A leader is someone who inspires others, who leads by example and motivates people to be better and move forward no matter how hard the challenges might be — it doesn’t matter if they’re leading a country, a business, a household or a team. These are some inspiring presidential quotes from some of the U.S. presidents that will motivate the leader within yourself.
“The harder the conflict, thegreater the triumph.” ― George Washington
“Honesty is the first chapter of the book wisdom.” ― Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)
“On matters of style, swim with the current, on matters of principle, stand like a rock.” ― Thomas Jefferson
“The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.” ― James Madison (1751–1836)
“If tyranny and oppression come to this land it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.” ― James Madison
“A little flattery will support a man through great fatigue” ― James Monroe (1758–1831)
“Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.” ― John Quincy Adams (1767–1848)
“Try and fail, but don’t fail to try.” ― John Quincy Adams
“One man with courage makes a majority.” ― Andrew Jackson (1767–1845)
“It’s easier to do a job right, than to explain why you didn’t.” ― Martin Van Buren (1782–1862)
“There is nothing more corrupting, nothing more destructive of the noblest and finest feelings of our nature, than the exercise of unlimited power.” ― William Henry Harrison (1773–1841)
“It is not strange… to mistake change for progress” ― Millard Fillmore (1800–1874)
“You don’t know what you can miss before you try.” ― Franklin Pierce (1804–1869)
“I am a slow walker, but I never walk backwards” ― Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)
“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years” ― Abraham Lincoln
“Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today.” ― Abraham Lincoln
“Whatever you are, be a good one.” ― Abraham Lincoln
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” ― Abraham Lincoln
“There are men and women who make the world better just by being the kind of people they are. They have the gift of kindness or courage or loyalty or integrity. It really matters very little whether they are behind the weel of a truck or running a business or bringing up a family. They teach the truth by living it.” ― James Garfield (1831–1881)
“If wrinkles must be written on our brow, let them not be written on our heart. The spirit should never grow old.” ― James Garfield
“Great lives never go out; they go on.” ― Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901)
“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.” ― Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919)
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” ― Theodore Roosevelt
“Be patient and calm; no one can catch a fish with anger.” ― Herbert Hoover (1874–1964)
“Words without actions are the assassins of idealism.” ― Herbert Hoover
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” ― Franklin D. Roosevelt, (1882–1945)
“Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.” ― Franklin D. Roosevelt
“What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight- it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” ― Dwight D. Eisenhower
“Never question another man’s motive. His wisdom, yes, but not his motives.” ― Dwight D. Eisenhower
“It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” ― Harry S. Truman (1884–1972)
“Never waste a minute thinking about people you don’t like.” ― Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969)
“The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word ‘crisis.’ One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger–but recognize the opportunity.” ― John F. Kennedy (1917–1963)
“Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.” ― John F. Kennedy
“The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.” ― John F. Kennedy
“One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.” ― John F. Kennedy
“Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.” ― John F. Kennedy
“We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.” ― Jimmy Carter (born 1924)
“Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, leave the rest to God.” ― Ronald Reagan (1911–2004)
“I have opinions of my own – strong opinions – but I don’t always agree with them.” ― George H.W. Bush (born 1924)
“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
“We all do better when we work together. Our differences do matter, but our common humanity matters more.” ― Bill Clinton (born 1946)
“When our memories outweigh our dreams, it is then that we become old.” ― Bill Clinton
“There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.” George W. Bush (born 1946)
“If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress” ― Barack Obama (born 1961)
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” ― Barack Obama
“The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.” ― Barack Obama
“Yes We Can!” ― Barack Obama
Featured photo credit: Aaron Burden via unsplash.com
