In honor of President’s Day, we took a look at the past to seek wisdom and inspiration. Here are some of our favorite words from our founding fathers, (and some newcomers as well). May the words from these leaders encourage us to take action and seek to be leaders in our own lives.
We love these inspiring Presidential quotes:
If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.– George Washington
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams
“I walk slowly, but I never walk backward.” – Abraham Lincoln
“If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.” – Barack Obama
“Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.” – John F. Kennedy
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt
For more inspiration, read “Obamaisms that inspire”
“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” – Harry S. Truman
“Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.” – Thomas Jefferson
“Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.” – Abraham Lincoln
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock” – Thomas Jefferson
“When angry, count ten, before you speak; if very angry, a hundred.” – Thomas Jefferson
“If you want total security, go to prison. There you’re fed, clothed, given medical care and so on. The only thing lacking … is freedom.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
“We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.” – Jimmy Carter
“A volunteer is a person who can see what others cannot see; who can feel what most do not feel. Often, such gifted persons do not think of themselves as volunteers, but as citizens – citizens in the fullest sense: partners in civilization.” – George H.W. Bush
“When our memories outweigh our dreams, it is then that we become old.” – Bill Clinton
“We did not come to fear the future. We came here to shape it.” – Barack Obama
“The harder the conflict, the greater the triumph.” – George Washington
“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” – Thomas Jefferson
“Accomplishment will prove to be a journey, not a destination.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
“Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.” – George Washington
What’s your favorite presidential quote or speech?