jennings Bryan

We have our thoughts, our hopes, our fears, and yet we know that in a moment a change may come over any one of us that will convert a living, breathing human being into a mass of lifeless clay. ~ William Jennings Bryan

Why, these men would destroy the Bible on evidence that would not convict a habitual criminal of a misdemeanor. They found a tooth in a sand pit in Nebraska with no other bones about it, and from that one tooth decided that it was the remains of the missing link. They have queer ideas about age too. They find a fossil and when they are asked how old it is they say they can't tell without knowing what rock it was in, and when they are asked how old the rock is they say they can't tell unless they know how old the fossil is. ~ William Jennings Bryan

The first objection to Darwinism is that it is only a guess and was never anything more. It is called a 'hypothesis,' but the word 'hypothesis,' though euphonious, dignified and high-sounding, is merely a scientific synonym for the old-fashioned word 'guess.' If Darwin had advanced his views as a guess they would not have survived for a year, but they have floated for half a century, buoyed up by the inflated word 'hypothesis.' When it is understood that "hypothesis" means 'guess,' people will inspect it more carefully before accepting it. ~ William Jennings Bryan

Wars are sometimes waged to extend trade-the blood of many being shed to enrich a few. ~ William Jennings Bryan

One miracle is just as easy to believe as another. ~ William Jennings Bryan

If you want criticisms, read the dissenting opinions of the Court. That will give you criticisms. ~ William Jennings Bryan

In our election manifesto is: we keep the right to create money and to bring in circulation, for the cause of the government ... Those who do not share this view, reply us to the issue of paper money is for the banks, the government should stay out of the banking business. I agree with Jefferson's opinion ... and just like him I say again: the issue of money is a matter for the government and the banks should stay out of government activity. ~ William Jennings Bryan

This nation is able to legislate for its own people on every question, without waiting for the aid or consent of any other nation on earth. ~ William Jennings Bryan

There can be no settlement of a great cause without discussion, and people will not discuss a cause until their attention is drawn to it. ~ William Jennings Bryan

The first thing to understand is the difference between the natural person and the fictitious person called a corporation. They differ in the purpose for which they are created, in the strength which they possess, and in the restraints under which they act. ~ William Jennings Bryan

If it weren't for the lawyers we wouldn't need them. ~ William Jennings Bryan

As Karl Marx once noted: 'Hegel remarks somewhere that all great, world-historical facts and personages occur, as it were, twice. He forgot to add: the first time as tragedy, the second as farce.' William Jennings Bryan and the Scopes trial was a tragedy. The creationists and intelligent design theorists are a farce. ~ Michael Shermer

If matter mute and inanimate, though changed by the forces of Nature into a multitude of forms, can never die, will the spirit of man suffer annihilation when it has paid a brief visit, like a royal guest, to this tenement of clay? ~ William Jennings Bryan

Secularists are wrong when they ask believers to leave their religion at the door before entering into the public square. Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Williams Jennings Bryan, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King - indeed, the majority of great reformers in American history - were not only motivated by faith, but repeatedly used religious language to argue for their cause. To say that men and women should not inject their "personal morality" into public policy debates is a practical absurdity. ~ Barack Obama

At a talk I gave at a church months later, I spoke about Charlie and the plight of incarcerated children. Afterward, an older married couple approached me and insisted that they had to help Charlie. I tried to dissuade these kind people from thinking they could do anything, but I gave them my card and told them they could call me. I didn't expect to hear from them, but within days they called, and they were persistent. We eventually agreed that they would write a letter to Charlie and send it to me to pass on to him. When I received the letter weeks later, I read it. It was remarkable.
Mr. and Mrs. Jennings were a white couple in their mid-seventies from a small community northeast of Birmingham. They were kind and generous people who were active in their local United Methodist church. They never missed a Sunday service and were especially drawn to children in crisis. They spoke softly and always seemed to be smiling but never appeared to be anything less than completely genuine and compassionate. They were affectionate with each other in a way that was endearing, frequently holding hands and leaning into each other. They dressed like farmers and owned ten acres of land, where they grew vegetables and lived simply. Their one and only grandchild, whom they had helped raise, had committed suicide when he was a teenager, and they had never stopped grieving for him. Their grandson struggled with mental health problems during his short life, but he was a smart kid and they ~ Bryan Stevenson

To think justly, we must understand what others mean. To know the value of our thoughts, we must try their effect on other minds. ~ William Hazlitt

The weight of this sad time we must obey,
Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.
The oldest hath borne most: we that are young
Shall never see so much, nor live so long. ~ William Shakespeare

Love you not, then, to list and hear
The crackling of the gorse-flower near,
Pouring an orange-scented tide
Of fragrance o'er the desert wide? ~ Alfred William Howitt

By 1803, therefore, Mrs Bennet could be regarded as a happy woman so far as her nature allowed and had even been known to sit through a four-course dinner in the presence of Sir William and Lady Lucas without once referring to the iniquity of the entail. ~ P.D. James

Man alone of all the creatures of earth can change his own pattern. Man alone is the architect of his own destiny. ~ William James

I met and became close with John Szarkowski of the Museum of Modern Art. He was incredibly supportive about me working in color. ~ William Eggleston

Please don't leave me, angel," I whisper, somewhere on the edges of sleep and the most beautiful dream. "I don't want to be in the dark anymore. ~ S.L. Jennings

Labor is discovered to be the grand conqueror, enriching and building up nations more surely than the proudest battles. ~ William Ellery Channing

There are dozens of great American writers who write about the family. ~ William Nicholson

I'm a big people-watcher. I love it. But I feel bad about it, because I always get caught! ~ Seann William Scott

If you want to make it, all you have to do is try. ~ William Kamkwamba

The deep vexation of is inward soul
Hath served a dumb arrest upon his tongue;
Who, mad that sorrow should his use control,
Or keep him from heart-easing words so long,
Begins to talk; but through his lips do throng
Weak words, so thick come in his poor heart's aid,
That no man could distinguish what he said. ~ William Shakespeare

The labor we delight in physics [cures] pain. ~ William Shakespeare

Good temper is one of the greatest preservers of the features. ~ William Hazlitt

The Country is both the Philosopher's Garden and his Library, in which he Reads and Contemplates the Power, Wisdom and Goodness of God. ~ William Penn

I will get things done for America ... Faced with apathy, I will take action. Faced with conflict, I will seek common ground ... Faced with adversity, I will persevere. I will carry this commitment with me this year. I am an Americorps volunteer. ~ William J. Clinton

The FDA and much, but not all, of the orthodox medical profession are actively hostile against vitamins and minerals ... They are out to get the health food industry ... And they are trying to do this out of active hostility and prejudice. ~ William Proxmire

I can't do fiction unless I visualize what's going on. When I began to write science fiction, one of the things I found lacking in it was visual specificity. It seemed there was a lot of lazy imagining, a lot of shorthand. ~ William Gibson

Madam, you have bereft me of all words,
Only my blood speaks to you in my veins, ~ William Shakespeare

(Can you understand your own dreams, which arise with mushrooms' rank richness in the night-forests within your skull?) ~ William T. Vollmann

Eternity was in our lips and eyes. ~ William Shakespeare