In honor of Presidents Day, I give you Presidential Quotes! Yes, technically and legally, it’s just George Washington’s Birthday (observed.) Live a little. I chose quotes that I found interesting, profound, funny, or telling from each of the 43 presidents. (Some president’s got two quotes. Abraham Lincoln got 18. Yeah, the other presidents were jealous. They’ll get over it.)  Also, posting the quote doesn’t necessarily mean I agree with the quote or the greater philosophy/actions of the president. These are short because I originally tweeted them, which obviously limited my options. All quotes taken from Great Presidential Quotes. Enjoy!

1. “It is our duty to make the best of our misfortunes, and not to suffer passion to interfere with our interest and public good.” George Washington

2. “The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty.” John Adams

3. “I tolerate with the utmost latitude the right of others to differ from me in opinion without imputing to them criminality.” Thomas Jefferson

4. “I go on the principle that a public debt is a public curse.” James Madison

5. “The right of self-defense never ceases. It is among the most sacred, and alike necessary to nations and to individuals.” James Monroe

6. “Duty is ours; results are God’s.” John Quincy Adams

7a. “I hope and trust to meet you in Heaven, both white and black–both white and black. ” Andrew Jackson

7b. “It is a damn poor mind that can think of only one way to spell a word.” Andrew Jackson

8. “Most men are not scolded out of their opinion.” Martin Van Buren

9. “I contend that the strongest of all governments is that which is most free.” William Henry Harrison

10. “Wealth can only be accumulated by the earnings of industry and the savings of frugality.” John Tyler

11. “No president who performs his duties faithfully and conscientiously can have any leisure.” James Knox Polk

12. “It would be judicious to act with magnanimity towards a prostrate foe.” Zachary Taylor

13. “It is not strange . . . to mistake change for progress. ” Millard Fillmore

14. “The storm of frenzy and faction must inevitably dash itself in vain against the unshaken rock of the Constitution. ” Franklin Pierce

15. “Liberty must be allowed to work out its natural results; and these will, ere long, astonish the world.” James Buchanan

16a. “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power. ” Abraham Lincoln

16b. “Stand with anybody that stands right. Stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong.” Abraham Lincoln

16c. “My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.” Abraham Lincoln

16d. “Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves. ” Abraham Lincoln

16e. “Towering genius disdains a beaten path.” Abraham Lincoln

16f. “I want every man to have a chance, and I believe a black man is entitled to it–in which he can better his condition. ” Abraham Lincoln

16g. “On the whole, my impression is that mercy bears richer fruits than any other attribute.” Abraham Lincoln

16h. “Common-looking people are the best in the world: that is the reason the Lord makes so many of them.” Abraham Lincoln

16i. “No matter how much cats fight, there always seems to be plenty of kittens.” Abraham Lincoln

16j. “The probability that we may fall in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.” Abraham Lincoln

16k. “Better to remain silent and to be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” Abraham Lincoln

16l. “Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way.” Abraham Lincoln

16m. “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Abraham Lincoln

16n. “Laughter is the joyous, beautiful, universal evergreen of life.” Abraham Lincoln

16o. “The struggle of today is not altogether for today–it is for a vast future also. ” Abraham Lincoln

16p. “I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere could be free.” Abraham Lincoln

16q. “By all means, don’t say ‘if I can’; say ‘I will.’” Abraham Lincoln

16r. “I go for all sharing the privileges of the government who assist in bearing its burdens, by no means excluding women.” Abraham Lincoln

16s. “The world shall know that I will keep my faith to friends and enemies, come what will.” Abraham Lincoln

17. “The goal is to strive for a poor government but a rich people.” Andrew Johnson

18. “The war is over–the rebels are our countrymen again.” Ulysses S. Grant

19. “Fighting battles is like courting girls: those who make the most pretensions and are boldest usually win. ” Rutherford Hayes

20. “Ideas control the world.” James Garfield

21. “If it were not for the reporters, I would tell you the truth.” Chester Arthur

22. “What is the use of being elected or reelected, unless you stand for something?” Grover Cleveland

23. “We Americans have no commission from God to police the world.” Benjamin Harrison

24. “Minds do not act together in public; they simply stick together; and when their private activities are resumed they fly apart again.” Grover Cleveland (Bonus, non-tweeted quote, to get my numbering right.)

25. “That’s all a man can hope for during his lifetime–to set an example–and when he is dead, to be an inspiration for history. ” William McKinley

26. “We cannot do great deeds unless we are willing to do the small things that make up the sum of greatness. ” Theodore Roosevelt

27. “A government is for the benefit of the people.” William Taft

28. “The firm basis of government is justice, not pity.” AND “There is no indispensable man.” Woodrow Wilson

29. “A regret for the mistakes of yesterday must not, however, blind us to the tasks of today.” Warren Harding

30. “Don’t expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong.” AND “We made freedom a birthright.” Calvin Coolidge

31. “No public man can be just a little crooked. There is no such thing as a no-man’s land between honesty and dishonesty.” Herbert Hoover

32. “Be sincere, be brief, be seated.” Franklin Roosevelt

33. “There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know.” & “The reward of suffering is experience. ” Harry Truman

34. “History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid. ” Dwight Eisenhower

35. “Too often we . . . enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.” John F. Kennedy

36. “Evil acts of the past are never rectified by evil acts of the present.” Lyndon Johnson

37. “Idealism without realism is impotent. Realism without idealism is immoral.” Richard Nixon

38. “A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have. ” Gerald Ford

39. “Like music and art, love of nature is a common language that can transcend political or social boundaries.” James Carter

40. “Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty.” Ronald Reagan

41. “Leadership to me means duty, honor, country. It means character, and it means listening from time to time. ” George H.W. Bush

42. “Of course, you can’t gain ground if you are standing still.” William Jefferson Clinton.

43. “Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them.” George W. Bush

44. “You know, my faith is one that admits some doubt.” Barack Obama