Background Image
I Have Done It [appointed Commissions] Regretfully And With The Hope That It Would Be Temporary. But After A Commission Is Established You Find It Always Wants To Enlarge Itself, Employ More People, Is Very Busy With Senators And Congressmen To Impress Upon Them The Great Value Of The Services Of The Commission, And Even When I Talk To People That I Appoint To Commissions And Tell Them I Would Like Them To Go On To Various Boards With The Idea That They May Be Abolished, They Say They Ought To Be Abolished, But When They Have Taken Their Position They Very Soon Seem To Change Their Mind.
-Calvin Coolidge
Please Wait....
Translating....

I Have Done It

Calvin Coolidge
I Have Done It [appointed Commissions] Regretfully And With The Hope That It Would Be Temporary. But After A Commission Is Established You Find It Always Wants To Enlarge Itself, Employ More People, Is Very Busy With Senators And Congressmen To Impress Upon Them The Great Value Of The Services Of The Commission, And Even When I Talk To People That I Appoint To Commissions And Tell Them I Would Like Them To Go On To Various Boards With The Idea That They May Be Abolished, They Say They Ought To Be Abolished, But When They Have Taken Their Position They Very Soon Seem To Change Their Mind.
Views: 5
Topic
Taken
Ideas
People
More From Calvin Coolidge
You Can't Know Too Much, But You Can Say Too Much.
Knowledge
Too Much
Knows
Doubters Do Not Achieve; Skeptics Do Not Contribute; Cynics Do Not Create.
Achievement
Doubters
Achieve
You Can't Increase Prosperity By Taxing Success.
Prosperity
Increase
We Do Not Need More Material Development, We Need More Spiritual Development. We Do Not Need More Intellectual Power, We Need More Moral Power. We Do Not Need More Knowledge, We Need More Character. We Do Not Need More Government, We Need More Culture. We Do Not Need More Law, We Need More Religion. We Do Not Need More Of The Things That Are Seen, We Need More Of The Things That Are Unseen. It Is On That Side Of Life That It Is Desirable To Put The Emphasis At The Present Time. If That Side Be Strengthened, The Other Side Will Take Care Of Itself.
Spiritual
Character
Government
I Favor The Policy Of Economy, Not Because I Wish To Save Money, But Because I Wish To Save People. The Men And Women Of This Country Who Toil Are The Ones Who Bear The Cost Of The Government. Every Dollar That We Carelessly Waste Means That Their Life Will Be So Much The More Meager. Every Dollar That We Save Means That Their Life Will Be So Much The More Abundant. Economy Is Idealism In Its Most Practical Form.
Country
Mean
Men
It Is Hard To See How A Great Man Can Be An Atheist. Without The Sustaining Influence Of Faith In A Divine Power We Could Have Little Faith In Ourselves. We Need To Feel That Behind Us Is Intelligence And Love. Doubters Do Not Achieve; Skeptics Do Not Contribute; Cynics Do Not Create. Faith Is The Great Motive Power, And No Man Realizes His Full Possibilities Unless He Has The Deep Conviction That Life Is Eternally Important, And That His Work, Well Done, Is A Part Of An Unending Plan.
Atheist
Men
Important
That Man Has Offered Me Unsolicited Advice For Six Years, Most Of It Bad.
Men
Years
Advice
The Government Of The United States Is A Device For Maintaining In Perpetuity The Rights Of The People, With The Ultimate Extinction Of All Privileged Classes.
Rights
Government
Class
War Is The Rule Of Force, And Peace Is The Reign Of Law.
War
Law
Reign
If I Had Permitted My Failures, Or What Seemed To Me At The Time A Lack Of Success, To Discourage Me I Cannot See Any Way In Which I Would Ever Have Made Progress.
Congratulations
Failure
Progress
Wherever Despotism Abounds, The Sources Of Public Information Are The First To Be Brought Under Its Control. Where Ever The Cause Of Liberty Is Making Its Way, One Of Its Highest Accomplishments Is The Guarantee Of The Freedom Of The Press.
Accomplishment
Freedom Of Speech
Liberty
Self-government Means Self Support.
Mean
Government
Self
The Door Of Opportunity Swings Wide Open In Our Country. Through It, In Constant Flow, Go Those Who Toil. America Recognizes No Aristocracy Save Those Who Work. The Badge Of Service Is The Sole Requirement For Admission To The Ranks Of Our Nobility.
Country
Opportunity
Swings
Nothing Is Easier Than Spending Public Money. It Does Not Appear To Belong To Anybody. The Temptation Is Overwhelming To Bestow It On Somebody.
Money
Carpe Diem
Government
No Matter What Anyone May Say About Making The Rich And The Corporations Pay The Taxes, In The End They Come Out Of The People Who Toil. It Is Your Fellow Workers Who Are Ordered To Work For The Government, Every Time An Appropriation Bill Is Passed. The People Pay The Expense Of Government, Often Many Times Over, In The Increased Cost Of Living. I Want Taxes To Be Less, That The People May Have More.
Cost Of Living
Government
People
One Of The Greatest Perils To An Extensive Republic Is The Disregard Of Individual Rights.
Rights
Republic
Individual
Mass Demand Has Been Created Almost Entirely Through The Development Of Advertising.
Development
Demand
Advertising
I Want The People Of America To Be Able To Work Less For The Government And More For Themselves. I Want Them To Have The Rewards Of Their Own Industry. This Is The Chief Meaning Of Freedom. Until We Can Reestablish A Condition Under Which The Earnings Of The People Can Be Kept By The People, We Are Bound To Suffer A Very Severe And Distinct Curtailment Of Our Liberty.
Government
America
People
It Is Only When Men Begin To Worship That They Begin To Grow.
Religious
Men
Worship
The Only Difference Between A Mob And A Trained Army Is Organization.
Inspirational
Army
Organization
I Appeal To Amherst Men To Reiterate The Amherst Doctrine That The Man Who Builds A Factory Builds A Temple, That The Man Who Works There Worships There, And To Each Is Due Not Scorn And Blame But Reverence And Praise.
Men
Temples
Blame
The Strength Of A Country Is The Strength Of Its Religious Convictions.
Country
Religious
Religion
I Am For Economy. After That I Am For More Economy. At This Time And Under Present Conditions That Is My Conception Of Serving All The People.
People
Economy
Conception
We Have Found That When Men And Women Are Left Free To Find The Places For Which They Are Best Fitted, Some Few Of Them Will Indeed Attain Less Exalted Stations Than Under A Regime Of Privilege; But The Vast Multitude Will Rise To A Higher Level, To Wider Horizons, To Worthier Attainments.
Men
Horizon
Levels
The Prohibition Amendment To The Constitution Requires The Congress. And The President To Provide Adequate Laws To Prevent Its Violation. It Is My Duty To Enforce Such Laws.to Prevent Smuggling, The Coast Card Should Be Greatly Strengthened, And A Supply Of Swift Power Boats Should Be Provided. The Major Sources Of Production Should Be Rigidly Regulated, And Every Effort Should Be Made To Suppress Interstate Traffic... It Is The Duty Of A Citizen Not Only To Observe The Law But To Let It Be Known That He Is Opposed To Its Violation.
Congress And The President
Law
Effort
The People Cannot Look To Legislation Generally For Success. Industry, Thrift, Character, Are Not Conferred By Act Or Resolve. Government Cannot Relieve From Toil. It Can Provide No Substitute For The Rewards Of Service. It Can, Of Course, Care For The Defective And Recognize Distinguished Merit. The Normal Must Care For Themselves. Self-government Means Self-support.
Character
Mean
Government
Numbered Among Our Population Are Some 12,000,000 Colored People. Under Our Constitution Their Rights Are Just As Sacred As Those Of Any Other Citizen. It Is Both A Public And A Private Duty To Protect Those Rights. The Congress Ought To Exercise All Its Powers Of Prevention And Punishment Against The Hideous Crime Of Lynching, Of Which The Negroes Are By No Means The Sole Sufferers, But For Which They Furnish A Majority Of The Victims.
Mean
Exercise
Rights
We Want Wealth, But There Are Many Other Things We Want Very Much More. Among Them Are Peace, Honor, Charity, And Idealism.
Honor
Charity
Want
The Right Thing To Do Never Requires Any Subterfuge, It Is Always Simple And Direct.
Simple
Accountability
Political
There Is No Right To Strike Against The Public Safety By Anybody, Anywhere, Any Time.
Time
Safety
Strikes
Parties Do Not Maintain Themselves. They Are Maintained By Effort. The Government Is Not Self-existent. It Is Maintained By The Effort Of Those Who Believe In It. The People Of America Believe In American Institutions, The American Form Of Government And The American Method Of Transacting Business.
Party
Believe
Government
I Have Done It [appointed Commissions] Regretfully And With The Hope That It Would Be Temporary. But After A Commission Is Established You Find It Always Wants To Enlarge Itself, Employ More People, Is Very Busy With Senators And Congressmen To Impress Upon Them The Great Value Of The Services Of The Commission, And Even When I Talk To People That I Appoint To Commissions And Tell Them I Would Like Them To Go On To Various Boards With The Idea That They May Be Abolished, They Say They Ought To Be Abolished, But When They Have Taken Their Position They Very Soon Seem To Change Their Mind.
Taken
Ideas
People
As I Went About With My Father, When He Collected Taxes, I Knew That When Taxes Were Laid Someone Had To Work Hard To Earn The Money To Pay Them.
Father
Hard Work
President
The Appropriation Of Public Money Always Is Perfectly Lovely Until Some One Is Asked To Pay The Bill. If We Are To Have A Billion Dollars Of Navy, Half A Billion Of Farm Relief, Etc... The People Will Have To Furnish More Revenue By Paying More Taxes. It Is For Them, Through Their Congress, To Decide How Far They Wish To Go.
Love
People
Navy
It Would Be Folly To Argue That The People Cannot Make Political Mistakes. They Can And Do Make Grave Mistakes. They Know It, They Pay The Penalty, But Compared With The Mistakes Which Have Been Made By Every Kind Of Autocracy They Are Unimportant.
Mistake
People
Political
To Expect To Increase Prices And Then To Maintain Them At A Higher Level By Means Of A Plan Which Must Of Necessity Increase Production While Decreasing Consumption Is To Fly In The Face Of An Economic Law As Well Established As Any Law Of Nature.
Mean
Law
Faces
I Did Not See The Sense In Chasing A Little White Ball Around A Field.
Golf
White
Balls
When A Man Begins To Feel That He Is The Only One Who Can Lead In This Republic, He Is Guilty Of Treason To The Spirit Of Our Institutions.
Leadership
Men
Republic
All Growth Depends Upon Activity. There Is No Development Physically Or Intellectually Without Effort, And Effort Means Work.
Work
Mean
Effort
Duty Is Not Collective; It Is Personal.
Duty
Collectives
In Other Periods Of Depression, It Has Always Been Possible To See Some Things Which Were Solid And Upon Which You Could Base Hope, But As I Look About, I Now See Nothing To Give Ground To Hope-nothing Of Man.
Depression
Men
Giving
America... Cherishes No Purpose Save To Merit The Favor Of Almighty God.
America
Merit
Purpose
We Do Not Need More Knowledge, We Need More Character!
Character
Needs
More Knowledge
We Live An Age Of Science And Of Abounding Accumulation Of Material Things. These Did Not Create The Declaration. Our Declaration Created Them. ... If We Are To Maintain The Great Heritage Which Has Been Bequeathed To Us, We Must Be Like-minded As The Fathers Who Created It.
Father
Science
Independence
The Collection Of Taxes Which Are Not Absolutely Required, Which Do Not Beyond Reasonable Doubt Contribute To Public Welfare, Is Only A Species Of Legalized Larceny. Under This Republic The Rewards Of Industry Belong To Those Who Earn Them.
Doubt
Republic
Rewards
The Man Who Builds A Factory, Builds A Temple.
Men
Temples
He Man
Economy Is The Method By Which We Prepare Today To Afford The Improvements Of Tomorrow.
Business
Today
Tomorrow
Your Ability To Face Setbacks And Disappointments Without Giving Up Will Be The Measure Of Your Ability To Succeed.
Giving Up
Disappointment
Faces
Theodore Roosevelt Was Always Getting Himself In Hot Water By Talking Before He Had To Commit Himself Upon Issues Not Well-defined.
Talking
Issues
Water
Baseball Is Our National Game.
Baseball
Games
Whenever I Indulge My Sense Of Humor, It Gets Me Into Trouble.
Sense Of Humor
Trouble
Indulge
The Centralization Of Power In Washington, Which Nearly All Members Of Congress Deplore In Their Speech And Then Support By Their Votes, Steadily Increases.
Support
Speech
Vote
There Is Only One Form Of Political Strategy In Which I Have Any Confidence, And That Is To Try To Do The Right Thing And Sometimes Be Able To Succeed.
Political
Trying
Able
The Foundations Of Our Society And Our Government Rest So Much On The Teachings Of The Bible That It Would Be Difficult To Support Them If Faith In These Teachings Would Cease To Be Practically Universal In Our Country.
Bible
God
Country
No Method Of Procedure Has Ever Been Devised By Which Liberty Could Be Divorced From Local Self-government. No Plan Of Centralization Has Ever Been Adopted Which Did Not Result In Bureaucracy, Tyranny, Inflexibility, Reaction, And Decline.
Government
Self
Liberty
Government Price-fixing Once Started, Has Alike No Justice And No End. It Is An Economic Folly From Which This Country Has Every Right To Be Spared.
Country
Government
Justice
America Has Many Glories. The Last One That She Would Wish To Surrender Is The Glory Of The Men Who Have Served Her In War. While Such Devotion Lives, The Nation Is Secure. Whatever Dangers May Threaten From Within Or Without, She Can View Them Calmly. Turning To Her Veterans, She Can Say: 'these Are Our Defenders. They Are Invincible. In Them Is Our Safety.'
War
Men
Views
Civilisation And Profits Go Hand In Hand.
Hands
Profit
Civilisation
Money Will Not Purchase Character Or Good Government.
Character
Government
Because Of What America Is And What America Has Done, A Firmer Courage, A Higher Hope, Inspires The Heart Of All Humanity.
4th Of July
Heart
America
Wherever We Look, The Work Of The Chemist Has Raised The Level Of Our Civilization And Has Increased The Productive Capacity Of The Nation.
Civilization
Looks
Levels
It Is Difficult For Men In High Office To Avoid The Malady Of Self-delusion. They Are Always Surrounded By Worshipers. They Are Constantly, And For The Most Part Sincerely, Assured Of Their Greatness.
Greatness
Men
Self
Our Country Represents Nothing But Peaceful Intentions Toward All The Earth, But It Ought Not To Fail To Maintain Such A Military Force As Comports With The Dignity And Security Of A Great People.
Country
Military
People
No One Ever Lost His Job By Listening Too Much.
Jobs
Listening
Too Much
The American Revolution Represented The Informed And Mature Convictions Of A Great Mass Of Independent, Liberty-loving, God-fearing People Who Knew Their Rights, And Possessed The Courage To Dare To Maintain Them.
Independent
Rights
People
Our Doctrine Of Equality And Liberty And Humanity Comes From Our Belief In The Brotherhood Of Man, Through The Fatherhood Of God.
Equality
Men
Brotherhood Of Man
Works Which Endure Come From The Soul Of The People. The Mighty In Their Pride Walk Alone To Destruction. The Humble Walk Hand In Hand With Providence To Immortality. Their Works Survive.
Humble
Pride
Hands
[the Reason A Man Has] So Much Trouble With The Senate Is That There Isn't A Man In The Senate Who Doesn't Think He Is Better Suited To Be President Than The President, And Thinks He Might Have Been President Except For Luck.
Men
Thinking
Arrogance
[the Political Mind] Is A Strange Mixture Of Vanity And Timidity, Of An Obsequious Attitude At One Time And A Delusion Of Grandeurat Another Time. The Political Mind Is The Product Of Men In Public Life Who Have Been Twice Spoiled. They Have Been Spoiled With Praise And They Have Been Spoiled With Abuse.
Attitude
Men
Vanity
When More And More People Are Thrown Out Of Work, Unemployment Results.
Work
People
President
I Always Enjoy Animal Acts.
Animal
Nfl
Enjoy
Wherever Despotism Abounds, The Sources Of Public Information Are The First To Be Brought Under Its Control.
Information
Firsts
Source
The Benefit Of One Is The Benefit Of All, And The Neglect Of One Is The Neglect Of All.
Benefits
Neglect
General Welfare
No Advance, No Progress Can Be Made Beyond These Propositions. If Anyone Wishes To Deny Their Truth Or Their Soundness, The Only Direction In Which He Can Proceed Historically Is Not Forward, But Backward Toward A Time When There Was No Equality, No Rights Of The Individual, No Rule Of The People. Those Who Wish To Proceed In That Direction Cannot Lay Claim To Progress. They Are Reactionary. Their Ideas Are Not More Modern, But More Ancient Than Those Of Our Revolutionary Ancestors.
Equality
Rights
Ideas
It Is Necessary To Have Party Organization If We Are To Have Effective And Efficient Government. The Only Difference Between A Mob And A Trained Army Is Organization, And The Only Difference Between A Disorganized Country And One That Has The Advantage Of A Wise And Sound Government Is Fundamentally A Question Of Organization.
Wise
Country
Party
No Enterprise Can Exist For Itself Alone. It Ministers To Some Great Need, It Performs Some Great Service, Not For Itself, But For Others; Or Failing Therein, It Ceases To Be Profitable And Ceases To Exist.
Business
Educational
Needs
Nothing Is More Common Than Unsuccessful People With Talent.
Perseverance
Determination
Procrastination
It Is Equally Clear That A Government Must Govern, Must Prescribe And Enforce Laws Within Its Sphere Or Cease To Be A Government. Moreover, The Individual Must Be Independent And Free Within His Own Sphere Or Cease To Be An Individual. The Fundamental Question Was Then, Is Now, And Always Will Be Through What Adjustments, By What Actions, These Principles May Be Applied.
Independent
Government
Law
America's Present Need Is Not Heroics, But Healing; Not Nostrums, But Normalcy; Not Revolution, But Restoration; Not Agitation, But Adjustment; Not Surgery, But Serenity; Not The Dramatic, But The Dispassionate; Not Experiment, But Equipoise; Not Submergence In Internationality, But Sustainment In Triumphant Nationality.
Inspirational Life
Healing
America
The Attempt To Regulate, Control, And Prescribe All Manner Of Conduct And Social Relations Is Very Old. It Was Always The Practice Of Primitive Peoples.
Practice
Social
Relation
Governments Do Not Make Ideals, But Ideals Make Governments.
Government
Ideals
Any Man Who Does Not Like Dogs And Want Them About Does Not Deserve To Be In The White House.
Dog
Men
White
One Of The First Lessons A President Has To Learn Is That Every Word He Says Weighs A Ton.
President
Lessons
Firsts
It Is Accordance With Our Determination To Refrain From Aggression And Build Up A Sentiment And Practice Among Nations More Favorable To Peace, That We Ratified A Treaty For The Limitation Of Naval Armaments Made In 1921, Earnestly Sought For A Further Extension Of This Principle In 1927, And Have Secured The Consent Of Fourteen Important Nations To The Negotiation Of A Treaty Condemning Recourse To War, Renouncing It Is An Instrument Of National Policy, And Pledging Each Other To Seek No Solution Of Their Disagreements Except By Pacific Means.
Determination
Peace
War
Industry Cannot Flourish If Labor Languish.
Work
Labor
Languish
The Two Great Political Parties Of The Nation Have Existed For The Purpose, Each In Accordance With Its Own Principles, Of Undertaking To Serve The Interests Of The Whole Nation. Their Members Of The Congress Are Chosen With That Great End In View.
Party
Views
Two
A Colored Man Is Precisely As Much Entitled To Submit His Candidacy In A Party Primary, As Is Any Other Citizen. The Decision Must Be Made By The Constituents To Whom He Offers Himself, And By Nobody Else.
Party
Men
Decision
When People Are Bewildered They Tend To Become Credulous.
People
Gullibility
Bewildered
You Don't Have To Explain Something You Never Said.
Silence
Said
Advertising Is The Most Potent Influence In Adapting And Changing The Habits And Modes Of Life Affecting What We Eat, What We Wear, And The Work And Play Of A Whole Nation.
Life
Play
Advertising
I Want The People To Work Less For The Government And More For Themselves. I Want Them To Have The Rewards Of Their Own Industry.
Government
People
Want
Human Nature Provides Sufficient Distrust Of All That Is Alien, So That There Is No Need Of Any Artificial Supply.
Xenophobia
Needs
Aliens
Not Long Ago I Heard A Navy Chaplain Refer To The Sage Advice Of The Apostle To Put First Things First...if We Are To Heed The Admonition To Put First Things First...one Of The Main Essentials Which Lies At The Very Beginning Of Civilization Is That Of Security.
Lying
Long Ago
Civilization
We Must Have No Carelessness In Our Dealings With Public Property Or The Expenditure Of Public Money. Such A Condition Is Characteristic Either Of An Undeveloped People, Or Of A Decadent Civilization. America Is Neither.
Government
Civilization
America
Man Everywhere Has An Unconquerable Desire To Be The Master Of His Own Destiny.
Destiny
Men
Desire
There Has Been Abroad Many Times Some Criticism Of Our Government, Of Our People, And Our Ways, But That Has Demonstrated, I Think, That When They Are In Real Trouble And Real Difficulty Over There, They Turn To Us As A Nation That Will Be Fair With Them--one In Whose Judgment And In Whose Character They Can Rely; And That Not Withstanding Differences That Have Seemed To Exist, They Are Willing To Abide By The Faith That They Have In Us, And I Think That Is A Very Substantial Accomplishment.
Real
Character
Pride
It Seems To Me Probable That Of All Our Economic Life The Element On Which We Are Inclined To Place Too Low An Estimate Is Advertising.
Business
Elements
Advertising
I Guess I Am Not Naturally Energetic. I Like To Sit Around And Talk.
Energy
Energetic
Nobody Will Ever Forget What I've Accomplished.
Forget
Accomplished
I Shouldn't Want You To Be Surprised, Or To Draw Any Particular Inference From My Making Speeches, Or Not Making Speeches, Out There. I Don't Recall Any Candidate For President That Ever Injured Himself Very Much By Not Talking.
Talking
President
Speech
American Ideals Do Not Require To Be Changed So Much As They Require To Be Understood And Applied.
Changed
Understood
Ideals
Those Who Trust To Chance Must Abide By The Results Of Chance.
Trust
Risk
Chance
The Chief Business Of America Is Business.
America
Chiefs
The Higher State To Which [america] Seeks The Allegiance Of All Mankind Is Not Of Human, But Of Divine Origin. She Cherishes No Purpose Save To Merit The Favor Of Almighty God.
America
Purpose
Favors
Don't Hesitate To Be As Revolutionary As Science. Don't Hesitate To Be As Reactionary As The Multiplication Table.
Tables
Revolutionary
Multiplication
No Congress Of The United States Ever Assembled, On Surveying The State Of The Union, Has Met With A More Pleasing Prospect Than That Which Appears At The Present Time. In The Domestic Field There Is Tranquillity And Contentment, Harmonious Relations Between Management And Wage Earner, Freedom From Industrial Strife, And The Highest Record Of Years Of Prosperity.
Depression
Years
Political
It Is Not In Violence And Crime That Our Greatest Danger Lies. These Evils Are So Perfectly Apparent That They Very Quickly Arouse The Moral Power Of The People For Their Suppression. A Far More Serious Danger Lurks In The Shirking Of Those Responsibilities Of Citizenship, Where The Evil May Not Be So Noticeable But Is More Insidious And Likely To Be More Devastating.
Lying
Responsibility
People
The Measure Discriminates Definitely Against Products Which Make Up What Has Been Universally Considered A Program Of Safe Farming. The Bill Upholds As Ideals Of American Farming The Men Who Grow Cotton, Corn, Rice, Swine, Tobacco, Or Wheat And Nothing Else. These Are To Be Given Special Favors At The Expense Of The Farmer Who Has Toiled For Years To Build Up A Constructive Farming Enterprise To Include A Variety Of Crops And Livestock.
Men
Years
Agriculture
We Cannot Permit Any Inquisition Either Within Or Without The Law Or Apply Any Religious Test To The Holding Of Office. The Mind Of America Must Be Forever Free.
Religious
Law
America
I Do Not Choose To Run For President In 1928.
Running
President
You Know, I Have Found In The Course Of A Long Public Life That The Things I Did Not Say Never Hurt Me.
Life
Hurt
Long
Governments Are Necessarily Continuing Concerns. They Have To Keep Going In Good Times And In Bad. They Therefore Need A Wide Margin Of Safety. If Taxes And Debt Are Made All The People Can Bear When Times Are Good, There Will Be Certain Disaster When Times Are Bad.
Government
People
Safety
This Is As Good A Time As Any To Comment On What I Think Has Grown Into An Abuse. Congress Makes Holidays And Every Time There Isa Holiday It Is The Practice For One Department To Telephone Over To Another Department And Say We Are Going To Have An Extra Holiday In This Department And What Is Your Department Going To Do About It.... If It Comes On Saturday, They Want A Holiday On Friday, And Of Course They Couldn't Come Back And Travel On Sunday And So They Want Another Holiday On Monday To Get Back On.
Friday
Monday
Holiday
Surprisingly Few Men Are Lacking In Capacity, But They Fail Because... They Are Too Indolent To Apply Themselves With The Seriousness And The Attention That Is Necessary To Solve Important Problems.
Men
Important
Attention
Business Will Be Either Better Or Worse.
Business
Don't Expect To Build Up The Weak By Pulling Down The Strong.
Strength
Peace
Strong
Civilization And Profit Go Hand In Hand.
Hands
Civilization
Progress
Of Course, The Accumulation Of Wealth Cannot Be Justified As The Chief End Of Existence.
Wealth
Justified
Ends
Measured By The Standards Of Men Of Their Time, [the Pilgrims] Were The Humble Of The Earth. Measured By Later Accomplishments, They Were The Mighty. In Appearance Weak And Persecuted They Came -- Rejected, Despised -- An Insignificant Band; In Reality Strong And Independent, A Mighty Host Of Whom The World Was Not Worthy Destined To Free Mankind.
Thanksgiving
Christian
Strong
I Think The American Public Wants A Solemn Ass As A President, And I Think I'll Go Along With Them.
Thinking
Government
America
Anytime You Don't Want Anything You Get It.
Want
You Can Display No Greater Wisdom Than By Resisting Proposals For Needless Legislation. It Is Much More Important To Kill Bad Bills Than To Pass Good Ones.
Important
Bills
Proposal
To The American People: Christmas Is Not A Time Or A Season But A State Of Mind. To Cherish Peace And Good Will, To Be Plenteous In Mercy, Is To Have The Real Spirit Of Christmas. If We Think On These Things, There Will Be Born In Us A Savior And Over Us Will Shine A Star Sending Its Gleam Of Hope To The World." ~ Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), American President. Presidential Message (december 25, 1927).
Christmas
Stars
Xmas
There Is Far More Danger Of Harm Than There Is Hope Of Good In Any Radical Changes.
Radical Change
Danger
Harm
The Government Of A Country Never Gets Ahead Of The Religion Of A Country. There Is No Way By Which We Can Substitute The Authority Of The Law For The Virtues Of Men.
Country
Men
Law
This Country Would Not Be A Land Of Opportunity, America Could Not Be America, If The People Were Shackled With Government Monopolies.
Country
Opportunity
Government
I Always Figured The American Public Wanted A Solemn Ass For President, So I Went Along With Them.
President
Ass
Explanation
Coincident With The Right Of Individual Property Under The Provisions Of Our Government Is The Right Of Individual Property. . . . When Once The Right Of The Individual To Liberty And Equality Is Admitted, There Is No Escape From The Conclusion That He Alone Is Entitled To The Rewards Of His Own Industry. Any Other Conclusion Would Necessarily Imply Either Privilege Or Servitude.
Government
Liberty
Rewards
It Is Characteristic Of The Unlearned That They Are Forever Proposing Something Which Is Old, And Because It Has Recently Come To Their Own Attention, Supposing It To Be New.
Science
Supposing That
Forever
The Right Of The Police Of Boston To Affiliate Has Always Been Questioned, Never Granted, Is Now Prohibited.... There Is No Rightto Strike Against The Public Safety By Anybody, Anywhere, Any Time.
Boston
Safety
Police
They [the Founding Fathers] Were Intent Upon Establishing A Christian Commonwealth In Accordance With The Principle Of Self-government. They Were An Inspired Body Of Men. It Has Been Said That God Sifted The Nations That He Might Send Choice Grain Into The Wilderness ... Who Can Fail To See It In The Hand Of Destiny? Who Can Doubt That It Has Been Guided By A Divine Providence?
Christian
Father
Destiny
Some Of The Offers That Have Come To Me Would Never Have Come If I Had Not Been President. That Means These People Are Trying To Hire Not Calvin Coolidge, But A Former President Of The United States. I Can't Make That Kind Of Use Of The Office.... I Can't Do Anything That Might Take Away From The Presidency Any Of Its Dignity, Or Any Of The Faith People Have In It.
Mean
Office
People
I Do Not Want To See Any Of The People Cringing Supplicants For The Favor Of The Government, When They Should All Be Independent Masters Of Their Own Destiny.
Freedom
Independent
Destiny
Well, Farmers Never Have Made Money. I Don't Believe We Can Do Much About It. But Of Course We Will Have To Seem To Be Doing Something; Do The Best We Can And Without Much Hope. The Life Of The Farmer Has Its Compensations But It Has Always Been One Of Hardship.
Money
Believe
Hardship
Unless The People, Through Unified Action, Arise And Take Charge Of Their Government, They Will Find That Their Government Has Taken Charge Of Them. Independence And Liberty Will Be Gone, And The General Public Will Find Itself In A Condition Of Servitude To An Aggregation Of Organized And Selfish Interest.
Selfish
Taken
Government
We Demand Entire Freedom Of Action And Then Expect The Government In Some Miraculous Way To Save Us From The Consequences Of Our Own Acts.... Self-government Means Self-reliance.
Mean
Government
Self
Advertising Ministers To The Spiritual Side Of Trade.
Spiritual
Business
Sides
It Is Very Difficult To Reconcile The American Ideal Of A Sovereign People Capable Of Owning And Managing Their Own Government With An Inability To Own And Manage Their Own Business.
Government
People
Inability
One With The Law Is A Majority.
Law
Majority
Liberty Is Not Collective, It Is Personal. All Liberty Is Individual Liberty.
Liberty
Libertarian
Individualism
In Its Main Features The Declaration Of Independence Is A Great Spiritual Document. It Is A Declaration Not Of Material But Of Spiritual Conceptions. Equality, Liberty, Popular Sovereignty, The Rights Of Man - These Are Not Elements Which We Can See And Touch. They Are Ideals. They Have Their Source And Their Roots In The Religious Convictions. They Belong To The Unseen World. Unless The Faith Of The American People In These Religious Convictions Is To Endure, The Principles Of Our Declaration Will Perish. We Can Not Continue To Enjoy The Result If We Neglect And Abandon The Cause.
Spiritual
Religious
Men
If The People Lose Control Of The Arteries Of Trade And The Natural Sources Of Mechanical Power, The Nationalization Of All Industry Should Soon Be Expected. Our Forefathers Were Alert To Resist All Encroachments Upon Their Rights. If We Wish To Maintain Our Rights, We Can Do No Less.
Rights
People
Wish
No Man Ever Listened Himself Out Of A Job.
Jobs
Men
Listening
Prosperity Cannot Be Divorced From Humanity.
Humanity
Prosperity
Divorced
The Duties Which A Police Officer Owes To The State Are Of A Most Exacting Nature. No One Is Compelled To Choose The Profession Ofa Police Officer, But Having Chosen It, Everyone Is Obliged To Live Up To The Standard Of Its Requirements. To Join In That High Enterprise Means The Surrender Of Much Individual Freedom.
Mean
Discipline
Police
History Reveals No Civilized People Among Whom There Was Not A Highly Educated Class And Large Aggregations Of Wealth. Large Profits Mean Large Payrolls.
Mean
Class
People
The Suggestion Of Denying Any Measure Of Their Full Political Rights To Such A Great Group Of Our Population As The Colored People Is One Which, However It Might Be Received In Some Other Quarters, Could Not Possibly Be Permitted By One Who Feels A Responsibility For Living Up To The Traditions And Maintaining The Principles Of The Republican Party. Our Constitution Guarantees Equal Rights To All Our Citizens, Without Discrimination On Account Of Race Or Color. I Have Taken My Oath To Support That Constitution.
Taken
Party
Responsibility
After All, The Chief Business Of The American People Is Business. They Are Profoundly Concerned With Producing, Buying, Selling, Investing And Prospering In The World.
Usa
People
Investing
Honorable Senators: My Sincerest Thanks I Offer You. Conserve The Firm Foundations Of Our Institutions. Do Your Work With The Spirit Of A Soldier In The Public Service. Be Loyal To The Commonwealth And To Yourselves And Be Brief; Above All Be Brief.
Soldier
Loyal
Foundation
If All Men Are Created Equal, That Is Final. If They Are Endowed With Inalienable Rights, That Is Final. If Governments Derive Their Just Powers From The Consent Of The Governed, That Is Final. No Advance, No Progress Can Be Made Beyond These Propositions.
Men
Rights
Progress
The President Stands Between The Twin Mirrors Of The Past And Future, Causing His Being To Become Reflected An Infinite Amount Of Times. At First, This Can Be Very Disorienting. But It Induces The President To Move Quickly. He May, For Example, Mimic A Wave With His Arms In Order To See How His Actions Extend Across This Mirroring Of Time, Observing If The Figure At The End Acts At The Same Instant As The Figure Before Him, And So On And So Forth.
Moving
Past
Mirrors
There's More, Much More, To Christmas Than Candlelight And Cheer; It's The Spirit Of Sweet Friendship That Brightens All Year. It's Thoughtfulness And Kindness, It's Hope Reborn Again, For Peace, For Understanding, And For Goodwill To Men!
Sweet
Kindness
Cheer
Inflation Is Repudiation.
Economy
Inflation
We Cannot Weaken Or Destroy Political Parties In Ther United States Without Weakening Or Destroying The Rule Of The People.... Those Who Support Party Organization And Submit To Party Discipline Are Supporting The Only Course Yet Discovered For Orderly Government By The People.
Party
Government
Organization
The Most Common Commodity In This Country Is Unrealized Potential.
Country
Vision
Common
It Is All The More Necessary Under A System Of Free Government That The People Should Be Enlightened, That They Should Be Correctly Informed, Than It Is Under An Absolute Government That They Should Be Ignorant. Under A Republic The Institutions Of Learning, While Bound By The Constitution And Laws, Are In No Way Subservient To The Government.
Education
Government
Law
One Day The President And Mrs. Coolidge Were Visiting A Government Farm. Soon After Their Arrival They Were Taken Off On Separate Tours. When Mrs. Coolidge Passed The Chicken Pens She Paused To Ask The Man In Charge If The Rooster Copulates More Than Once Each Day. "dozens Of Times, Was The Reply." "please Tell That To The President," Mrs. Coolidge Requested. When The President Passed The Pens And Was Told About The Roosters, He Asked "same Hen Every Time?" "oh No, Mr. President, A Different One Each Time." The President Nodded Slowly, Then Said, "tell That To Mrs. Coolidge."
Taken
Men
One Day
A Government Which Requires Of The People The Contribution Of The Bulk Of Their Substance And Rewards Cannot Be Classed As A Free Government.
Government
People
Substance
The Only Hope Of A Short War Is To Prepare For A Long One.
War
Long
Whenever Nature's Bounty Is In Danger Of Exhaustion, The Chemist Has Sought For A Substitute. The Conquest Of Disease Has Made Great Progress As A Result Of Your Efforts. Wherever We Look, The Work Of The Chemist Has Raised The Level Of Our Civilization And Has Increased The Productive Capacity Of The Nation. Waste Materials, Formerly Cast Aside, Are Now Being Utilized.
Science
Civilization
Effort
The Final Solution For Unemployment Is Work.
Government
Finals
Unemployment
If American Democracy Is To Remain The Greatest Hope Of Humanity, It Must Continue Abundantly In The Faith Of The Bible
Presidential
Humanity
Democracy
Perhaps One Of The Most Important Accomplishments Of My Administration Has Been Minding My Own Business.
Accomplishment
Presidential
Political
No Matter What Anyone May Say About Making The Rich And The Corporations Pay Taxes, In The End They Come Out Of The People Who Toil
People
President
Toil
Eat It Up, Make It Do, Wear It Out.
Frugality
It Is Not The Enactment, But The Observance Of Laws, That Creates The Character Of A Nation.
Character
Law
Nations
Despotism Has Forever Had A Powerful Hold Upon The World. Autocratic Government, Not Self-government, Has Been The Prevailing State Of Mankind. The Record Of Past History Is The Record, Not Of The Success Of Republics, But Of Their Failure.
Powerful
Past
Government
I Have Noticed That Nothing I Never Said Ever Did Me Any Harm.
History
Silence
Harm
Ultimately Property Rights And Personal Rights Are The Same Thing.
Rights
Politics
Conservative
Life Is One Darn Thing After Another.
Life Is
I Cannot Think Of Anything Characteristically American That Was Not Produced By Toil. I Cannot Think Of Any American Man Or Woman Preeminent In The History Of Our Nation Who Did Not Reach Their Place Through Toil. I Cannot Think Of Anything That Represents The American People As A Whole So Adequately As Honest Work.
Men
Thinking
People
Little Progress Can Be Made By Merely Attempting To Repress What Is Evil. Our Great Hope Lies In Developing What Is Good.
Hope
Lying
Character
When Each Citizen Submits Himself To The Authority Of Law He Does Not Thereby Decrease His Independence Or Freedom, But Rather Increases It. By Recognizing That He Is A Part Of A Larger Body Which Is Banded Together For A Common Purpose, He Becomes More Than An Individual, He Rises To A New Dignity Of Citizenship. Instead Of Finding Himself Restricted And Confined By Rendering Obedience To Public Law, He Finds Himself Protected And Defended And In The Exercise Of Increased And Increasing Rights.
Exercise
Rights
Law
What We Need In Appointive Positions Is Men Of Knowledge And Experience Who Have Sufficient Character To Resist Temptations.
Character
Men
Temptation
No Nation Ever Had An Army Large Enough To Guarantee It Against Attack In Time Of Peace, Or Ensure It Of Victory In Time Of War.
Peace
War
Army
Knowledge Comes, But Wisdom Lingers. It May Not Be Difficult To Store Up In The Mind A Vast Quantity Of Facts Within A Comparatively Short Time, But The Ability To Form Judgments Requires The Severe Discipline Of Hard Work And The Tempering Heat Of Experience And Maturity.
Wisdom
Hard Work
Maturity
July 4, 1776 Was The Historic Day On Which The Representatives Of Three Millions Of People Vocalized Concord, And Lexington, And Bunker Hill, Which Gave Notice To The World That They Proposed To Establish An Independent Nation On The Theory That All Men Are Created Equal, That They Are Endowed By Their Creator With Certain Inalienable Rights, That Among These Are Life, Liberty, And The Pursuit Of Happiness.
Independent
Men
Pursuit Of Happiness
At First I Intended To Become A Student Of The Senate Rules And I Did Learn Much About Them, But I Soon Found That The Senate Hadbut One Fixed Rule, Subject To Exceptions Of Course, Which Was To The Effect That The Senate Would Do Anything It Wanted To Do Whenever It Wanted To Do It.
Government
Firsts
Students
Faith Is The Great Motive Power, And No Man Realizes His Full Possibilities Unless He Has The Deep Conviction That Life Is Eternally Important And That His Work Well Done Is A Part Of An Unending Plan.
Life
Faith
Men
We Cannot Do Everything At Once, But We Can Do Something At Once.
Time
Ambition
Effort
Wealth Comes From Industry And From The Hard Experience Of Human Toil. To Dissipate It In Waste And Extravagance Is Disloyalty To Humanity.
Humanity
Toil
Extravagance
Advertising Ministers To The Spiritual Side Of Trade. It Is Great Power That Has Been Entrusted To Your Keeping Which Charges You With The High Responsibility Of Inspiring And Ennobling The Commercial World. It Is All Part Of The Greater Work Of The Regeneration And Redemption Of Mankind.
Spiritual
Business
Responsibility
A Government Which Lays Taxes On The People Not Required By Urgent Public Necessity And Sound Public Policy Is Not A Protector Of Liberty, But An Instrument Of Tyranny. It Condemns The Citizen To Servitude.
Government
People
Presidential
While Legislation Can Stimulate And Encourage, The Real Creative Ability Which Builds Up And Develops The Country, And In General Makes Human Existence More Tolerable And Life More Complete, Has To Be Supplied By The Genius Of The People Themselves. The Government Can Supply No Substitute For Enterprise.
Country
Real
Government
Nature Is Inexorable. If Men Do Not Follow The Truth They Cannot Live.
Wisdom
Men
President
Few People Are Lacking In Capacity, But They Fail Because They Are Lacking In Application.
People
Failing
Capacity
Advertising Is The Life Of Trade.
Business
Advertising
Trade
In The Discharge Of The Duties Of This Office, There Is One Rule Of Action More Important Than All Others. It Consists In Never Doing Anything That Someone Else Can Do For You.
Office
Political
Important
It Has Become The Custom In Our Country To Expect All Chief Executives, From The President Down, To Conduct Activities Analogous To An Entertainment Bureau. No Occasion Is Too Trivial For Its Promoters To Invite Them To Attend And Deliver An Address.
Country
President
Entertainment
It Takes A Great Man To Be A Good Listener.
Life
Relationship
Wisdom
Four-fifths Of All Our Troubles Would Disappear, If We Would Only Sit Down And Keep Still.
Presidential
Political
Four
The Fundamental Precept Of Liberty Is Toleration.
Liberty
Fundamentals
Toleration
I Should Be Very Sorry To See The United States Holding Anyone In Confinement On Account Of Any Opinion That That Person Might Hold. It Is A Fundamental Tenet Of Our Institutions That People Have A Right To Believe What They Want To Believe And Hold Such Opinions As They Want To Hold Without Having To Answer To Anyone For Their Private Opinion.
Sorry
Believe
People
Men Speak Of Natural Rights, But I Challenge Any One To Show Where In Nature Any Rights Existed Or Were Recognized Until There Was Established For Their Declaration And Protection A Duly Promulgated Body Of Corresponding Laws.
Patriotic
Men
Rights
The More I Study It [the Constitution], The More I Have Come To Admire It, Realizing That No Other Document Devised By The Hand Of Man Ever Brought So Much Progress And Happiness To Humanity.
Men
Hands
Presidential
It Is Hard To See How A Great Man Can Be An Atheist. . . . We Need To Feel That Behind Us Is Intelligence And Love.
Love
Atheist
Men
The Country Is Not In Good Condition.
Country
Great Depression
Conditions
It Is Only When People Can Feel That Their Lives And The Property Which Their Industry Has Produced Today Will Continue To Be Safe...that There Can Be...stability Of Value And...economic Progress.
People
Evil
Progress
They Criticize Me For Harping On The Obvious; If All The Folks In The United States Would Do The Few Simple Things They Know They Ought To Do, Most Of Our Big Problems Would Take Care Of Themselves.
Simple
United States
Care
To Live Under The American Constitution Is The Greatest Political Privilege That Was Ever Accorded To The Human Race.
Patriotic
Race
Political
Understanding Quotes: Their Essence and Application

Quotes, or quotations, are powerful tools in communication, encapsulating ideas, emotions, and wisdom in concise expressions. They serve various purposes across different contexts, from academic writing to everyday conversation.

1. Defining Quotes

A quote is a repetition of someone else's statement or thoughts. It can be a direct replication of words spoken or written by another individual, often used to support arguments, provide evidence, or convey profound insights.


2. The Importance of Quotes

2.1. Enhancing Credibility

Incorporating quotes from authoritative sources can bolster the credibility of your work. By referencing experts or primary sources, you demonstrate thorough research and a solid foundation for your arguments.


2.2. Providing Evidence

Quotes serve as concrete evidence to support claims. In academic and professional writing, they validate points made, offering readers a basis to trust the information presented.


2.3. Conveying Emotions and Perspectives

Quotes can encapsulate emotions and perspectives succinctly. They allow writers to express complex feelings or viewpoints through the words of others, often more eloquently than paraphrasing.


3. Types of Quotes

3.1. Direct Quotes

Direct quotes involve copying the exact words from a source, enclosed in quotation marks. They are used when the original wording is significant or particularly well-expressed.


3.2. Indirect Quotes (Paraphrasing)

Indirect quotes restate the original message in your own words. While not enclosed in quotation marks, they still require proper attribution to the original source.


3.3. Block Quotes

Block quotes are lengthy direct quotations, formatted as a separate block of text. They are typically used for quotes exceeding a certain length, varying by citation style. For instance, in APA style, quotes longer than 40 words are formatted as block quotes.



4. Proper Usage of Quotes


4.1. Contextual Relevance

Ensure that the quote you choose is relevant to the topic and adds value to your content. Avoid inserting quotes solely for decorative purposes.


4.2. Integration into Your Writing

Seamlessly integrate quotes into your writing. Introduce them appropriately and follow up with analysis or commentary to connect them to your main points.


4.3. Attribution and Citation

Always attribute quotes to their original authors and provide proper citations according to the required style guide (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).


5. Common Mistakes to Avoid


5.1. Overusing Quotes

Relying too heavily on quotes can overshadow your voice. Use them sparingly to support your arguments, not replace them.


5.2. Lack of Analysis

Presenting a quote without analysis or explanation can leave readers questioning its relevance. Always follow up with your interpretation or discussion.


5.3. Misquoting or Taking Out of Context

Ensure that quotes are accurate and not taken out of context, as this can mislead readers and undermine your credibility.



6. Quotes in Different Contexts


6.1. Academic Writing

In academic writing, quotes are used to support arguments, provide evidence, and engage with existing literature. Proper citation is crucial to avoid plagiarism.


6.2. Journalism

Journalists use quotes to provide firsthand accounts, add authenticity, and present multiple perspectives within a story.


6.3. Literature and Creative Writing

In literature, quotes can be used to convey character voices, themes, and stylistic elements. They enrich narratives and provide depth to storytelling.



7. Punctuation and Formatting


Understanding the correct punctuation and formatting of quotes is essential:


Quotation Marks: Always enclose direct quotes within quotation marks.


Punctuation Placement: In American English, periods and commas are placed inside quotation marks, while colons and semicolons are placed outside.


Block Quotes: For longer quotes, format them as block quotes without quotation marks, and indent the entire block.



8. Ethical Considerations


Ethical use of quotes involves accurate representation, proper attribution, and respect for intellectual property. Misuse can lead to plagiarism, which carries serious academic and professional consequences.

9. Tools for Managing Quotes


Utilize tools like citation generators and plagiarism checkers to manage quotes effectively. These tools help ensure proper formatting and originality in your writing.



Conclusion


Quotes are invaluable in enriching content, providing evidence, and conveying complex ideas succinctly. When used appropriately, they enhance the quality and credibility of your writing. Always ensure relevance, proper integration, and ethical usage to maximize their impact.


Trending Author
David Miliband
Michelle Malkin
Toni Cade Bambara
Esther Forbes
Elaine May
Tony Danza
Category
Information