Herbert Brownell Quotes

The presidency is not about easy choices.

I've had to learn to understand Presidents.

The social power of the Presidency is one of the most powerful tools a President can use.

It is always a delicate matter, when a friend or acquaintance becomes president.

The presidency has made every man who occupied it, no matter how small, bigger than he was; and no matter how big, not big enough for its demands.

When you see how the President makes political or policy decisions, you see who he is. The essence of the Presidency is decision-making.

No man has the right to use the great powers of the Presidency to lead the people, indirectly, into war.

No government, be it the most perfect, can stand without strong executive authority.

As to mere power I have been for years in the daily exercise of more personal authority than any President habitually enjoys.

The most difficult issues—the toughest decisions—are the ones that invariably end up on the President’s desk.

Never underestimate the power of an American President in his early days.

The president is the only one we have to make decisions. We have no one else.

Any President has authority who asserts authority.

No President is going to say, “I am not going to preempt.” This is simply a reality.

I’ve seen the lions of industry become lambs when they come into the Oval Office

Our President [James Madison], though a man of amiable manners and great talents, has not I fear those commanding talents, which are necessary to control those about him.

There is one thing about being President—nobody can tell you when to sit down.

You cannot denude the presidency of the substance and power of its office. It can't be done.

I don't want to be THE president, but I would like to have A president.

Being president isn't anything like reality TV.

If you're a governor of a big state, people sense your presence a little bit, even your fellow governors.

My fellow citizens, the American Presidency is not supposed to be a journey of personal discovery.

A President cannot always be popular.

There has been so much power concentrated. There is no leash on that power anymore and Americans face the situation that this power is getting momentum with each passing year with each presidency.

I think I should be a president. President of the United States.