Meeting Franklin Roosevelt was like opening your first bottle of champagne; knowing him was like drinking it.

The very first thing the President [Truman] did was to show me the new Presidential Seal, which he had just redesigned. He explained, 'The seal has to go everywhere the President goes. It must be displayed upon the lectern when he speaks. The eagle used to face the arrows but I have re-designed it so that it now faces the olive branches ... what do you think?' I said, 'Mr. President, with the greatest respect, I would prefer the American eagle's neck to be on a swivel so that it could face the olive branches or the arrows, as the occasion might demand.'

It is one thing to see the forward path and another to be able to take it. But it is better to have an ambitious plan than none at all.

A politician needs the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn't happen.

Everything trends towards catastrophe & collapse. I am interested, geared up & happy. Is it not horrible to be built like that?

There is nothing like oratory, it is a skill that can turn a commoner into a king.

Everyone is in favor of free speech. Hardly a day passes without its being extolled, but some people's idea of it is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone else says anything back, that is an outrage.