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Lyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon B. Johnson Quotes

36th U.S. President

Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th President of the United States, served from 1963 to 1969. He assumed the presidency following the assassination of John F. Kennedy and is known for his 'Great Society' programs aimed at reducing poverty and racial injustice.

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Famous Lyndon B. Johnson Quotes

“Every child must be encouraged to get as much education as he has the ability to take. We want this not only for his sake - but for the nation's sake.”

Want Children Nations Ability Education Sake Be Encouraged Nothing Matters

Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Lyndon B. Johnson, 1965

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Lyndon B. Johnson, 1965

“This Congress did more to uplift education, more to attack disease in this country and around the world, and more to conquer poverty than any other session in all American history, and what more worthy achievements could any person want to have? For it was the Congress that was more true than any other Congress to Thomas Jefferson's belief that: 'The care of human life and happiness is the first and only legitimate objective of good Government.'”

“In the years since then, those four freedoms - freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear - have stood as a summary of our aspirations for the American Republic and for the world.”

World Want Years Education Four Speech Worship Aspiration Republic Freedom Of Speech Summary

Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Lyndon B. Johnson, 1968-1969

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Lyndon B. Johnson, 1968-1969

“You never want to give a man a present when he's feeling good. You want to do it when he's down.”

Men Want Giving Feelings Feel Good

Author:Lyndon B. Johnson

“As it was 189 years ago, so today the cause of America is a revolutionary cause. And I am proud this morning to salute you as fellow revolutionaries. Neither you nor I are willing to accept the tyranny of poverty, nor the dictatorship of ignorance, nor the despotism of ill health, nor the oppression of bias and prejudice and bigotry. We want change. We want progress. We want it both abroad and at homeand we aim to get it.”

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Lyndon B. Johnson, 1966

“I dont believe in labels. I want to do the best I can, all the time. I want to be progressive without getting both feet off the ground at the same time. I want to be prudent without having my mind closed to anything that is new or different. I have often said that I was proud that I was a free man first and an American second, and a public servant third and a Democrat fourth, in that order, and I guess as a Democrat, if I had to takeplace a label on myself, I would want to be a progressive who is prudent.”

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Lyndon B. Johnson, 1963-1964

“Every President wants to do right.”

Author:Lyndon B. Johnson

“I want real loyalty. I want someone who will kiss my ass in Macy's window, and say it smells like roses.”

Want Real Kissing Window Rose Smell Loyalty Ass Explanation Macy's Kiss My Ass

Author:Lyndon B. Johnson

“I want every family in America to have a carpet on the floor and a picture on the wall. After bread, you've got to have a picture on the wall.”

Want America Wall Bread Carpet

Author:Lyndon B. Johnson

“Of course, I may go into a strange bedroom every now and then that I don't want you to write about, but otherwise you can write everything.”

Want Writing May Courses Strange Now And Then Bedroom American Politics

Author:Lyndon B. Johnson

“I taught school in the early days of my manhood and I think I know something about mothers. There is a thread of aspiration that runs strong in them. It is the fiber that has formed the most unselfish creatures who inhabit this earth. They want three things only; for their children to be fed, to be healthy, and to make the most of themselves.”

Thinking Knows Want Children Running School Earth Mother Three Strong Women Taught Healthy Creatures Ambition Aspiration Feds Thread Manhood Three Things Fiber Unselfish

Author:Lyndon B. Johnson

“We do not want an expanding struggle with consequences, that no one can perceive, nor will we bluster or bully or flaunt our power, but we will not surrender and we will not retreat, for behind our American pledge lies the determination and resources, I believe, of all of the American nation.”

Want Believe Lying I Believe Nations Behinds Struggle Consequence Resources Determination Surrender Perceive Retreat Bully Expanding Pledge Bluster

Author:Lyndon B. Johnson

“Four. That's what I want you to remember. If you don't get your idea across in the first four minutes, you won't do it. Four sentences to a paragraph. Four letters to a word. The most important words in the English language all have four letters. Home. Love. Food. Land. Peace. . .I know peace has five letters, but any damn fool knows it should have four.”

“Curtis Le May wants to bomb Hanoi and Haiphong. You know how he likes to go around bombing.”

Knows Want May Know How Likes Bombs Bombing Hanoi

Author:Lyndon B. Johnson

“If one little old general in shirt sleeves can take Saigon, think about 200 million Chinese comin' down those trails. No sir, I don't want to fight them.”

Ifs Thinking Want Littles Fighting Millions Chinese Shirts Trails Sleeves Saigon

Author:Lyndon B. Johnson

“I want to make a policy statement. I am unabashedly in favor of women.”

Want Policy Favors Statements

Author:Lyndon B. Johnson

“One lesson you better learn if you want to be in politics is that you never go out on a golf course and beat the President.”

Ifs Want Courses President Lessons Beats Golf Golf Course

Author:Lyndon B. Johnson

“Nothing is more despicable than the old age of a passionate man. When the vigour of youth fails him, and his amusements pall with frequent repetition, his occasional rage sinks by decay of strength into peevishness; that peevishness, for want of novelty and variety, becomes habitual; the world falls off from around him, and he is left, as Homer expresses it, to devour his own heart in solitude and contempt.”

Men World Want Heart Age Fall Left Failing Youth Solitude Passionate Rage Old Age Variety Contempt Decay Repetition Amusement Novelty Occasional Habitual Despicable

Author:Lyndon B. Johnson

“Every child must be encouraged to get as much education as he has the ability to take. We want this not only for his sake - but for the future of our nation's sake. Nothing matters more to the future of our country: not our military preparedness - for armed might is worthless if we lack the brainpower to build world peace; not our productive economy - for we cannot sustain growth without trained manpower; not our democratic system of government - for freedom is fragile if citizens are ignorant.”

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Lyndon B. Johnson, 1965