Within the first few months I discovered that being president is like riding a tiger. A man has to keep riding or be swallowed. The fantastically crowded nine months of 1945 taught me that a President either is constantly on top of events or, if he hesitates, events will soon be on top of him. I never felt I could let up for a single moment.

Peace is precious to us. It is the way of life we strive for with all the strength and wisdom we possess. But more precious than peace are freedom and justice. We will fight, if fight we must, to keep our freedom and to prevent justice from being destroyed.

I believe in the brotherhood of man, not merely the brotherhood of white men but the brotherhood of all men before law.

Prosperous farmers make for a prosperous nation, and when farmers are in trouble, the nation is in trouble.

I want a one-armed economist, that way he cannot say, 'on the other hand'.

The United States has become great because we, as a people, have been able to work together for great objectives even while differing about details.

We have found that it is easier for men to die together on the field of battle than it is for them to live together at home in peace.