Editor’s note: This article was first published in February 2014, and lists Barack Obama as 2009-present; the number of presidents is as of 2014.
Since George Washington in 1789, 43 presidents of the United States have occupied the White House. Some are remembered for their achievements, others for their scandals, and others had their terms cut short when they lost their lives. Some have gone down in history as true heroes, but if all these presidents have one thing in common, it is their capacity and skill for leadership.
To mark Presidents’ Day in the US, Business Insider put together a compilation of the best advice and sayings from many of these leaders, past and present. Most of them are about “doing things better” and the importance of effort and self-improvement in Uncle Sam’s country, the land of opportunity. They are listed in chronological order. (The wording below is our own translation, not the presidents’ exact words.)
George Washington, 1789–1797: “Try to be seen with people of good character if you value your own reputation, because it is better to be alone than in bad company.”
Thomas Jefferson, 1801–1809: “When you are angry, count to ten before you speak, and if you are very angry, count to a hundred.”
John Quincy Adams, 1825–1829: “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and be more, you are a true leader.”
Andrew Jackson, 1829–1837: “Take your time to deliberate, but when the moment for action comes, stop thinking and act.”
John Tyler, 1841–1845: “Wealth can only be built up from what hard work earns and what frugality saves.”
Millard Fillmore, 1850–1853: “An honorable defeat is better than a dishonorable victory.”
Abraham Lincoln, 1861–1865: “Always keep in mind that your own determination to succeed matters more than anything else.”
(Read: Three steps to learn to stay calm under pressure)
Ulysses S. Grant, 1869–1877: “The art of war is simple enough. Work out where your enemy is. Go after him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep pushing forward.”
James Garfield, 1881: “Let everyone know that you have reserves, that you have more strength than you are using right now. If you are not too big for the place you hold, you are too small for it.”
Grover Cleveland, 1885–1889 and 1893–1897: “Whatever you do, tell the truth.”
Teddy Roosevelt, 1901–1909: “We have to dare to be great, and we must realize that greatness comes from effort, sacrifice and great courage.”
William Taft, 1909–1913: “Don’t write so that you can be understood; write so that you cannot be misread.”
Woodrow Wilson, 1913–1921: “One cool judgment is worth more than a thousand hasty pieces of advice. What we need to provide is light, not heat.”
Calvin Coolidge, 1923–1929: “Nothing in the world can replace persistence. Talent can’t: nothing is more common than talented people who have failed. Genius can’t: unrewarded genius is almost a proverb… Persistence and determination are all-powerful.”
(Watch: An impressive motivational talk on achieving success, by Emilio Duró)
Dwight Eisenhower, 1953–1961: “No wise or brave man lies down on the tracks of history and waits for the train of the future to run him over.”
Lyndon B. Johnson, 1963–1969: “If we succeed, it will not be because of what we have but because of who we are; not because of what we own but, rather, because of what we believe.”
Richard Nixon, 1969–1974: “The American dream doesn’t come to people who fall asleep.”
Ronald Reagan, 1981–1989: “The future doesn’t belong to the faint-hearted; it belongs to the brave.”
Bill Clinton, 1993–2001: “If you live long enough, you’re going to make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you’ll be a better person.”
George W. Bush, 2001–2009: “Life takes its own turns, makes its own moves and writes its own story, and along the way we start to realize that we are its author.”
Barack Obama, 2009–present: “One voice can change a room. And if one voice can change a room, then it can change a city. And if it can change a city, it can change a state. And if it can change a state, it can change a nation, and if it can change a nation, it can change the world. Your voice can change the world.”
Which of these life lessons would you pick?
Further reading
Featured image: John H. Garo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
