"I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man."
George Washington  (1789–1797)

"Let us tenderly and kindly cherish, therefore, the means of knowledge. Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write.”
John Adams  (1797–1801)

"One man with courage is a majority."
Thomas Jefferson  (1801–1809)

"The problem to be solved is, not what form of government is perfect, but which of the forms is least imperfect."
James Madison  (1809–1817)

"National honor is a national property of the highest value."
James Monroe  (1817–1825)

"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest  reflection that your vote is never lost."
John Quincy Adams  (1825–1829)

"Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in."
Andrew Jackson  (1829–1837)

"It is easier to do a job right than to explain why you didn't."
Martin Van Buren  (1837–1841)

"But I contend that the strongest of all governments is that which is most free."
William Henry Harrison  (1841)

"Wealth can only be accumulated by the earnings of industry and the savings of frugality."
John Tyler  (1841–1845)

"The gratitude of the nation to the Sovereign Arbiter of All Human Events should be commensurate with the boundless blessings which we enjoy."
James Knox Polk  (1845–1849)

“I have always done my duty. I am ready to die. My only regret is for the friends I leave behind me..."
Zachary Taylor  (1849–1850 )

"An honorable defeat is better than a dishonorable victory"
Millard Fillmore  (1850–1853)

"Frequently the more trifling the subject, the more animated and protracted the discussion."
Franklin Pierce  (1853–1857)

"The ballot box is the surest arbiter of disputes among freemen."
James Buchanan  (1857–1861)

"You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time."
Abraham Lincoln  (1861–1865)

"Honest conviction is my courage; the Constitution is my guide"
Andrew Johnson  (1865–1869)

"My failures have been errors of judgment, not of intent."
Ulysses Simpson Grant  (1869–1877)

"He serves his party best who serves his country best"
Rutherford Birchard Hayes  (1877–1881)

"I have had many troubles in my life, but the worst of them never came."
James Abram Garfield  (1881)

"Men may die, but the fabrics of our free institutions remain unshaken."
Chester Alan Arthur  (1881–1885)

"A man is known by the company he keeps, and also by the company from which he is kept out."
Stephen Grover Cleveland  (1885–1889, 1893-1897)

"Will it not be wise to allow the friendship between nations to rest upon deep and permanent things? Irritations of the cuticle must not be confounded with heart failure."
Benjamin Harrison  (1889–1893)

"In the time of darkest defeat, victory may be nearest."
William McKinley  (1897–1901)

"The only man who makes no mistake is the man who does nothing."
Theodore Roosevelt  (1901–1909)

“Don't write so that you can be understood, write so that you can't be misunderstood."
William Howard Taft  (1909–1913)

"If you want to make enemies, try to change something."
Thomas Woodrow Wilson  (1913–1921)

"Our most dangerous tendency is to expect too much of government, and at the same time do for it too little."
Warren Gamaliel Harding  (1921–1923)

"Character is the only secure foundation of the state."
John Calvin Coolidge  (1923–1929)

"Peace is not made at the Council table or by treaties, but in the hearts of men."
Herbert Clark Hoover  (1929–1933)
 
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
Franklin Delano Roosevelt  (1933–1945)
 
"A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties."
Harry S. Truman  (1945–1953)

"There is nothing wrong with America that the faith, love of freedom, intelligence and energy of  her citizens cannot cure."
Dwight David Eisenhower  (1953–1961)
 
"I am certain that after the dust of centuries has passed over our cities, we, too, will be remembered not for victories or defeats in battle or in politics, but for our contribution to the human spirit."
John Fitzgerald Kennedy  (1961–1963)

"If government is to serve any purpose it is to do for others what they are unable to do for themselves."
Lyndon Baines Johnson  (1963–1969)

"Always give your best, never get discouraged, never be petty; always remember, others may hate you. Those who hate you don't win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself."
Richard Milhous Nixon  (1969–1974)

"It's the quality of the ordinary, the straight, the square, that accounts for the great stability and success of our nation."
Gerald Rudolph Ford  (1974–1977)

"We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles."
James Earl Carter, Jr.  (1977–1981)

"America is too great for small dreams."
Ronald Wilson Reagan  (1981–1989)

"If anyone tells you that America's best days are behind her, they're looking the wrong way."
George Herbert Walker Bush  (1989–1993)

"If you live long enough, you'll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you'll be a better  person. It's how you handle adversity, not how it affects you. The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit."
William Jefferson Clinton  (1993–2001)

"Recognizing and confronting our history is important. Transcending our history is essential. We are not limited by what we have done, or what we have left undone. We are limited only by what we are willing to do."
George Walker Bush  (2001–2008)