Franklin D. Roosevelt

“In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.”

“It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.”

“Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.”

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

“A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.”

“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”

“Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy...”

“The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.”

“Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.”

“Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.”

“There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still.”

“More than an end to war, we want an end to the beginnings of all wars.”

“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.”

“To reach a port, we must sail—sail, not tie at anchor—sail, not drift.”

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.”

“Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth.”

“Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country.”

“This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny.”

“Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.”

“I ask you to judge me by the enemies I have made.”