Gerald R. Ford Quotes & Sayings
Enjoy the top 100 famous quotes, sayings and quotations by Gerald R. Ford.
Famous Quotes By Gerald R. Ford
I do believe that the buck stops here, that I cannot rely upon public opinion polls to tell me what is right. — Gerald R. Ford
We are bound together by the most powerful of all ties, our fervent love for freedom and independence, which knows no homeland but the human heart. — Gerald R. Ford
Real assistance is to help people to help themselves. We can't do everything for everybody, but there is room for all who try to make it. — Gerald R. Ford
We have come tardily to the tremendous task of cleaning up our environment. We should have moved with similar zeal at least a decade ago. But no purpose is served by post-mortems. With visionary zeal but the greatest realism, we must now address ourselves to the vast problems that confront us. — Gerald R. Ford
If you have not chosen me by secret ballot, neither have I gained office by any secret promises. I have not campaigned either for the Presidency or the Vice Presidency. I have not subscribed to any partisan platform. I am indebted to no man, and only to one womanmy dear wifeas I begin this very difficult job. — Gerald R. Ford
That, in part, is why the Constitution's framers gave justices life tenure ? to enable them to rule wherever the law and the Constitution led them, without obligation or fear of political reprisal. Former Republican president Gerald Ford recently paid tribute to John Paul Stevens, his only appointee to the Supreme Court, who is also far more liberal than Republicans expected. He has served his nation well, ... with dignity, intellect and without partisan political concerns. — Gerald R. Ford
I do believe, with all my heart and mind and spirit, that I, not as President but as a humble servant of God, will receive justice without mercy if I fail to show mercy. — Gerald R. Ford
In a democracy, the public has a right to know not only what the government decides, but why and by what process. — Gerald R. Ford
In a political sense, there is one problem that currently underlies all of the others. That problem is making Government sufficiently responsive to the people. If we don't make government responsive to the people, we don't make it believable. And we must make government believable if we are to have a functioning democracy. — Gerald R. Ford
I would hope that understanding and reconciliation are not limited to the 19th hole alone. — Gerald R. Ford
The three-martini lunch is the epitome of American efficiency. Where else can you get an earful, a bellyful and a snootful at the same time? — Gerald R. Ford
America now is stumbling through the darkness of hatred and divisiveness. Our values, our principles, and our determination to succeed as a free and democratic people will give us a torch to light the way. And we will survive and become the strongernot only because of a patriotism that stands for love of country, but a patriotism that stands for love of people. — Gerald R. Ford
We must proceed with our own energy development. Exploitation of domestic petroleum and natural gas potentialities, along with nuclear, solar, geothermal, and non-fossil fuels is vital. We will never again permit any foreign nation to have Uncle Sam over a barrel of oil. — Gerald R. Ford
As a man of the Congress, let me reaffirm my conviction that the collective wisdom of our two great legislative bodies, while not infallible, will in the end serve the people faithfully and very, very well. — Gerald R. Ford
An impeachable offense is whatever a majority of the House of Representatives considers it to be at a given moment in history. — Gerald R. Ford
Music education opens doors that help children pass from school into the world around them - a world of work, culture, intellectual activity, and human involvement. The future of our nation depends on providing our children with a complete education that includes music. — Gerald R. Ford
It's discouraging how hard it is for a President to slice away large chunks of a $305 billion budget. — Gerald R. Ford
So much of what passes for public life consists of little more than candidates without ideas, hiring consultants without conviction, to stage campaigns without content. The result, increasingly, is elections without voters. — Gerald R. Ford
We ... declared our independence 200 years ago, and we are not about to lose it now to paper shufflers and computers. — Gerald R. Ford
I am the first to admit that I am no great orator or no person that got where I have gotten by any William Jennings Bryan technique. — Gerald R. Ford
All my children have spoken for themselves since they first learned to speak, and not always with my advance approval, and I expect that to continue in the future. — Gerald R. Ford
I once told you that I am not a saint, and I hope never to see the day that I cannot admit having made a mistake. So I will close with another confession. Frequently, along the tortuous road of recent months from this chamber to the Presidents House, I protested that I was my own man. Now I realize that I was wrong. I am your man, for it was your carefully weighed confirmation that changed my occupation. The truth is I am the peoples man, for you acted in their name, and I accepted and began my new and solemn trust with a promise to serve all the people and do the best that I can for America. — Gerald R. Ford
America's leadership is essential. America's resources are vast. America's opportunities are unprecedented. — Gerald R. Ford
I am determined to seek self-sufficiency in energy as an urgent national priority. My goal is to make America independent of foreign energy sources by 1985. — Gerald R. Ford
I am a Ford, not a Lincoln. — Gerald R. Ford
I recognize the need for technology that enriches life while preserving our natural environment. My goal is to stimulate productivity, but use technology to redeem, not to destroy our environment. — Gerald R. Ford
I have always felt that the real purpose of government is to enhance the lives of people and that a leader can best do that by restraining government in most cases instead of enlarging it at every opportunity. — Gerald R. Ford
Ronald Regan doesn't dye his hair - he's just prematurely orange. — Gerald R. Ford
Today, America can regain the sense of pride that existed before Vietnam. These events, tragic as they are, portend neither the end of the world nor of America's leadership in the world. — Gerald R. Ford
Let America symbolize humanity's struggle to conquer nature and master technology. The time has now come for our Government to facilitate the individual's control over his or her future-and of the future of America. — Gerald R. Ford
In the two centuries that have passed since 1776, millions upon millions of Americans have worked and taken up arms, when necessary, to make [the American] dream a reality. We can be proud of what they have accomplished. Today, we are the world's oldest republic. We are at peace. Our nation and our way of life endure. And we are free. — Gerald R. Ford
I couldn't wait to start the day. — Gerald R. Ford
As I rejected amnesty, so I reject revenge. I ask all Americans who ever asked for goodness and mercy in their lives, who ever sought forgiveness for their trespasses, to join in rehabilitating all the casualties of the tragic conflict of the past. — Gerald R. Ford
The political lesson of Watergate is this: Never again must America allow an arrogant, elite guard of political adolescents to by-pass the regular party organization and dictate the terms of a national election. — Gerald R. Ford
As President, I am determined to offer leadership to overcome our current economic problems. My goal is for jobs for all who want to work and economic opportunity for all who want to achieve. — Gerald R. Ford
I know well the coequal role of the Congress in our constitutional process. I love the House of Representatives. I revere the traditions of the Senate despite my too-short internship in that great body. As President, within the limits of basic principles, my motto toward the Congress is communication, conciliation, compromise, and cooperation. — Gerald R. Ford
Truth is the glue that holds government together. — Gerald R. Ford
To know John Kennedy, as I did, was to understand the true meaning of the word. He understood that courage is not something to be gauged in a poll or located in a focus group. No adviser can spin it. No historian can backdate it. For, in the age old contest between popularity and principle, only those willing to lose for their convictions are deserving of posterity's approval. — Gerald R. Ford
There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford administration ... The United States does notconcede that those countries are under the domination of the Soviet Union. — Gerald R. Ford
Sit down before facts as a little child, be prepared to give up every preconceived notion - or you shall learn nothing. — Gerald R. Ford
I've had a lot of experience with people smarter than I am. — Gerald R. Ford
History and experience tell us that moral progress comes not in comfortable and complacent times, but out of trial and confusion. — Gerald R. Ford
I just don't think we should go hellfire damnation around the globe freeing people, unless it is directly related to our own national security. — Gerald R. Ford
For nearly two hundred years, our nation has derived its strength from the diversity of its people and of their beliefs. That strength has been greatly enhanced by [the Islamic] religious heritage. — Gerald R. Ford
A coalition of groups is waging a massive propaganda campaign against the president of the United States. an all-out attack. Their aim is total victory for themselves and total defeat for him. — Gerald R. Ford
The Constitution is the bedrock of all our freedoms; guard and cherish it; keep honor and order in your own house; and the republic will endure. — Gerald R. Ford
It's more like it is now than it ever has been. — Gerald R. Ford
Personal excellence can be achieved by a visionary goal, through planning, dedicated execution, and total follow-through. — Gerald R. Ford
Mr. President, putting it bluntly, wouldn't we just be continuing a bloodbath that already exists in Cambodia if we voted the 222 million in aid? — Gerald R. Ford
Let us put an end to self-inflicted wounds. Let us remember that our national unity is a most priceless asset. Let us deny our adversaries the satisfaction of using Vietnam to pit Americans against Americans. — Gerald R. Ford
A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have. — Gerald R. Ford
I am a Ford, not a Lincoln. My addresses will never be as eloquent as Mr. Lincoln's. But I will do my very best to equal his brevity and his plain speaking. — Gerald R. Ford
Things are the way they are now, more than they ever have been before. — Gerald R. Ford
If Lincoln were alive today he'd be turning over in his grave. — Gerald R. Ford
We have too long treated the natural world as an adversary rather than as a life-sustaining gift from the Almighty. If man has the genius to build, which he has, he must also have the ability and the responsibility to preserve. — Gerald R. Ford
I believe that prayer in public schools should be voluntary. It is difficult for me to see how religious exercises can be a requirement in public schools, given our Constitutional requirement of separation of church and state. I feel that the highly desirable goal of religious education must be principally the responsibility of church and home. I do not believe that public education should show any hostility toward religion, and neither should it inhibit voluntary participation, if it does not interfere with the educational process. — Gerald R. Ford
Never be satisfied with less than your very best effort. If you strive for the top and miss, you'll still 'beat the pack.' — Gerald R. Ford
I have had a lot of adversaries in my political life, but no enemies that I can remember. — Gerald R. Ford
I am committed to furthering the self-determination of Indian communities but without terminating the special relationship between the Federal Government and the Indian people. I am strongly opposed to termination. Self-determination means that you can decide the nature of your tribe's relationship with the Federal Government within the framework of the Self-Determination Act, which I signed in January of 1975. — Gerald R. Ford
I remain convinced that pardoning Nixon was the right thing to do. — Gerald R. Ford
Theirs is an American tragedy in which we all have played a part. It could go on and on, or someone must write "The End" to it. I have concluded that only I can do that. And if I can, I must. — Gerald R. Ford
An American tragedy in which we all have played a part. — Gerald R. Ford
In all my public and private acts as your president, I expect to follow my instincts of openness and candor with full confidence that honesty is always the best policy in the end. — Gerald R. Ford
Tell the truth, work hard, and come to dinner on time. — Gerald R. Ford
To me, the Presidency and the Vice-Presidency were not prizes to be won, but a duty to be done. — Gerald R. Ford
I have taken special interest in these accounts [of UFOs].. I think there may be substance to some of these reports ... I think we owe it to the people to establish credibility regarding UFOs and to produce the greatest possible enlightenment on this subject. — Gerald R. Ford
I think that sports, particularly football, gave me an opportunity to be out front, to be a leader, which helped me later on, when I got into politics. — Gerald R. Ford
Frankly, I've never felt voting to be all that essential to the process. — Gerald R. Ford
A great nation cannot abandon its responsibilities. Responsibilities abandoned today return as more acute crises tomorrow. — Gerald R. Ford
If I went back to college again, I'd concentrate on two areas learning to write and to speak before an audience. Nothing in life is more important than the ability to communicate effectively. — Gerald R. Ford
It's the quality of the ordinary, the straight, the square, that accounts for the great stability and success of our nation. It's a quality to be proud of. But it's a quality that many people seem to have neglected. — Gerald R. Ford
America needed recovery, not revenge. The hate had to be drained and the healing begun. — Gerald R. Ford
All of us who served in one war or another know very well that all wars are the glory and the agony of the young. — Gerald R. Ford
For millions of men and women, the church has been the hospital for the soul, the school for the mind and the safe depository for moral ideas. — Gerald R. Ford
The spirit of seeking understanding through personal contact with people of other nations and other cultures deserves the respect and support of all. — Gerald R. Ford
Let us remember that our national unity is a most priceless asset. — Gerald R. Ford
Things are more like today than they have ever been before. — Gerald R. Ford
I hope never to see the day that I cannot admit having made a mistake. — Gerald R. Ford
It is good to be back in the Peoples House. But this cannot be a real homecoming. Under the Constitution, I now belong to the executive branch. The Supreme Court has even ruled that I am the executive branchhead, heart, and hand. — Gerald R. Ford
I would like to deny all allegations by Bob Hope that during my last game of golf, I hit an eagle, a birdie, an elk and a moose. — Gerald R. Ford
The harder you work, the luckier you are, and I worked like hell. — Gerald R. Ford
Humor can help you to disagree without being disagreeable. The key in democracy is not necessarily that we agree, but that we participate ... Despite all the heavy problems- domestic and international- there is humor. Humor transcends partisanship. — Gerald R. Ford
When a man is asked to make a speech, the first thing he has to decide is what to say. — Gerald R. Ford
The length of one's days matters less than the love of one's family and friends. — Gerald R. Ford
The Communist leaders in Moscow, Peking and Hanoi must fully understand that the United States considers the freedom of South Viet Nam vital to our interests. And they must know that we are not bluffing in our determination to defend those interests. — Gerald R. Ford
I can assure you the National Federation is an organization of Republican women whose power, prestige, perception, and purpose will never be underestimated by anyone. — Gerald R. Ford
The veto is a President's Constitutional right, given to him by the drafters of the Constitution because they wanted it as a checkagainst irresponsible Congressional action. The veto forces Congress to take another look at legislation that has been passed. I think this is a responsible tool for a president of the United States, and I have sought to use it responsibly. — Gerald R. Ford
I strongly support the feeding of children. — Gerald R. Ford
There are no adequate substitutes for father, mother, and children bound together in a loving commitment to nurture and protect. No government, no matter how well-intentioned, can take the place of the family in the scheme of things. — Gerald R. Ford
My golf must be improving, I'm not hitting as many spectators. — Gerald R. Ford
The old question still remains: Can a free people restrain crime without sacrificing fundamental liberties and a heritage of compassion? — Gerald R. Ford