Franklin Delano Roosevelt, often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. Profoundly inspirational Franklin D. Roosevelt quotes will challenge the way you think, and help guide you through any life experience.
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Famous Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes
There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still. Franklin D. Roosevelt
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists. Franklin D. Roosevelt
I’m not the smartest fellow in the world, but I can sure pick smart colleagues. Franklin D. Roosevelt
I ask you to judge me by the enemies I have made. Franklin D. Roosevelt
The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much it is whether we provide enough for those who have little. Franklin D. Roosevelt
When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. Franklin D. Roosevelt
It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something. Franklin D. Roosevelt
We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough. Franklin D. Roosevelt
The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little. Franklin D. Roosevelt
True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made. Franklin D. Roosevelt
A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people. Franklin D. Roosevelt
If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear. Franklin D. Roosevelt
When you see a rattlesnake poised to strike, you do not wait until he has struck to crush him. Franklin D. Roosevelt
The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerated the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than the democratic state itself. That in its essence is fascism ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or any controlling private power. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Physical strength can never permanently withstand the impact of spiritual force. Franklin D. Roosevelt
I’m not the smartest fellow in the world, but I can sure pick smart colleagues. Franklin D. Roosevelt
I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education. Franklin D. Roosevelt
If you treat people right they will treat you right ninety percent of the time. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Books can not be killed by fire. People die, but books never die. No man and no force can abolish memory. In this war, we know, books are weapons. And it is a part of your dedication always to make them weapons for man’s freedom. Franklin D. Roosevelt
We are trying to construct a more inclusive society. We are going to make a country in which no one is left out. Franklin D. Roosevelt
The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith. Franklin D. Roosevelt
The virtues are lost in self interest as rivers are lost in the sea. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. Franklin D. Roosevelt
The United States Constitution has proved itself the most marvelously elastic compilation of rules of government ever written. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort. Franklin D. Roosevelt
The truth is found when men are free to pursue it. Franklin D. Roosevelt
A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor. Franklin D. Roosevelt
If I went to work in a factory the first thing I’d do is join a union. Franklin D. Roosevelt
There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still. Franklin D. Roosevelt
When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on. Franklin D. Roosevelt
It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something. Franklin D. Roosevelt
In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds. Franklin D. Roosevelt
The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Franklin D. Roosevelt
A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned to walk forward. Franklin D. Roosevelt
I think we consider too much the good luck of the early bird and not enough the bad luck of the early worm. Franklin D. Roosevelt
We have always known that heedless self interest was bad morals, we now know that it is bad economics. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Be sincere; be brief; be seated. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Freedom means the supremacy of human rights everywhere. Our support goes to those who struggle to gain those rights and keep them. Our strength is our unity of purpose. To that high concept there can be no end save victory. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Rules are not necessarily sacred, principles are. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Competition has been shown to be useful up to a certain point and no further, but cooperation, which is the thing we must strive for today, begins where competition leaves off. Franklin D. Roosevelt
The first truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. Among us today a concentration of private power without equal in history is growing. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly, and try another. But by all means, try something. Franklin D. Roosevelt
It isn’t sufficient just to want you’ve got to ask yourself what you are going to do to get the things you want. Franklin D. Roosevelt
The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself. Franklin D. Roosevelt
In these days of difficulty, we Americans everywhere must and shall choose the path of social justice, the path of faith, the path of hope, and the path of love toward our fellow man. Franklin D. Roosevelt
A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough. Franklin D. Roosevelt
A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward. Franklin D. Roosevelt
A war of ideas can no more be won without books than a naval war can be won without ships. Books, like ships, have the toughest armor, the longest cruising range, and mount the most powerful guns. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
It isn’t sufficient just to want you’ve got to ask yourself what you are going to do to get the things you want. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Better the occasional faults of a government that lives in a spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a government frozen in the ice of its own indifference. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting. Franklin D. Roosevelt
True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made. Freedom. Franklin D. Roosevelt
There is nothing I love as much as a good fight. Franklin D. Roosevelt
War is young men dying and old men talking. Franklin D. Roosevelt
A reactionary is a somnambulist walking backwards. Franklin D. Roosevelt
I think we consider too much the luck of the early bird and not enough the bad luck of the early worm. Franklin D. Roosevelt
I am a Christian and a Democrat, that’s all. Franklin D. Roosevelt
We cannot always build a future for our youth, but we can always build our youth for the future. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Not only our future economic soundness but the very soundness of our democratic institutions depends on the determination of our government to give employment to idle men. Franklin D. Roosevelt
In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved. Franklin D. Roosevelt
This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny. Franklin D. Roosevelt
A Radical is a man with both feet firmly planted in the air. A Conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned to walk forward. A Reactionary is a somnambulist walking backwards. A Liberal is a man who uses his legs and his hands at the behest at the command of his head. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Our national determination to keep free of foreign wars and foreign entanglements cannot prevent us from feeling deep concern when ideals and principles that we have cherished are challenged. Franklin D. Roosevelt
The real truth of the matter is, as you and I know, that a financial element in the large centers has owned the government of the U.S. since the days of Andrew Jackson. Franklin D. Roosevelt
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Organized money hates me and I welcome their hatred! Franklin D. Roosevelt
Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Taxes, after all, are dues that we pay for the privileges of membership in an organized society. Franklin D. Roosevelt
I ask you to judge me by the enemies I have made. Franklin D. Roosevelt
The only sure bulwark of continuing liberty is a government strong enough to protect the interests of the people, and a people strong enough and well enough informed to maintain its sovereign control over the government. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country. Franklin D. Roosevelt
There should be no bitterness or hate where the sole thought is the welfare of the United States of America. No man can occupy the office of President without realizing that he is President of all the people. Franklin D. Roosevelt
We have always held to the hope, the belief, the conviction that there is a better life, a better world, beyond the horizon. Franklin D. Roosevelt
In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way. Franklin D. Roosevelt
To reach a port, we must sail sail, not tie at anchor sail, not drift. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Today we are faced with the pre eminent fact that if civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships, the ability of all peoples of all kins to live together and to work together in the same world at peace. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Confidence thrives on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection and on unselfish performance. Without them it cannot live. Franklin D. Roosevelt
First of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. Franklin Roosevelt
Remember you are just an extra in everyone else’s play. Franklin D. Roosevelt
We and all others who believe in freedom as deeply as we do, would rather die on our feet than live on our knees. Franklin D. Roosevelt
There is a mysterious cycle in human events. To some generations much is given. Of other generations much is expected. This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny. Franklin D. Roosevelt
I sometimes think that the saving grace of America lies in the fact that the overwhelming majority of Americans are possessed of two great qualities a sense of humor and a sense of proportion. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
There are as many opinions as there are experts. Franklin D. Roosevelt
More striking still, it appeared that, if the process of concentration goes on at the same rate, at the end of another century we shall have all American industry controlled by a dozen corporations and run by perhaps a hundred men. Put plainly, we are steering a steady course toward economic oligarchy, if we are not there already. Franklin D. Roosevelt
One thing is sure. We have to do something. We have to do the best we know how at the moment. If it doesn’t turn out right, we can modify it as we go along. Franklin D. Roosevelt
We have learned that we cannot live alone, at peace; that our own well being is dependent on the well being of nations far away. We have learned that we must live as men, and not as ostriches nor as dogs in the manger. We have learned to be citizens of the world, members of the human community. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Prosperous farmers mean more employment, more prosperity for the workers and the business men of every industrial area in the whole country. Franklin D. Roosevelt
