WIST Quotations

Roosevelt, Franklin Delano -- Speech (1936-08-14), Chautauqua, New York

Dave — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 18:19:47 +0000

The noblest monument to peace and to neighborly economic and social friendship in all the world is not a monument in bronze or stone, but the boundary which unites the United States and Canada — 3,000 miles of friendship with no barbed wire, no gun or soldier, and no passport on the whole frontier. Mutual trust made that frontier.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882–1945) American lawyer, politician, statesman, US President (1933–1945)
Speech (1936-08-14), Chautauqua, New York
(Source)

The film recording of the speech shows minor variations from the official text above:

The noblest monument to peace, the noblest monument to economic and social friendship in all the world is not a monument in bronze or stone, but the boundary which unites the United States and Canada -- 3,000 miles of friendship, with no barbed wire, no guns, no soldiers, and no passports on the whole frontier. What made it? Mutual trust.

Rogers, Will -- Column (1926-10-17), “Weekly Article: Will Rogers Back in U. S. Wants To Hear About Your Vote” [No. 201]

Dave — Fri, 08 Aug 2025 17:33:27 +0000

Then [President Coolidge] said he wished I had the time to go up into Canada and see what kind of deal I could make in the way of annexation, that Canada was just about on the verge of seeing the advantage of having a working connection with some live growing concern. […]
Now from what I can see, there don’t seem to be any demand in Canada to join in with us and be murdered or run over with us. They strike me as entirely too sane a nation to fit in our scheme of things down home. Why, you can still buy a drink without having to take a whole case, and can believe in Evolution. You can do both of these things and not be considered an Atheist up here.
They have the queerest ideas of what is right and wrong that way. Now I have no idea but what we could take them over and make a paying proposition out of them, for the country now is supplying about everything we use in the way of raw materials. But I hate to interrupt a friendship that has been going on now pretty steady since the battle of Lake Erie. You see they don’t owe us and they still think we are pretty good neighbors, so if we can just keep from annexing them, and keep from loaning them anything in the way of a government debt, why we ought to be friends for years to come. […]
What we need is some good country to annex us.

Will Rogers (1879-1935) American humorist
Column (1926-10-17), “Weekly Article: Will Rogers Back in U. S. Wants To Hear About Your Vote” [No. 201]
(Source)

Shorter versions of this are given in Bryan Sterling (ed.), Will Rogers Speaks (2023):

Kennedy, John F. -- Speech, Canadian Parliament (17 May 1961)

Dave — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 12:37:48 +0000

Geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners. And necessity has made us allies. Those whom nature hath so joined together, let no man put asunder.

John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) American politician, author, journalist, US President (1961–63)
Speech, Canadian Parliament (17 May 1961)