WIST Quotations

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- “Developments in Eastern Europe and the Middle East,” Broadcast Speech (31 Oct 1956)

Dave — Tue, 26 Jan 2016 16:58:08 +0000

The peace we seek and need means much more than mere absence of war. It means the acceptance of law, and the fostering of justice, in all the world.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
“Developments in Eastern Europe and the Middle East,” Broadcast Speech (31 Oct 1956)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- “Farewell Address” (17 Jan 1961)

Dave — Tue, 10 May 2016 13:28:56 +0000

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
“Farewell Address” (17 Jan 1961)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- “Let’s Be Honest with Ourselves,” Reader’s Digest (Dec 1963)

Dave — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 11:53:53 +0000

The older I get, the more wisdom I find in the ancient rule of taking first things first — a process which often reduces the most complex human problems to manageable proportions.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
“Let’s Be Honest with Ourselves,” Reader’s Digest (Dec 1963)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- “Regarding the Situation in the Formosa Straits,” broadcast speech (11 Sep 1958)

Dave — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 21:39:14 +0000

I know something about that war, and I never want to see that history repeated. But, my fellow Americans, it certainly can be repeated if the peace-loving democratic nations again fearfully practice a policy of standing idly by while big aggressors use armed force to conquer the small and weak.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
“Regarding the Situation in the Formosa Straits,” broadcast speech (11 Sep 1958)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- “Security in the Free World,” broadcast speech (15 Mar 1959)

Dave — Tue, 03 May 2016 20:34:30 +0000

But all history has taught us the grim lesson that no nation has ever been successful in avoiding the terrors of war by refusing to defend its rights — by attempting to placate aggression.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
“Security in the Free World,” broadcast speech (15 Mar 1959)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- (1963)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

Unless each day can be looked back upon by an individual as one in which he has had some fun, some joy, some real satisfaction, that day is a loss.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
(1963)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- (Attributed)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

You don’t lead by hitting people over the head — that’s assault, not leadership.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
(Attributed)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- (Attributed)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

The best morale exists when you never hear the word mentioned. When you hear a lot of talk about it, it’s usually lousy.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
(Attributed)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- (Attributed)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

As quickly as you start spending federal money in large amounts, it looks like free money.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
(Attributed)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- (Attributed)

Dave — Tue, 15 Jun 2004 13:18:47 +0000

It is only common sense to recognize that the great bulk of Americans, whether Republican or Democrat, face many common problems and agree on a number of basic objectives.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
(Attributed)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- (Attributed)

Dave — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 11:57:11 +0000

Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
(Attributed)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- (Attributed)

Dave — Mon, 25 Mar 2019 00:48:34 +0000

The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office. If a man’s associates find him guilty of phoniness, if they find that he lacks forthright integrity, he will fail. His teachings and actions must square with each other. The first great need, therefore, is integrity and high purpose.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
(Attributed)

The earliest citation found for this quote is in J. A. Cheley, Stories for Talks with Boys and Girls (1958). More discussion here.

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Crusade in Europe (1948)

Dave — Tue, 24 May 2016 13:30:17 +0000

Morale is the greatest single factor in successful war.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Crusade in Europe (1948)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- New York Post (26 Oct 1959)

Dave — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:41:39 +0000

Oh, that lovely title, ex-President.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
New York Post (26 Oct 1959)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Parade (1962)

Dave — Mon, 16 Feb 2004 22:00:07 +0000

No easy problems ever come to the President of the United States. If they are easy to solve, somebody else has solved them.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Parade (1962)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- The White House Years: Mandate for Change: 1953-1956: A Personal Account (1963)

Dave — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 14:13:54 +0000

Un-American activity cannot be prevented or routed out by employing un-American methods; to preserve freedom we must use the tools that freedom provides.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
The White House Years: Mandate for Change: 1953-1956: A Personal Account (1963)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- White House Years: Waging Peace, 1956-1961 (1965)

Dave — Tue, 14 Jun 2016 19:39:35 +0000

We need an adequate defense, but every arms dollar we spend above adequacy has a long-term weakening effect upon the nation and its security.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
White House Years: Waging Peace, 1956-1961 (1965)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Address on the first observance of “Law Day” (5 May 1958)

Dave — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:10:47 +0000

The clearest way to show what the rule of law means to us in everyday life is to recall what has happened when there is no rule of law.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Address on the first observance of “Law Day” (5 May 1958)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Address to UN General Assembly (13 Aug 1958)

Dave — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 11:44:05 +0000

In most communities it is illegal to cry “fire” in a crowded assembly. Should it not be considered serious international misconduct to manufacture a general war scare in an effort to achieve local political aims?

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Address to UN General Assembly (13 Aug 1958)

On the Middle East crisis.

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Address, Guildhall, London (12 Jun 1945)

Dave — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 10:33:59 +0000

Humility must always be the portion of any man who receives acclaim earned in the blood of his followers and the sacrifices of his friends.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Address, Guildhall, London (12 Jun 1945)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Broadcast with Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, London (31 Aug 1959)

Dave — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 17:38:47 +0000

I like to believe that people, in the long run, are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Broadcast with Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, London (31 Aug 1959)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Campaign speech, Los Angeles (19 Oct. 1956)

Dave — Tue, 17 Feb 2004 01:42:54 +0000

The final battle against intolerance is to be fought — not in the chambers of any legislature — but in the hearts of men

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Campaign speech, Los Angeles (19 Oct. 1956)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Commencement Address, US Naval Academy (4 Jun 1958)

Dave — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 16:44:59 +0000

But finally, there is one other quality I would mention among these that I believe will fit you for difficult and important posts. This is a healthy and lively sense of humor.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Commencement Address, US Naval Academy (4 Jun 1958)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Commencement Speech, Dartmouth College (14 Jun 1953)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

Don’t join the book burners. Don’t think you are going to conceal thoughts by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Don’t be afraid to go in your library and read every book, as long as that document does not offend your own ideas of decency. That should be the only censorship.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Commencement Speech, Dartmouth College (14 Jun 1953)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Essay (1948-10), “An Open Letter to America’s Students,” Reader’s Digest

Dave — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 06:12:04 +0000

Never let yourself be persuaded that any one Great Man, any one leader, is necessary to the salvation of America. When America consists of one leader and 143,000,000 followers, it will no longer be America. Truly American leadership is not of any one man. It is of multitudes of men — and women.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Essay (1948-10), “An Open Letter to America’s Students,” Reader’s Digest

The quote can be found (without citation) in different locations with various numbers for the US population.

The letter was written while Eisenhower was President of Columbia University.

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Gabriel Silver Lecture, McMillin Academic Theater, Columbia U., New York (23 Mar 1950)

Dave — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 13:06:29 +0000

Hope spurs humans everywhere to work harder, to endure more now, that the future may be better.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Gabriel Silver Lecture, McMillin Academic Theater, Columbia U., New York (23 Mar 1950)

Full text.

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Inaugural Address (20 Jan 1953)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Inaugural Address (20 Jan 1953)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Inaugural Address (20 Jan 1953)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Inaugural Address (20 Jan 1953)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Inaugural Address (20 Jan 1953)

Dave — Mon, 19 May 2008 10:39:39 +0000

Whatever America hopes to bring to pass in this world must first come to pass in the heart of America.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Inaugural Address (20 Jan 1953)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Inaugural Address (20 Jan 1953)

Dave — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 18:57:32 +0000

Americans, indeed, all free men, remember that in the final choice a soldier’s pack is not so heavy a burden as a prisoner’s chains.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Inaugural Address (20 Jan 1953)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Interview (1963-11-05) by William Stringer, “Midroad View at Gettysburg,” Christian Science Monitor

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

People talk about the middle of the road as though it were unacceptable. Actually, all human problems, excepting morals, come into the gray areas. Things are not all black and white. There have to be compromises. The middle of the road is all of the usable surface. The extremes, right and left, are in the gutters.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Interview (1963-11-05) by William Stringer, “Midroad View at Gettysburg,” Christian Science Monitor

I cannot find an online copy of the source, but it is cited by the Eisenhower Presidential Library, as well as other reliable sources.

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Lecture (1950-03-23), Inaugural Gabriel Silver Lecture, Columbia University

Dave — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 19:11:35 +0000

The best foreign policy is to live our daily lives in honesty, decency, and integrity; at home, making our own land a more fitting habitation for free men; and abroad, joining with those of like mind and heart, to make of the world a place where all men can dwell in peace.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Lecture (1950-03-23), Inaugural Gabriel Silver Lecture, Columbia University

Eisenhower was President of Columbia University at the time. The quote was widely used in an "I Believe" advertisement for Eisenhower during the 1956 election.

(Sources 1 and 2)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Letter to Alfred M. Gruenther (2 Nov 1956)

Dave — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 13:32:41 +0000

But I think a life of raising prize cattle, going shooting two or three times a year, fishing in the summer, and interspersing the whole thing with some golf and bridge — and whenever I felt like talking or writing, doing it with abandon and with no sense of responsibility whatsoever — maybe such a life wouldn’t be so bad.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Letter to Alfred M. Gruenther (2 Nov 1956)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Letter to Dr. Robert B. Downs, pres. of the American Library Association (24 Jun 1953)

Dave — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 11:45:55 +0000

But we know that freedom cannot be served by the devices of the tyrant. As it is an ancient truth that freedom cannot be legislated into existence, so it is no less obvious that freedom cannot be censored into existence. And any who act as if freedom’s defenses are to be found in suppression and suspicion and fear confess a doctrine that is alien to America.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Letter to Dr. Robert B. Downs, pres. of the American Library Association (24 Jun 1953)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Letter to George C. Marshall (15 Apr 1945)

Dave — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 12:59:48 +0000

But the most interesting — although horrible — sight that I encountered during the trip was a visit to a German internment camp near Gotha. The things I saw beggar description. While I was touring the camp I encountered three men who had been inmates and by one ruse or another had made their escape. I interviewed them through an interpreter. The visual evidence and the verbal testimony of starvation, cruelty and bestiality were so overpowering as to leave me a bit sick. In one room, where there were piled up twenty or thirty naked men, killed by starvation, George Patton would not even enter. He said he would get sick if he did so. I made the visit deliberately, in order to be in position to give first-hand evidence of these things if ever, in the future, there develops a tendency to charge these allegations merely to “propaganda”.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Letter to George C. Marshall (15 Apr 1945)

Referring to the Ohrdruf concentration camp, part of the Buchenwald network of camps. It was the first camp liberated by US troops.

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- News conference (12 May 1954)

Dave — Thu, 21 May 2015 12:01:23 +0000

There is an old saw in the services: that which is not inspected deteriorates.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
News conference (12 May 1954)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- News conference (13 May 1959)

Dave — Thu, 23 Jul 2015 14:36:17 +0000

I believe that the United States as a government, if it is going to be true to its own founding documents, does have the job of working toward that time when there is no discrimination made on such inconsequential reason as race, color, or religion.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
News conference (13 May 1959)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- News conference (20 Jan 1957)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

You don’t promote the cause of peace by talking only to people with whom you agree.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
News conference (20 Jan 1957)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- News Conference (23 Mar 1955)

Dave — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 13:59:22 +0000

I have said time and again there is no place on this earth to which I would not travel, there is no chore I would not undertake if I had any faintest hope that, by so doing, I would promote the general cause of world peace.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
News Conference (23 Mar 1955)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- News conference (31 Aug 1956)

Dave — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 13:02:33 +0000

The world moves, and ideas that were good once are not always good.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
News conference (31 Aug 1956)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- News conference, Washington (6-Feb-1957)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

Peace and justice are two sides of the same coin.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
News conference, Washington (6-Feb-1957)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Press Conference (18 Jun 1945)

Dave — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 16:53:44 +0000

When I found the first camp like that I think I never was so angry in my life. The bestiality displayed there was not merely piled up bodies of people that had starved to death, but to follow out the road and see where they tried to evacuate them so they could still work, you could see where they sprawled on the road. You could go to their burial pits and see horrors that really I wouldn’t even want to begin to describe. I think people ought to know about such things. It explains something of my attitude toward the German war criminal. I believe he must be punished, and I will hold out for that forever.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Press Conference (18 Jun 1945)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Press Conference. Washington. D.C. (31 Aug. 1955)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

The world moves and ideas that were good once are not always good.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Press Conference. Washington. D.C. (31 Aug. 1955)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech (1953-04-16), “The Chance for Peace,” American Society of Newspaper Editors, Hotel Statler, New York City

Dave — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:07:45 +0000

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.
The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals. It is some 50 miles of concrete highway. We pay for a single fighter with a half million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people.
This, I repeat, is the best way of life to be found on the road the world has been taking. This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech (1953-04-16), “The Chance for Peace,” American Society of Newspaper Editors, Hotel Statler, New York City

Describing the cost of the Cold War. Also known as the "Cross of Iron" speech, it was delivered shortly into his presidency and just after Stalin's death.

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech (1953-04-16), “The Chance for Peace,” American Society of Newspaper Editors, Hotel Statler, New York City

Dave — Thu, 05 Feb 2015 17:52:00 +0000

The way chosen by the United States was plainly marked by a few clear precepts, which govern its conduct in world affairs.
First: No people on earth can be held, as a people, to be enemy, for all humanity shares the common hunger for peace and fellowship and justice.
Second: No nation’s security and well-being can be lastingly achieved in isolation but only in effective cooperation with fellow-nations.
Third: Any nation’s right to form of government and an economic system of its own choosing is inalienable.
Fourth: Any nation’s attempt to dictate to other nations their form of government is indefensible.
And fifth: A nation’s hope of lasting peace cannot be firmly based upon any race in armaments but rather upon just relations and honest understanding with all other nations.
In the light of these principles the citizens of the United States defined the way they proposed to follow, through the aftermath of war, toward true peace.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech (1953-04-16), “The Chance for Peace,” American Society of Newspaper Editors, Hotel Statler, New York City

Describing US foreign policy post-World War 2, in contrast with the USSR. Also known as the "Cross of Iron" speech, it was delivered shortly into his presidency and just after Stalin's death.

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech at Birthday Celebration, Washington (Oct 1963)

Dave — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:34:47 +0000

I despise all adjectives that try to describe people as liberal or conservative, rightist or leftist, as long as they stay in the useful part of the road. Even more, I despise those who go to the gutter on either the right or the left, and hurl rocks at those in the center.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech at Birthday Celebration, Washington (Oct 1963)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech to Congress on the Mutual Security Program (13 Mar 1959)

Dave — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 12:48:05 +0000

We cannot safely confine government programs to our own domestic progress and our own military power. We could be the wealthiest and the most mighty nation and still lose the battle of the world if we do not help our world neighbors protect their freedom and advance their social and economic progress. It is not the goal of the American people that the United States should be the richest nation in the graveyard of history.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech to Congress on the Mutual Security Program (13 Mar 1959)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech to Luncheon Clubs, Galveston, Texas (8 Dec 1949)

Dave — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 12:29:53 +0000

If all that Americans want is security, they can go to prison. They’ll have enough to eat, a bed and a roof over their heads. But if an American wants to preserve his dignity and his equality as a human being, he must not bow his neck to any dictatorial government.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech to Luncheon Clubs, Galveston, Texas (8 Dec 1949)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, American Federation of Labor, New York City (17 Sep 1952)

Dave — Mon, 07 Sep 2015 16:35:07 +0000

Today in America unions have a secure place in our industrial life. Only a handful of unreconstructed reactionaries harbor the ugly thought of breaking unions. Only a fool would try to deprive working men and women of the right to join the union of their choice.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, American Federation of Labor, New York City (17 Sep 1952)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, American Federation of Labor, New York City (17 Sep 1952)

Dave — Thu, 20 Aug 2015 13:03:28 +0000

I have no use for those — regardless of their political party — who hold some foolish dream of spinning the clock back to days when unorganized labor was a huddled, almost helpless mass.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, American Federation of Labor, New York City (17 Sep 1952)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, American Newspaper Publishers Assoc, New York City (25 Apr 1946)

Dave — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 22:16:09 +0000

Belligerence is the hallmark of insecurity — the secure nation does not need threat to maintain its position.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, American Newspaper Publishers Assoc, New York City (25 Apr 1946)

The first part of the above was a common phrase of Eisenhower's.

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, American Society of Newspaper Editors, Washington, DC (21 Apr 1956)

Dave — Tue, 12 Apr 2016 19:51:40 +0000

Arms alone can give the world no permanent peace, no confident security. Arms are solely for defense — to protect from violent assault what we already have. They are only a costly insurance. They cannot add to human progress.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, American Society of Newspaper Editors, Washington, DC (21 Apr 1956)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, Associated Press luncheon, New York (24 Apr 1950)

Dave — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 19:21:29 +0000

Censorship, in my opinion, is a stupid and shallow way of approaching the solution to any problem. Though sometimes necessary, as witness a professional and technical secret that may have a bearing upon the welfare and very safety of this country, we should be very careful in the way we apply it, because in censorship always lurks the very great danger of working to the disadvantage of the American nation.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, Associated Press luncheon, New York (24 Apr 1950)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois (25 Sep 1956)

Dave — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 12:02:04 +0000

You know, farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you’re a thousand miles from the corn field.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois (25 Sep 1956)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, Canadian Club, Ottawa (10 Jan 1946)

Dave — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 12:27:09 +0000

I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its stupidity.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, Canadian Club, Ottawa (10 Jan 1946)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh (19 Oct 1950)

Dave — Tue, 15 Mar 2016 19:08:48 +0000

Possibly my hatred of war blinds me so that I cannot comprehend the arguments they adduce. But, in my opinion, there is no such thing as a preventive war. Although this suggestion is repeatedly made, none has yet explained how war prevents war. Worse than this, no one has been able to explain away the fact that war creates the conditions that beget war.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh (19 Oct 1950)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, Centennial Celebration Banquet, National Education Association (4 Apr 1957)

Dave — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 19:32:50 +0000

Teachers need our active support and encouragement. They are doing one of the most necessary and exacting jobs in the land. They are developing our most precious national resource: our children, our future citizens.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, Centennial Celebration Banquet, National Education Association (4 Apr 1957)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, Columbia University (23 Mar 1950)

Dave — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:06:22 +0000

Peace is more the product of our day-to-day living than of a spectacular program, intermittently executed.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, Columbia University (23 Mar 1950)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, Columbia University Bicentennial Dinner, New York City (31 May 1954)

Dave — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:17:10 +0000

Here in America we are descended in blood and spirit from revolutionaries and rebels — men and women who dared to dissent from accepted doctrine. As their heirs, may we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, Columbia University Bicentennial Dinner, New York City (31 May 1954)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, Commencement, Dartmouth College (14 Jun 1953)

Dave — Tue, 07 Jun 2016 21:10:24 +0000

Unless each day can be looked back upon by an individual as one in which he has had some fun, some joy, some real satisfaction, that day is a loss. It is un-Christian and wicked, in my opinion, to allow such a thing to occur.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, Commencement, Dartmouth College (14 Jun 1953)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, Conference of the National Women’s Advisory Committee on Civil Defense (26 Oct 1954)

Dave — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 14:13:57 +0000

One of the things that I noticed in war was how difficult it was for our soldiers, at first, to realize that there are no rules to war. Our men were raised in sports, where a referee runs a football game, or an umpire a baseball game, and so forth.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, Conference of the National Women’s Advisory Committee on Civil Defense (26 Oct 1954)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, Conference of the Society for Personnel Administration (12 May 1954)

Dave — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 13:49:40 +0000

Now I think, speaking roughly, by leadership we mean the art of getting someone else to do something that you want done because he wants to do it, not because your position of power can compel him to do it, or your position of authority. A commander of a regiment is not necessarily a leader. He has all of the appurtenances of power given by a set of Army regulations by which he can compel unified action. He can say to a body such as this, “Rise,” and “Sit down.” You do it exactly. But that is not leadership.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, Conference of the Society for Personnel Administration (12 May 1954)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, Dedication of the AFL-CIO Building, Washington, DC (4 Jun 1956)

Dave — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 16:27:50 +0000

Labor is the United States. The men and women who, with their minds, their hearts and hands, create the wealth that is shared in this country — they are America.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, Dedication of the AFL-CIO Building, Washington, DC (4 Jun 1956)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, Fourth Annual Republican Women’s National Conference, Washington, DC (6 Mar 1956)

Dave — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 00:53:26 +0000

If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, Fourth Annual Republican Women’s National Conference, Washington, DC (6 Mar 1956)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, Graduation Exercises, US Military Academy, West Point (3 Jun 1947)

Dave — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 14:35:23 +0000

War is mankind’s most tragic and stupid folly; to seek or advise its deliberate provocation is a black crime against all men. Though you follow the trade of the warrior, you do so in the spirit of Washington — not of Genghis Khan. For Americans, only threat to our way of life justifies resort to conflict.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, Graduation Exercises, US Military Academy, West Point (3 Jun 1947)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, Guildhall, London (12 Jun 1945)

Dave — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 16:15:13 +0000

Humility must always be the portion of any man who receives acclaim earned in blood of his followers and sacrifices of his friends.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, Guildhall, London (12 Jun 1945)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, Hollywood Bowl, Beverly Hills, California (19 Oct 1956)

Dave — Thu, 16 Jul 2015 13:19:10 +0000

The final battle against intolerance is to be fought, not in the chambers of any legislature, but in the hearts of men.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, Hollywood Bowl, Beverly Hills, California (19 Oct 1956)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, National Defense Executive Reserve Conference (14 Nov 1957)

Dave — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 14:09:37 +0000

I tell this story to illustrate the truth of the statement I heard long ago in the Army: Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, National Defense Executive Reserve Conference (14 Nov 1957)

Quoted in R. Nixon, Six Crises, "Krushchev" (1962) as "In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable." Sometimes paraphrased as "Plans are nothing; planning is everything."

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, National Defense Executive Reserve Conference, Washington, DC (14 Nov. 1957)

Dave — Mon, 16 Feb 2004 22:02:04 +0000

I tell this story to illustrate the truth of the statement I heard long ago in the Army: Plans are worthless, but planning is everything. There is a very great distinction because when you are planning for an emergency you must start with this one thing: the very definition of ’emergency’ is that it is unexpected, therefore it is not going to happen the way you are planning.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, National Defense Executive Reserve Conference, Washington, DC (14 Nov. 1957)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, National Education Association, Washington, D.C. (4 Apr 1957)

Dave — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 13:19:17 +0000

The hope of the world is that wisdom can arrest conflict between brothers. I believe that war is the deadly harvest of arrogant and unreasoning minds.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, National Education Association, Washington, D.C. (4 Apr 1957)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, NATO Council (26 Nov 1951)

Dave — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 14:03:27 +0000

Because, therefore, we are defending a way of life, we must be respectful of that way of life as we proceed to the solution of our problem. We must not violate its principles and its precepts, and we must not destroy from within what we are trying to defend from without.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, NATO Council (26 Nov 1951)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, New England “Forward to ’54” Dinner, Boston (21 Sep 1953)

Dave — Thu, 14 May 2015 12:35:07 +0000

Thank goodness, many years ago, I had a preceptor, for whom my admiration has never died, and he had a favorite saying, one that I trust I try to live by. It was: always take your job seriously, never yourself.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, New England “Forward to ’54” Dinner, Boston (21 Sep 1953)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, Republican Campaign Picnic, Gettysburg (12 Sep 1956)

Dave — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 13:27:56 +0000

The essence of leadership is to get others to do something because they think you want it done and because they know it is worth while doing — that is what we are talking about.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, Republican Campaign Picnic, Gettysburg (12 Sep 1956)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, Republican Lincoln Day Dinners (28 Jan 1954)

Dave — Tue, 17 May 2016 20:52:14 +0000

For politics ought to be the part-time profession of every citizen who would protect the rights and privileges of free people and who would preserve what is good and fruitful in our national heritage. Politics must be the concern of every citizen who wants to see our national well-being increased and our international leadership strengthened. In that combined sense, politics is the noblest of professions. In the ranks of that kind of politics, every American should be enrolled.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, Republican Lincoln Day Dinners (28 Jan 1954)

Often paraphrased: "Politics ought to be the part-time profession of every citizen who would protect the rights and privileges of free men."

The speech was filmed for the Republican National Committee and distributed to state and local committees to be shown at the Lincoln Day dinners.

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, Republican National Committee Luncheon (17 Feb 1955)

Dave — Thu, 28 May 2015 13:11:46 +0000

Now I realize that on any particular decision a very great amount of heat can be generated. But I do say this: life is not made up of just one decision here, or another one there. It is the total of the decisions that you make in your daily lives with respect to politics, to your family, to your environment, to the people about you. Government has to do that same thing. It is only in the mass that finally philosophy really emerges.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, Republican National Committee Luncheon (17 Feb 1955)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, Republican National Committee Meeting (17 Apr 1956)

Dave — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 13:52:59 +0000

As long as I am back in my military life for a second, I should like to observe one thing about leadership that one of the great has said — Napoleon. He said, the great leader, the genius in leadership, is the man who can do the average thing when everybody else is going crazy.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, Republican National Committee Meeting (17 Apr 1956)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, Republican National Convention, accepting the presidential nomination (23 Aug 1956)

Dave — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 12:27:35 +0000

Change based on principle is progress. Constant change without principle becomes chaos.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, Republican National Convention, accepting the presidential nomination (23 Aug 1956)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, Republican State Chairmen, Denver (10 Sep 1955)

Dave — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 13:14:35 +0000

The job of getting people really wanting to do something is the essence of leadership. And one of the things a leader needs occasionally is the inspiration he gets from the people he leads. The old tactical textbooks say that the commander always visits his troops to inspire them to fight. I for one soon discovered that one of the reasons for my visiting the front lines was to get inspiration from the young American soldier. I went back to my job ashamed of my own occasional resentments or discouragements, which I probably — at least I hope I concealed them.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, Republican State Chairmen, Denver (10 Sep 1955)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, Seattle (17 Oct 1956)

Dave — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 13:22:30 +0000

The only way to win the next world war is to prevent it.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, Seattle (17 Oct 1956)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, Tenth Colombo Plan Meeting, Seattle (10 Nov 1958)

Dave — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 20:44:29 +0000

In vast stretches of the earth, men awoke today in hunger. They will spend the day in unceasing toil. And as the sun goes down they will still know hunger. They will see suffering in the eyes of their children. Many despair that their labor will ever decently shelter their families or protect them against disease. So long as this is so, peace and freedom will be in danger throughout our world. For wherever free men lose hope of progress, liberty will be weakened and the seeds of conflict will be sown.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, Tenth Colombo Plan Meeting, Seattle (10 Nov 1958)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech, Young Republican National Leadership Training School (20 Jan 1960)

Dave — Tue, 19 Jan 2016 14:03:16 +0000

My life has been largely spent in affairs that required organization. But organization itself, necessary as it is, is never sufficient to win a battle.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech, Young Republican National Leadership Training School (20 Jan 1960)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- State of the Union Address (1957)

Dave — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 13:00:10 +0000

Freedom has been defined as the opportunity for self-discipline. Should we persistently fail to discipline ourselves, eventually there will be increasing pressure on government to redress the failure. By that process freedom will step by step disappear.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
State of the Union Address (1957)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- State of the Union Address (2 Feb 1953)

Dave — Thu, 07 May 2015 12:04:18 +0000

There is — in world affairs — a steady course to be followed between an assertion of strength that is truculent and a confession of helplessness that is cowardly.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
State of the Union Address (2 Feb 1953)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- State of the Union Message (2 Feb 1953)

Dave — Thu, 10 Sep 2015 15:10:57 +0000

Government can do a great deal to aid the settlement of labor disputes without allowing itself to be employed as an ally of either side. Its proper role in industrial strife is to encourage the process of mediation and conciliation.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
State of the Union Message (2 Feb 1953)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- State of the Union message (9 Jan 1958)

Dave — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:15:38 +0000

Our real problem, then, is not our strength today; it is rather the vital necessity of action to ensure our strength tomorrow.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
State of the Union message (9 Jan 1958)

Full text.

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- United War Fund appeal (11 Sep 1945)

Dave — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 14:42:05 +0000

War is a grim, cruel business, a business justified only as a means of sustaining the forces of good against those of evil.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
United War Fund appeal (11 Sep 1945)