The Presidency is not merely an administrative office. Thats the least of it. It is more than an engineering job, efficient or inefficient. It is pre-eminently a place of moral leadership. All our great Presidents were leaders of thought at times when certain historic ideas in the life of the nation had to be clarified.

If in other lands the press and books and literature of all kinds are censored, we must redouble our efforts here to keep them free

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

I believe that in every country the people themselves are more peaceably and liberally inclined than their governments.

The people of America are in agreement in defending their liberties at any cost, and the first line of that defense lies in the protection of economic security.

Failure is not an American habit.

We must be the great arsenal of democracy. For us this is an emergency as serious as war itself. We must apply ourselves to our task with the same resolution, the same sense of urgency, the same spirit of patriotism and sacrifice as we would show were we at war.