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Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes

32nd U.S. President

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Famous Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes

“From the end of the World War twenty-one years ago, this country, like many others, went through a phase of having large groups of people carried away by some emotion--some alluring, attractive, even speciously inspiring, public presentation of a nostrum, a cure-all. Many Americans lost their heads because several plausible fellows lost theirs in expounding schemes to end barbarity, to give weekly handouts to people, to give everybody a better job--or, more modestly, for example, to put a chicken or two in every pot--all by adoption of some new financial plan or some new social system. And all of them burst like bubbles. Some proponents of nostrums were honest and sincere, others--too many of them--were seekers of personal power; still others saw a chance to get rich on the dimes and quarters of the poorer people in our population. All of them, perhaps unconsciously, were capitalizing on the fact that the democratic form of Government works slowly. There always exists in a democratic society a large group which, quite naturally, champs at the bit over the slowness of democracy; and that is why it is right for us who believe in democracy to keep the democratic processes progressive--in other words, moving forward with the advances in civilization. That is why it is dangerous for democracy to stop moving forward because any period of stagnation increases the numbers of those who demand action and action now.”

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Author:Franklin D. Roosevelt
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“There comes a time in the affairs of men when they must prepare to defend not their homes alone but the tenets of faith and humanity on which their churches, their governments and their very foundations are set. The defense of religion, of democracy and of good faith among nations is all the same fight. To save one, we must now make up our minds to save all.”

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Author:Franklin D. Roosevelt
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“We have our difficulties, true; but we are a wiser and a tougher nation than we were in 1932. Never have there been six years of such far flung internal preparedness in all of history. And this has been done without any dictator's power to command, without conscription of labor or confiscation of capital, without concentration camps and without a scratch on freedom of speech, freedom of the press or the rest of the Bill of Rights.”

YearsHas BeensDoneNationsDemocracyRightsSpeechSixLaborDifficultyBillsPressesCommandInternalsConcentrationCampsDictatorFreedom Of SpeechWiserScratchesBill Of RightsFreedom Of The PressPreparednessConcentration CampConscription
Book:The Essential Franklin Delano Roosevelt
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“It took six weeks of debate in the Senate to get the Arms Embargo Law repealed--and we face other delays during the present session because most of the Members of the Congress are thinking in terms of next Autumn's election. However, that is one of the prices that we who live in democracies have to pay. It is, however, worth paying, if all of us can avoid the type of government under which the unfortunate population of Germany and Russia must exist.”

IfsThinkingGovernmentFacesLawNextTermPayDemocracyWeekArmsTypeMembersSixElectionCongressPopulationDebateRussiaGermanyAutumnSenateDictatorshipUnfortunateDelaySessionDemocracies HaveEmbargo
Author:Franklin D. Roosevelt
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“Where freedom of religion has been attacked, the attack has come from sources opposed to democracy. Where democracy has been overthrown, the spirit of free worship has disappeared. And where religion and democracy have vanished, good faith and reason in international affairs have given way to strident ambition and brute force.”

WayHas BeensReasonSpiritGivenForceDemocracySourceAmbitionWorshipAffairInternationalBrutesDemocracies HaveFreedom Of ReligionGood FaithBrute ForceInternational AffairsFaith And Reason
Book:The Essential Franklin Delano Roosevelt
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“Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and Senators and Congressmen and Government officials but the voters of this country.”

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Author:Franklin D. Roosevelt
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“Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.”

RealSuccessChoicesPoliticsEducationDemocracySucceedPreparedVotingDemocracies HaveChoose WiselyVoting And DemocracyElections And VotingTrue Democracy
Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: F.D. Roosevelt, 1938, Volume 7
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“Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.”

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Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: F.D. Roosevelt, 1939, Volume 8
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“The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerated the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than the democratic state itself. That in its essence is fascism: ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or any controlling private power.”

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Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: F.D. Roosevelt, 1938, Volume 7
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“The lessons of religious toleration - a toleration which recognizes complete liberty of human thought, liberty of conscience - is one which, by precept and example, must be inculcated in the hearts and minds of all Americans if the institutions of our democracy are to be maintained and perpetuated. We must recognize the fundamental rights of man. There can be no true national life in our democracy unless we give unqualified recognition to freedom of religious worship and freedom of education.”

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Author:Franklin D. Roosevelt
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“'Peace on earth, good will toward men' - democracy must cling to that message. For it is my deep conviction that democracy cannot live without that true religion which gives a nation a sense of justice and moral purpose.”

MenGivingEarthPurposeNationsJusticeMoralDemocracyMessagesConvictionPresidentialGood WillPeace On EarthTrue Religion
Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: F.D. Roosevelt, 1936, Volume 5
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“The creed of our democracy is that liberty is acquired and kept by men and women who are strong and self-reliant, and possessed of such wisdom as God gives mankind - men and women who are just, and understanding, and generous to others - men and women who are capable of disciplining themselves. For they are the rulers and they must rule themselves.”

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Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: F.D. Roosevelt, 1944-1945, Volume 13
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“History proves that dictatorships do not grow out of strong and successful governments, but out of weak and helpless ones. If by democratic methods people get a government strong enough to protect them from fear and starvation, their democracy succeeds; but if they do not, they grow impatient. Therefore, the only sure bulwark of continuing liberty is a government strong enough to protect the interests of the people, and a people strong enough and well enough informed to maintain its sovereign control over its government.”

PeopleIfsWellsEnoughGovernmentStrongGrowsInterestLibertyDemocracySuccessfulSucceedProtectProveWeakMethodDemocraticOver ItDictatorshipContinuingHelplessSovereignStrong EnoughImpatientStarvation
Book:Fireside chats of Franklin Delano Roosevelt: radio addresses to the American people about the Depression, the New Deal, and the Second World War, 1933-1944
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