Harry S. Truman Quotes

You members of this Conference are to be the architects of the better world. In your hands rests our future.

(The AMA is) "just another mean trust."

This Nation was established by men who believed in God. ... You will see the evidence of this deep religious faith on every hand.

Never kick a fresh turd on a hot day.

On the one hand, the Republicans are telling industrial workers that the high cost of food in the cities is due to this government's farm policy. On the other hand, the Republicans are telling the farmers that the high cost of manufactured goods on the farm is due to this government's labor policy. That's plain hokum. It's an old political trick: "If you can't convince 'em, confuse 'em." But this time it won't work.

Canadian-American relations for many years did not develop spontaneously. The example of accord provided by our two countries did not come about merely through the happy circumstance of geography. It is compounded of one part proximity and nine parts good will and common sense.

The atom bomb was no great decision. It was merely another powerful weapon in the arsenal of righteousness.

The fundamental basis of this Nation's law was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings which we get from Exodus and St. Matthew, from Isaiah and St. Paul.

Whenever a man does the best he can, then that is all he can do.

The most peaceful thing in the world is plowing a field. Chances are you’ll do your best thinking that way. And that’s why I’ve always thought and said, farmers are the smartest people in the world, they don’t go for high hats and they can spot a phony a mile off.

I never did give anybody hell. I just told the truth and they thought it was hell.

I wonder how far Moses would have gone if he had taken a poll in Egypt? What would Jesus Christ have preached if He had taken a poll in the land of Israel? Where would the Reformation have gone if Martin Luther had taken a poll? It isn't polls or public opinion alone of the moment that counts.

Some of my best friends never agree with me politically.

If you want a friend in Washington, buy a dog.

If you can't stand the heat, then move to Minnesota. They have snow in May.

A man who is influenced by the polls or is afraid to make decisions which make him unpopular is not a man to represent the welfare of the country.

We shall never be able to remove suspicion and fear as potential causes of war until communication is permitted to flow, free and open, across international boundaries.

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

Some day we'll awake, have a reformation of the heart, teach our kids honor and kill a few sex psychologists, put boys in high schools with men teachers (not sissies), close all the girls' finishing schools, shoot all the effeciency experts and become a nation of God's people once more.

Today, America has become one of the most powerful forces for good on earth. We must keep it so.

When a leader is in the Democratic Party he's a boss. When he's in the Republican Party he's nothing but a leader.

A man cannot have character unless he lives within a fundamental system of morals that creates character.

We have gone a long way toward civilization and religious tolerance, and we have a good example in this country. Here the many Protestant denominations, the Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church do not seek to destroy one another in physical violence just because they do not interpret every verse of the Bible in exactly the same way. Here we now have the freedom of all religions, and I hope that never again will we have a repetition of religious bigotry, as we have had in certain periods of our own history. There is no room for that kind of foolishness here.

I can deal with Stalin. He is honest, but smart as hell.

Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear.

A person who is fundamentally honest doesn't need a code of ethics. The Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount are all the ethical code anybody needs.

Believe and you're halfway there.

In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves... self-discipline with all of them came first.

The Marshall Plan will go down in history as one of America's greatest contributions to the peace of the world.

There is some risk involved in action, there always is. But there is far more risk in failure to act.

The United States is not so strong, the final triumph of the democratic ideal is not so inevitable that we can ignore what the world thinks of us or our record.

At the present moment in world history nearly every nation must choose between alternative ways of life. The choice is too often not a free one.

The United States should not under any circumstances throw away our gun until we are sure the rest of the world cannot arm against us.

Whenever the press quits abusing me, I know I'm in the wrong pew.

We believe that all men are created equal because they are created in the image of God

Despite his unimpressive appearance and manner, he was a brilliant fellow with a crystal-clear mind.... It was just that, when it came time for him to act like an executive, he was like a great many other people; when the time comes to make decisions, they have difficulty doing it.

The seeds of totalitarian regimes are nurtured by misery and want.

It is through generous giving, that we affirm before the world, our nation's faith in the inalienable right of every man, to a life of freedom, justice and security.

This is the first time in my experience... that I ever heard of a Senator trying to discredit his own Government before the world.... Your telegram is not only not true and an insolent approach to a situation that should have been worked out between man and man - but it shows conclusively that you are not even fit to have a hand in the operation of the Government of the United States.

A president either is constantly on top of events or, if he hesitates, events will soon be on top of him. I never felt that I could let up for a moment.

Work Hard. Do your best. Keep your word. Never get too big for your britches. Trust in God. Have no fear; and Never forget a friend.

Well, I wouldn't say that I was in the great class, but I had a great time while I was trying to be great.

He wanted to know what assurance we could give the American people that we aren't getting the tar licked out of us by the North Korean army. It has never happened to us. It won't happen this time.

Beware of the guy praying loudest in the amen corner.

Millions do not now have protection or security against the economic effects of sickness.

I can assure you that flying saucers, given that they exist, are not constructed by any power on Earth.

It doesn't matter how big a ranch you own or how many cows you brand, the size of your funeral is still gonna depend on the weather.

Our religious faith gives us the answer to the false beliefs of Communism... I have the feeling that God has created us and brought us to our present position of power and strength for some great purpose.