H

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."

“You and I are stuck with the necessity of taking the worst of two evils or none at all. So-I'm taking the immature Democrat as the best of the two. Nixon is impossible.”

— Harry S. Truman

Best

All Quotes by Harry S. Truman

“In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves... self-discipline with all of them came first.”

— Harry S. Truman

Great

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

— Harry S. Truman

Time

“The reward of suffering is experience.”

— Harry S. Truman

Experience

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

— Harry S. Truman

Courage

“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

“A leader in the Democratic Party is a boss, in the Republican Party he is a leader.”

— Harry S. Truman

Politics

“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

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

— Harry S. Truman

Government

“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

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

— Harry S. Truman

Amazing

“Those who want the Government to regulate matters of the mind and spirit are like men who are so afraid of being murdered that they commit suicide to avoid assassination.”

— Harry S. Truman

Government

“Study men, not historians.”

— Harry S. Truman

Men

“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

“I would rather have peace in the world than be President.”

— Harry S. Truman

Peace

“Richard Nixon is a no good, lying bastard. He can lie out of both sides of his mouth at the same time, and if he ever caught himself telling the truth, he'd lie just to keep his hand in.”

— Harry S. Truman

Good

“When even one American - who has done nothing wrong - is forced by fear to shut his mind and close his mouth - then all Americans are in peril.”

— Harry S. Truman

Fear

“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

“You and I are stuck with the necessity of taking the worst of two evils or none at all. So-I'm taking the immature Democrat as the best of the two. Nixon is impossible.”

— Harry S. Truman

Best

“There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know.”

— Harry S. Truman

History

“I do not believe there is a problem in this country or the world today which could not be settled if approached through the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount.”

— Harry S. Truman

Teacher