Quotes & anectdotes from the wise, the foolish, the courageous & the drunk

Franklin D. Roosevelt US President

  • Gender: Male
  • Citizenship: United States
  • Born: Jan 30, 1882
  • Died: Apr 12, 1945

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, commonly known by his initials FDR, was an American statesman and political leader who served as the 32nd President of the United States. A Democrat, he was elected four times and served from March 1933 to his death in April 1945. He was a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic depression and total war. A dominant leader of the Democratic Party, he built a New Deal Coalition that realigned American politics after 1932, as his New Deal domestic policies defined American liberalism for the middle third of the 20th century.

Roosevelt defeated incumbent Republican Herbert Hoover in November 1932, at the depth of the Great Depression. Energized by his personal victory over polio, FDR used his persistent optimism and activism to renew the national spirit. Assisted by key aide Harry Hopkins, he worked closely with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in leading the Allies against Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Imperial Japan in World War II.

In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way. politics

It takes a long time to bring the past up to the present. time

There is nothing I love as much as a good fight. being good & love

I'm not the smartest fellow in the world, but I can sure pick smart colleagues. intelligence

Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds. men

If I went to work in a factory the first thing I'd do is join a union. work

We must lay hold of the fact that economic laws are not made by nature. They are made by human beings. nature

Whoever seeks to set one religion against another seeks to destroy all religion. religion

War is a contagion. war

No government can help the destinies of people who insist in putting sectional and class consciousness ahead of general weal. government

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. fear

Prosperous farmers mean more employment, more prosperity for the workers and the business men of every industrial area in the whole country. business & men

Selfishness is the only real atheism aspiration, unselfishness, the only real religion. religion

We have always held to the hope, the belief, the conviction that there is a better life, a better world, beyond the horizon. hope

If you treat people right they will treat you right... ninety percent of the time. time

Physical strength can never permanently withstand the impact of spiritual force. faith & strength

I think we consider too much the good luck of the early bird and not enough the bad luck of the early worm. being good

We are trying to construct a more inclusive society. We are going to make a country in which no one is left out. society

A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward. being good & politics

Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort. happiness & success

The overwhelming majority of Americans are possessed of two great qualities a sense of humor and a sense of proportion. greatness & humor

The truth is found when men are free to pursue it. men & truth

Art is not a treasure in the past or an importation from another land, but part of the present life of all living and creating peoples. art

The United States Constitution has proved itself the most marvelously elastic compilation of rules of government ever written. government

St. Patrick's Day March 17, 2025

There is no language like the Irish for soothing and quieting. 3 more thoughts from John Millington Synge

3 more thoughts from John Millington Synge

Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy. 28 sayings from William Butler Yeats

28 sayings from William Butler Yeats

Geographically, Ireland is a medium-sized rural island that is slowly but steadily being consumed by sheep. 27 thoughts from Dave Barry

27 thoughts from Dave Barry

We have always found the Irish a bit odd. They refuse to be English. 74 views from Winston Churchill

74 views from Winston Churchill