Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, born on January 30, 1882, and passing on April 12, 1945, left an indelible mark on American history and the world stage through his leadership during the Great Depression and World War II. His quotes encapsulate a lifetime of wisdom, resilience, and a commitment to democratic values and human rights. Roosevelt’s contributions went beyond his political achievements; they reflected a profound understanding of human nature, governance, and the power of collective action. His life and words continue to inspire leaders and individuals around the globe, demonstrating the timeless relevance of his vision for a society founded on principles of justice, equality, and the unyielding pursuit of progress.
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Quotes on Personal Virtues and Growth
Franklin D. Roosevelt believed in the power of personal virtues and the significance of individual growth as the bedrock of a strong and just society. His quotes offer insights into the development of character, the importance of education, and the lifelong pursuit of knowledge and wisdom.
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Character
“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.”
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.”
“A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.”
“Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.”
“When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Education
“Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.”
“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.”
“The school is the last expenditure upon which America should be willing to economize.”
“Education is the cornerstone of liberty.”
“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.”
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Knowledge
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
“Freedom means the supremacy of human rights everywhere.”
“To reach a port, we must sail—Sail, not tie at anchor—Sail, not drift.”
“There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still.”
“Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth.”
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Intelligence
“Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.”
“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.”
“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.”
“I ask you to judge me by the enemies I have made.”
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Wisdom
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
“It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.”
“Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.”
“A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward.”
“Be sincere; be brief; be seated.”
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Virtue
“The virtues are lost in self-interest as rivers are lost in the sea.”
“In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.”
“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.”
“We have always known that heedless self-interest was bad morals; we know now that it is bad economics.”
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.”
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Ethics
“We must remember that any oppression, any injustice, any hatred, is a wedge designed to attack our civilization.”
“I’m not the smartest fellow in the world, but I can sure pick smart colleagues.”
“Rules are not necessarily sacred, principles are.”
“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 its government.”
“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.”
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Morality
“We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence.”
“The structure of world peace cannot be the work of one man, or one party, or one nation… it must be a peace which rests on the cooperative effort of the whole world.”
“No man can tame a tiger into a kitten by stroking it.”
“There are as many opinions as there are experts.”
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Courage
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith.”
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.”
“You have to have courage to be obedient to God.”
“Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those timid spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”
“A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.”
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Hard Work
“Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.”
“Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.”
“It takes a long time to bring the past up to the present.”
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
“I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.”
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Excellence
“The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.”
“We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”
“When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.”
“Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.”
“There are as many opinions as there are experts.”
Conclusion: In this section, we’ve explored how Franklin D. Roosevelt’s wisdom and insights into personal virtues and growth can inspire us to pursue excellence, embody ethics, and cultivate courage and morality in our lives. His quotes encourage us to reflect on our character, pursue education, and engage in hard work as we strive for personal and societal improvement.
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Quotes on Interpersonal Relations and Inner Life
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s views on interpersonal relations and inner life highlight the importance of love, happiness, empathy, and friendship in building a cohesive society. His leadership was marked not only by his political acumen but also by his deep understanding of human emotions and relationships.
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Love
“We are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of our own minds. We have the power to create happiness and love in our lives.”
“The greatest thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
“Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.”
“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.”
“Remember always that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.”
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Happiness
“Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.”
“The joy of living comes from what we put into living, not from what we seek to get from it.”
“True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence.”
“We look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.”
“A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.”
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Soul
“We have always held to the hope, the belief, the conviction that there is a better life, a better world, beyond the horizon.”
“Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.”
“Art is not a treasure in the past or an importation from another land, but part of the present life of all living and creating peoples.”
“There are many ways of moving forward, but only one way of standing still.”
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself; nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Empathy
“We must especially beware of that small group of selfish men who would clip the wings of the American eagle in order to feather their own nests.”
“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.”
“Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.”
“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.”
“It is a terrible thing to look over your shoulder when you are trying to lead — and find no one there.”
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Trust
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.”
“To reach a port, we must sail—sail, not tie at anchor—sail, not drift.”
“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.”
“Confidence… thrives on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection and on unselfish performance. Without them, it cannot live.”
“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.”
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Friendship
“I’m not the smartest fellow in the world, but I can sure pick smart colleagues.”
“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.”
“We must lay hold of the fact that economic laws are not made by nature. They are made by human beings.”
“True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. Necessitous men are not free men.”
“There is nothing I love as much as a good fight.”
Conclusion: In conclusion, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s quotes on interpersonal relations and inner life shed light on the profound impact that love, happiness, empathy, trust, and friendship can have on our lives and the fabric of society. His words encourage us to cultivate deep, meaningful relationships and to approach life with an open heart and mind, recognizing the interconnectedness of all people.
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Quotes on Societal Values and Governance
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency was defined by his efforts to steer the United States through some of its most challenging times. His quotes on societal values and governance reflect his deep commitment to democracy, justice, and the welfare of the common man.
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Society
“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.”
“No business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country.”
“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.”
“We must remember that any oppression, any injustice, any hatred, is a wedge designed to attack our civilization.”
“Society’s ills cannot be cured with a scalpel but with a heart.”
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Justice
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
“The scales of justice are not balanced until everyone is included.”
“We have always known that heedless self-interest was bad morals; we now know that it is bad economics.”
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.”
“I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people.”
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Democracy
“Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.”
“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.”
“The point in history at which we stand is full of promise and danger. The world will either move forward toward unity and widely shared prosperity – or it will move apart.”
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.”
“If we can boondoggle ourselves out of this depression, that word is going to be enshrined in the hearts of the American people for years to come.”
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on the Constitution
“The Constitution does not just protect those whose views we share; it also protects those with whose views we disagree.”
“Freedom of speech and of the press, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and freedom from fear—these are the four freedoms that we hold dear.”
“The safety of democracy is not the high walls surrounding it but the zeal of its defenders.”
“Every generation has the obligation to free men’s minds for a look at new worlds… to look out from a higher plateau than the last generation.”
“It is our duty as Americans, and as lovers of liberty, to re-dedicate ourselves to the preservation of these rights and to oppose any encroachment on them.”
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Leadership
“The measure of our progress is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”
“Leadership is not a formula or a program, it is a human activity that comes from the heart and considers the hearts of others. It is an attitude, not a routine.”
“A great leader inspires people to have confidence in their leader; a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.”
“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.”
“It is a terrible thing to look over your shoulder when you are trying to lead—and find no one there.”
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Politics
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”
“In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.”
“I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.”
“Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob.”
“Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable—the art of the next best.”
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Government
“Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us.”
“The test of our progress is not whether we add to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”
“Governments can err, presidents do make mistakes, but the immortal Dante tells us that divine justice weighs the sins of the cold-blooded and the sins of the warm-hearted on different scales.”
“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.”
“We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.”
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Law
“Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both.”
“No man is above the law and no man is below it; nor do we ask any man’s permission when we ask him to obey it.”
“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.”
“Crime is the enemy of all law.”
“In our personal ambitions we are individualists. But in our seeking for economic and political progress as a nation, we all go up or else all go down as one people.”
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Power
“True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence.”
“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 its government.”
“Real power lies in the will of the people, and a government that ignores this fact does so at its own peril.”
“The great challenge of democracy is to harness the power of man’s creative spirit for the common good.”
“Power is not only what you have but what the enemy thinks you have.”
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Community
“The fortunes of the nation will rise or fall on the ability of its people to stay together and pull together.”
“We are trying to construct a more inclusive society. We are going to make a country in which no one is left out.”
“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.”
“Community needs cannot be met by government alone. It must be done by people caring for each other.”
“The success of our popular democracy rests wholly upon the correct interpretation of the deliberate, intelligent, dependable popular will of America.”
5 Best Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes on Cultural Awareness
“Art is not a luxury as many people think—it is a necessity. It documents history—it helps educate people and stores knowledge for generations to come.”
“We must be aware of our own strengths and weaknesses, and as much aware of the culture, strengths, and weaknesses of potential adversaries and friends.”
“Cultural development is an essential part of any vibrant society. It reflects our hopes, our dreams, our fears, and our progress.”
“The appreciation of art and the encouragement of new artists is essential to the cultural growth of our country.”
“Every man should be allowed to love two countries – his own and the country of his dreams.”
Final Words
The wisdom of Franklin D. Roosevelt articulated through his enduring quotes, spans the essence of personal virtue, interpersonal relationships, and the overarching values that govern societies. His leadership, marked by resilience in the face of adversity and a steadfast commitment to democracy and the common good, offers timeless insights into the human condition and the pursuit of a more just and equitable world. Roosevelt’s words remind us of the power of individual action and collective responsibility in shaping our destiny, highlighting the importance of courage, empathy, and integrity in our daily lives. As we navigate the complexities of the 21st century, the legacy of Franklin D. Roosevelt serves as a beacon of hope and a call to action, urging us to uphold the values that define us as individuals and as a society. Through his quotes, Roosevelt continues to inspire a vision of a world founded on freedom, respect, and mutual understanding, challenging us to build a future that honors these principles.
Roosevelt’s quotes on governance and societal values underscore the importance of an informed and engaged citizenry, the bedrock of a vibrant democracy. He reminds us that true power resides not in institutions or their leaders, but in the people these entities are meant to serve. This perspective is particularly relevant today, as societies around the globe grapple with the challenges of maintaining democracy, justice, and equality in the face of unprecedented challenges.
Moreover, Roosevelt’s emphasis on community and cultural awareness speaks to the interconnectedness of our global society. In an era marked by rapid technological advances and increasing globalization, his call for a more inclusive society and the appreciation of cultural diversity is more pertinent than ever. By fostering a sense of community and promoting cultural understanding, we can work towards a world where everyone is valued and no one is left behind.
In conclusion, the 100 quotes of Franklin D. Roosevelt compiled here offer a roadmap for personal development, ethical leadership, and civic responsibility. They serve as a reminder that each of us has the capacity to contribute positively to our communities and the world at large. As we move forward, let us carry the wisdom of Roosevelt with us, drawing on his insights to navigate the challenges of our time with grace, determination, and an unwavering commitment to the values that define us at our best. In doing so, we honor not only his legacy but also the potential for greatness that resides within each of us.
