Harry S. Truman Quotes

Statesmen are judged by history beyond contemporary debates.

Bill Clinton is a person who causes a lot of passion both ways about people, and there's certainly a lot of turmoil if you look back at the eight years. But there was a lot of good, too.

I can't see why anyone would want to be in politics because you get so much criticism.

With sincere modesty, if there is such a thing, I have never thought of legacy at all. I am always grateful if people like what I have done. A legacy is something no one can forsee.

Whenever a high-profile leader dies, people immediately attempt to summarize that person's life in a sentence. Often, critics and commentators get caught up looking at the leader's style, or which political or philosophical camp they represented.

Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history. We, of this Congress and this administration, will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance, or insignificance, can spare one or another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation.

Throughout my political life, I've not been a stranger to controversy.

On any big issue in government there are always going to be disagreements.

Issues are a problem for politicians most of the time; the reason is that somebody won't like what you say when you start talking issues.

I wish Stanley Baldwin no ill, but it would have been much better if he had never lived.

I know that after my death a pile of rubbish will be heaped on my grave, but the wind of History will sooner or later sweep it away without mercy.

… new truths are often struck out by the collision of parties, in the eagerness of controversy, which otherwise would have lain hid, The divine disapprobation of a form of government by kings, I take to be one of this sort of truths.

Reagan is the subject of ongoing political debate, and a lot of liberals don't want to take Reagan any more seriously than they did when he was president. I understand why they don't, but they should.

I don't know why someone would be dumb enough to challenge Donald Trump.

At the end of the day, our work is what endures.

Nobody can know what their legacy is going to be, you know?

There's one thing my dad taught me: don't talk about politics, because you'll never make anyone happy. Don't even go for it.

A lot of guys will talk politics, but usually not about Trump. Those might get a little heated depending on who you're talking to.

Scarface, I don't think, has done anything in his whole career to tarnish his legacy.

Posterity is something I'm a big fan of because that's how you leave your legacy. Not to sound pompous, but just to be truthful.

I don't give a tinker's damn for posterity.

Washington and Lincoln mean as much to us as any two men could mean to a civilization, a people, and age, but I told Mr. Coolidge when he dedicated this monument that this rock is being carved with a monument that will outlive our government.

My experience in government is that when things are non-controversial and beautifully coordinated, there is not much going on.

If you don't like being attacked for your point of view, you shouldn't be in politics in the first place.

I think that we may lose the argument, but I think we have to talk about gun control.