Authors:

Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes - Page 6

All Quotes 4th Of July Achievement Ambition Art Belief Business Censorship Change Children Church Common Sense Constitution Country Democracy Desire Destiny Determination Dictatorship Diversity Doubt Education Effort Equality Fear Feelings Fighting Foreign Policy Freedom Freedom Of Speech Future Giving Hate Hatred Heart History Home Humanity Inspiration Inspirational Judgement Justice Leadership Liberty Life Literature Love Lying Military Money Motivational Nature Office Opportunity Past Peace Philosophy Politics Poverty Power Pride Progress Prosperity Purpose Reading Running Sacrifice Sailing School Son Strength Struggle Success Taxes Teaching Today Understanding Unity Victory Vision War Water Wealth Wife Winning Wisdom World War 2 Youth
Dec. 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

Dec. 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Winning, Long, People
Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation, delivered 8 December 1941, Washington, D.C.

The school is the last expenditure upon which America should be willing to economize.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Leadership, Education, Teacher
Roosevelt, Franklin D. (1938). “Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: F.D. Roosevelt, 1936, Volume 5”, p.470, Best Books on

The handling of our forests as a continuous, renewable resource means permanent employment and stability to our country life. The forests are also needed for mitigating extreme climatic fluctuations, holding the soil on the slopes, retaining the moisture in the ground, and controlling the equable flow of water in our streams.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Country, Mean, Water
Roosevelt, Franklin D. (1938). “Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: F.D. Roosevelt, 1935, Volume 4”, p.65, Best Books on

History proves that dictatorships do not grow out of strong and successful governments, but out of weak and helpless ones. If by democratic methods people get a government strong enough to protect them from fear and starvation, their democracy succeeds; but if they do not, they grow impatient. Therefore, the only sure bulwark of continuing liberty is a government strong enough to protect the interests of the people, and a people strong enough and well enough informed to maintain its sovereign control over its government.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Strong, Successful, Government
Franklin D. Roosevelt (2008). “Fireside chats of Franklin Delano Roosevelt: radio addresses to the American people about the Depression, the New Deal, and the Second World War, 1933-1944”, Red & Black Pub

If you hold your fire until you see the whites of his eyes, you will never know what hit you.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Eye, Fire, History
Franklin D. Roosevelt (2008). “Fireside chats of Franklin Delano Roosevelt: radio addresses to the American people about the Depression, the New Deal, and the Second World War, 1933-1944”, Red & Black Pub

No man can tame a tiger into a kitten by stroking it.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Men, Kitten, Pearl Harbor Day
The Great Arsenal of Democracy, delivered 29 December 1940

No business is above Government; and Government must be empowered to deal adequately with any business that tries to rise above Government.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Government, Trying, Rise Above

Those of you who have been there [Haiti] know it is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. It has everything. It has everything above the ground, and everything under the ground.... It is an amazing place. I strongly recommend that whenever you get a chance, if you haven't been there, that you go to Haiti. I think it was a certain Queen of England who said that after her death "Calais" would be found written on her heart. When I die, I think that "Haiti" is going to be written on my heart.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Beautiful, Country, Queens

In vain they seek to hide behind the flag and the Constitution. In their blindness they forget what the flag and the Constitution stand for. Now, as always, they stand for democracy, not tyranny; for freedom, not subjection; and against a dictatorship by mob rule and the over-privileged alike.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Democracy, Mob Rule, Flags
Franklin D. Roosevelt's Speech at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 27, 1936.

Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. The joy and moral stimulation of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits. These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow men.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Lying, Dark, Destiny
Franklin D. Roosevelt (2009). “Looking Forward”, p.221, Simon and Schuster

Self-interest is the enemy of all true affection.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Love, Self, Enemy

Among American citizens, there should be no forgotten men and no forgotten races.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Men, Race, Citizens

Competition has been shown to be useful up to a certain point and no further, but cooperation, which is the thing we must strive for today, begins where competition leaves off.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Teamwork, Competition, Collaboration

We, too, born to freedom, and believing in freedom, are willing to fight to maintain freedom. We, and all others who believe as deeply as we do, would rather die on our feet than live on our knees.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Veterans Day, Believe, Fighting

We think of our land and water and human resources not as static and sterile possessions but as life giving assets to be directed by wise provisions for future days.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Wise, Thinking, Land

We know that enduring peace cannot be bought at the cost of other people's freedom.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
People, History, Cost
The Four Freedoms, delivered 6 January, 1941 (photo of FDR in 1936)

If you have spent two years in bed trying to wiggle your big toe, everything else seems easy.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Years, Two, Trying

I see an America whose rivers and valleys and lakes hills and streams and plains the mountains over our land and nature's wealth deep under the earth are protected as the rightful heritage of all the people.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Memorable, Lakes, Land

As Commander-in-Chief, I take pleasure in commending the reading of the Bible to all who serve in the Armed Forces of the United States. Throughout the centuries, men of many faiths and diverse origins have found in the Sacred Book words of wisdom, counsel, and inspiration. It is a fountain of strength...an aid in attaining the highest aspiration of the human soul.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Book, Inspiration, Reading

The only thing we have to fear is a giant wheelchair-crushing squid. Well... uh... actually, I guess that's the only thing I have to fear.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Crush, Squids, Giants

We cannot read the history of our rise and development as a nation, without reckoning with the place the Bible has occupied in shaping the advances of the Republic. Where we have been the truest and most consistent in obeying its precepts, we have attained the greatest measure of contentment and prosperity.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Contentment, Development, Republic

Unless the peace that follows recognizes that the whole world is one neighborhood and does justice to the whole human race, the germs of another world war will remain as a constant threat to mankind.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
War, Race, Justice
Roosevelt, Franklin D. (1950). “Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: F.D. Roosevelt, 1943, Volume 12”, p.74, Best Books on

It is the purpose of the government to see that not only the legitimate interests of the few are protected but that the welfare and rights of the many are conserved.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Rights, Government, Purpose
Franklin D. Roosevelt (2009). “Looking Forward”, p.111, Simon and Schuster

A reactionary is a somnambulist walking backwards.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Backwards, Walking Backwards, Walking
Radio address, 26 Oct. 1939

People die, but books never die.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Book, People, Censorship
"Message to the Booksellers of America" (1942)