Gerald R. Ford Quotes

Compromise is the oil that makes governments go.

When a man is asked to make a speech, the first thing he has to decide is what to say.

I watch a lot of baseball on the radio.

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.

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.

There is an American tragedy in which we all have played a part.

Obviously, it's a great privilege and pleasure to be here at the Yale Law School Sesquicentennial Convocation. And I defy anyone to say that and chew gum at the same time.

I do believe that the buck stops here, that I cannot rely upon public opinion polls to tell me what is right.

If it is a clichй to say athletics build character as well as muscle, then I subscribe to the clich.

America needed recovery, not revenge. The hate had to be drained and the healing begun.

The length of one's days matters less than the love of one's family and friends.

If I went back to college again, I'd concentrate on learning to write and to speak before an audience . Nothing is more important than the abillity to communicate effectively.

I believe in friendly compromise. I said over in the Senate hearings that truth is the glue that holds government together. Compromise is the oil that makes governments go.

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.

Frankly, I've never felt voting to be all that essential to the process.

The harder you work, the luckier you are, and I worked like hell.

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.

This is an hour of history that troubles our minds and hurts our hearts.

I was dumbfounded by the stupidity of the Watergate break-in.

In baseball when they say you're out, you're out. It's the same way in politics.

It's more like it is now than it ever has been.

I had a lot of experience with people smarter than I am.

Sit down before facts as a little child, be prepared to give up every preconceived notion — or you shall learn nothing.

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.

He was one of the few political leaders I have ever met whose public speeches revealed more than his private conversations. [On Ronald Reagan]

My golf must be improving, I'm not hitting as many spectators.

To me, the Presidency and the Vice-Presidency were not prizes to be won, but a duty to be done.

I remain convinced that pardoning Nixon was the right thing to do.

One of the enduring truths of the nation's capital is that bureaucrats survive.

We . . . declared our independence 200 years ago, and we are not about to lose it now to paper shufflers and computers.

The old question still remains: Can a free people restrain crime without sacrificing fundamental liberties and a heritage of compassion?

Government exists to create and preserve conditions in which people can translate their ideas into practical reality. In the best of times, much is lost in translation. But we try.

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.

I'm 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.

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.

I had a life-long ambition to be a professional baseball player, but nobody would sign me.

It's discouraging how hard it is for a President to slice away large chunks of a $305 billion budget.

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.

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.

I know I will go to hell, because I pardoned Richard Nixon.

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.

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.

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.

Ronald Reagan was an excellent leader of our nation during challenging times at home and abroad.

Conservatism has always meant more to me than simply sticking up for private property & free enterprise. It has also meant defending our heritage & preserving our values.

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.

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?

We must introduce a new balance in the relationship between the individual and the government--a balance that favors greater individual freedom and self-reliance.

I couldn't wait to start the day.

The Federal role in overcoming barriers to needed health care should emphasize health care financing programs-such as Medicare and Medicaid.