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Harry S. Truman

40 quotes

Harry S. Truman (1884–1972) was the 33rd President of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. He made some of the most consequential decisions of the 20th century, including the use of atomic weapons against Japan, the Marshall Plan for European recovery, and the creation of NATO. Truman was known for his plain-spoken honesty and the famous sign on his desk: "The Buck Stops Here."

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“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.”

— Harry S. Truman

Change

All Quotes by Harry S. Truman

“When you have an efficient government, you have a dictatorship.”

— Harry S. Truman

Government

“It's plain hokum. If you can't convince 'em, confuse 'em. It's an old political trick. But this time it won't work.”

— Harry S. Truman

Time

“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.”

— Harry S. Truman

Communication

“Study men, not historians.”

— Harry S. Truman

Men

“All the president is, is a glorified public relations man who spends his time flattering, kissing, and kicking people to get them to do what they are supposed to do anyway.”

— Harry S. Truman

Politics

“A politician is a man who understands government. A statesman is a politician who's been dead for 15 years.”

— Harry S. Truman

Government

“Intense feeling too often obscures the truth.”

— Harry S. Truman

Truth

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

— Harry S. Truman

Best

“A President needs political understanding to run the government, but he may be elected without it.”

— Harry S. Truman

Government

“My father was not a failure. After all, he was the father of a president of the United States.”

— Harry S. Truman

Dad

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

— Harry S. Truman

Humor

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

— Harry S. Truman

Amazing

“All my life, whenever it comes time to make a decision, I make it and forget about it.”

— Harry S. Truman

Time

“The best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it.”

— Harry S. Truman

Best

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

— Harry S. Truman

Great

“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.”

— Harry S. Truman

Change

“It is understanding that gives us an ability to have peace. When we understand the other fellow's viewpoint, and he understands ours, then we can sit down and work out our differences.”

— Harry S. Truman

Peace

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

— Harry S. Truman

Truth

“The Marine Corps is the Navy's police force and as long as I am President that is what it will remain. They have a propaganda machine that is almost equal to Stalin's.”

— Harry S. Truman

History

“You know that being an American is more than a matter of where your parents came from. It is a belief that all men are created free and equal and that everyone deserves an even break.”

— Harry S. Truman

Men