James Monroe Quotes


Your report! 'Tis my report. It is no report at all until I have accepted it.


Context

The issue of when a government report is a report and who in the executive branch controls it has long been a contentious one. In an early dispute, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams suggested to the President that a statement he was about to make conflicted with one of Adams' reports:


Citations

James Monroe, 1758-1831, 5th President of the United States (Democratic Republican, VA), Remark to John Quincy Adams, Quoted in John Quincy Adams' Diary, April 30, 1822

Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations

Related Quotes

Churchill's first government job was as Undersecretary of the Colonies. Shortly after his appointment he observed:


This is the earliest use of the “pass the buck” phrase in politics that we have found. The term originated in gambling. In a poker game, the “buck” was a physical object token that would be passed from player to player to indicate who was to deal.


James Monroe
James Monroe
  • Born: April 28, 1758
  • Died: July 4, 1831
  • Nationality: American
  • Profession: President

James Monroe was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was the last president of the Virginia dynasty; his presidency coincided with the Era of Good Feelings. He is perhaps best known for issuing the Monroe Doctrine, a policy of opposing European colonialism in the Americas. He also served as the governor of Virginia, a member of the United States Senate, the U.S. ambassador to France and Britain, the seventh Secretary of State, and the eighth Secretary of War.