These iconic and motivational presidential quotes will stand the test of time
51 Famous Presidential Quotes to Motivate and Inspire
Updated on Feb. 25, 2025
Inspiring Presidents’ Day quotes
1. “When angry, count 10 before you speak; if very angry, a hundred.” —Thomas Jefferson (1801–1809)
2. “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” —Abraham Lincoln (1861–1865)
3. “If wrinkles must be written on our brow, let them not be written on our heart. The spirit should never grow old.” —James Garfield (1881)
4. “Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars but remember to keep your feet on the ground.” —Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909)
5. “If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.” —Barack Obama (2009–2017)
6. “Tell the truth, work hard and come to dinner on time.” —Gerald R. Ford (1974–1977)
7. “No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.” —Calvin Coolidge (1923–1929)
8. “Honor lies in honest toil.” —Grover Cleveland (1893–1897)
9. “The cynics may be the loudest voices—but I promise you they will accomplish the least.” —Barack Obama (2009–2017)
10. “Bodily vigor is good, and vigor of intellect is even better, but far above both is character.” —Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909)
11. “It is far better to be alone, than to be in bad company.” —George Washington (1789–1797)
12. “We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.” —Jimmy Carter (1977–1981)
13. “You aren’t learning anything when you’re talking.” —Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969)
14. “Bullies do not make brave men.” —Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909)
Famous presidential quotes
15. “To be true to ourselves, we must be true to others. We will not behave in foreign places so as to violate our rules and standards here at home, for we know that the trust which our Nation earns is essential to our strength.” —Jimmy Carter (1977–1981)
16. “I am a slow walker, but I never walk backwards.” —Abraham Lincoln (1861–1865)
17. “When our memories outweigh our dreams, it is then that we become old.” —Bill Clinton (1993–2001)
18. “Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.” —George Washington (1789–1797)
19. “We have no desire to be the world’s policeman. But America does want to be the world’s peacemaker.” —Jimmy Carter (1977–1981)
20. “Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.” —John F. Kennedy (1961–1963)
21. “Great lives never go out; they go on.” —Benjamin Harrison (1889–1893)
22. “There’s good in everybody. Boost. Don’t knock.” —Warren G. Harding (1921–1923)
23. “Be patient and calm; no one can catch a fish with anger.” —Herbert Hoover (1929–1933)
24. “It is easier to do a job right than to explain why you didn’t.” —Martin Van Buren (1837–1841)
25. “A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is finished when he quits.” —Richard M. Nixon (1969–1974)
26. “Plans are nothing; planning is everything.” —Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961)
27. “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, OK?” —Donald Trump (2017-2021 and 2025 to present)
Presidential quotes about courage
28. “Try and fail, but don’t fail to try.” —John Quincy Adams (1825–1829)
29. “At such moments, we need courage to stand up to hate not just in others but in ourselves. At such moments, we need the courage to stand up to dogma not just in others but in ourselves. At such moments, we need courage to believe that together we can tackle big challenges like inequality and climate change. At such moments, it’s necessary for us to show courage in challenging the status quo and in fighting the good fight but also show the courage to listen to one another and seek common ground and embrace principled compromise.” —Barack Obama (2009–2017)
30. “In every battle there comes a time when both sides consider themselves beaten; then he who continues the attack wins.” —Ulysses S. Grant (1869–1877)
31. “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” —Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933–1945)
32. “What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight—it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” —Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961)
33. “Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.” —John F. Kennedy (1961–1963)
34. “The finest steel has to go through the hottest fire.” —Richard M. Nixon (1969–1974)
35. “You can do what you have to do, and sometimes you can do it even better than you think you can.” —Jimmy Carter (1977–1981)
36. “The bold enterprises are the successful ones. Take counsel of hopes rather than of fears to win in this business.” —Rutherford B. Hayes (1877–1881)
37. “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” —Calvin Coolidge (1923–1929)
38. “We will not waver; we will not tire; we will not falter, and we will not fail. Peace and freedom will prevail.” —George W. Bush (2001–2009)
39. “Failure at some point in your life is inevitable, but giving up is unforgivable.” —Joe Biden (2021–2025)
Presidential quotes on leadership
40. “A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on.” —John F. Kennedy (1961–1963)
41. “You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.” —Woodrow Wilson (1913–1921)
42. “A little flattery will support a man through great fatigue.” —James Monroe (1817–1825)
43. “Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.” —Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969)
44. “Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.” —Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961)
45. “The circulation of confidence is better than the circulation of money.” —James Madison (1809–1817)
46. “Every expert was once a beginner.” ―Rutherford B. Hayes (1877–1881)
47. “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.” —Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909)
48. “There are no great limits to growth because there are no limits of human intelligence, imagination and wonder.” —Ronald Reagan (1981–1989)
49. “Don’t expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong.” —Calvin Coolidge (1923–1929)
50. “The test of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there.” —James Buchanan (1857–1861)
51. “The single-most important thing I can do is to help, in any way I can, prepare the next generation of leadership to take up the baton and take their own crack at changing the world.” —Barack Obama (2009–2017)
Why trust us
At Reader’s Digest, we’ve been sharing our favorite quotes for over 100 years. The sayings and quips that appear in the magazine’s “Quotable Quotes” (formerly “Remarkable Remarks”) are curated from interviews and essays originally published in the magazine, reprints from trusted titles and other verified sources. For this piece on presidential quotes, Emma Taubenfeld tapped her experience as a former assistant editor for Reader’s Digest to ensure that all information is accurate. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
