Harry S. Truman

I’ve just read your lousy review [of a concert by Truman’s daughter, Margaret]. I’ve come to the conclusion that you are an “eight ulcer man on four ulcer pay.” It seems to me that you are afrustrated old man who wishes he could have been successful. When you write such poppycock as was in the back section of the paperyou work for it shows conclusively that you’reoff the beam and at least four of your ulcersare at work. Some day I hope to meet you.When that happens you’ll need a new nose, alot of beefsteak for black eyes, and perhaps asupporter below!

Every segment of our population and every individual has a right to expect from ourGovernment a fair deal.

I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities orby outside pressures.

The Government has been informed that a Jewish state has been proclaimed in Palestine, and recognition has been requested by the provisional government thereof. The United States recognizes the provisional government of the de facto authority of the new state of Israel.

Sixteen hours ago an American airplane dropped one bomb on Hiroshima. . . . It is a harnessing of the basic powers of the universe. The force from which the sun draws its powers has been loosed against those who brought war to the Far East.

[ After the death of President Franklin D.Roosevelt :] When they told me yesterday what had happened, I felt like the moon, the stars, and all the planets had fallen on me.

The responsibility of great states is to serve and not to dominate the world.

The President is the representative of the whole nation and he’s the only lobbyist that all the 160 million people in this country have.

A politician is a man who understands government, and it takes a politician to run a government. A statesman is a politician who’s been dead 10 or 15 years.

You should never form judgments from front page headlines. As with a contract, the fine print on the inside pages should be carefully studied.

You can never get all the facts from just one newspaper, and unless you have the facts, you cannot make proper judgments about what is going on.

My favorite animal is the mule. He has more horse sense than a horse. He knows when to stop eating—and he knows when to stop working.

You know that being an American is more than a matter of where your parents came from.

Any man who has had the job I've had and didn't have a sense of humor wouldn't still be here.

The only new thing is history we don't know.

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

The White House is the finest prison in the world.

Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive. And don't ever apologize for anything.

Intense feeling too often obscures the truth.

I sit here all day trying to persuade people to do the things they ought to have the sense to do without my persuading them.

Study men, not historians.

Most of the problems a President has to face have their roots in the past.

If you tell Congress everything about the world situation, they get hysterical. If you tell them nothing, they go fishing.

It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.

We can never tell what is in store for us.

A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.

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

Take a two-mile walk every morning before breakfast.

If there is one basic element in our Constitution, it is civilian control of the military

Men make history, and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.

If that’s art, I’m a Hottentot!

America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination, and unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.

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

My choice early in life was either to be a piano-player in a whorehouse or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference.

I have found that the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want, and then advise them to do it.

It was the same with those old birds in Greece and Rome as it is now. The only thing new in the world is the history you don’t know.