Rhetoric is a poor substitute for action, and we have trusted only to rhetoric. If we are really to be a great nation, we must not merely talk; we must act big.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear.

Facts are not liberals‘ strong suit. Rhetoric is.

I believe that I’m one of the best in the world at what I do, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted to be.

The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.

Conservatism discards Prescription, shrinks from Principle, disavows Progress; having rejected all respect for antiquity, it offers no redress for the present, and makes no preparation for the future.

One must work and dare if one really wants to live.

If you’re a quarterback, you want everything on your shoulders. You want to be the one to make the decisions.

I never thought of losing, but now that it‘ s happened, the only thing is to do it right. That’s my obligation to all the people who believe in me. We all have to take defeats in life.

Success is blocked by concentrating on it and planning for it… Success is shy – it won’t come out while you’re watching.

I’ve had some ‚riotous excursions of the human spirit‘ alongside the young Sailors and Marines, and it’s time to leave the stage to the young leaders who got their rank the old-fashioned way – they earned their stripes in combat.

If we’re really honest with ourselves, most of us will admit that we want to impress people, and this is what’s causing us to do what we do.

I don’t want to express my opinion about actual politics, because if I do, I have to be responsible for my decision.

My job is not to represent Washington to you, but to represent you to Washington.

Our country was founded by geniuses, but it’s being run by idiots.

Once we have a war there is only one thing to do. It must be won. For defeat brings worse things than any that can ever happen in war.

I would rather earn 1% off a 100 people’s efforts than 100% of my own efforts.

When all is said and done, more is said than done.

If you go back a few hundred years, what we take for granted today would seem like magic – being able to talk to people over long distances, to transmit images, flying, accessing vast amounts of data like an oracle. These are all things that would have been considered magic a few hundred years ago.

It is unnecessary to say that Fidel Castro possesses the high qualities of a fighter and statesman: our path, our struggle, and our triumph we owed to his vision.

It is better to risk starving to death then surrender. If you give up on your dreams, what’s left?

I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act.

If you raise your children to feel that they can accomplish any goal or task they decide upon, you will have succeeded as a parent and you will have given your children the greatest of all blessings.

On Sundays when I speak, I hopefully give somebody something that they can use the next day at work or at home.

I don’t tell people, ‚You’re okay the way that you are.‘ That’s not the right story. The right story is, ‚You’re way less than you could be.‘

The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted.

How easy it is to govern when one follows a system of consulting the will of the people and one holds as the only norm all the actions which contribute to the well being of the people.

Good intentions never change anything. They only become a deeper and deeper rut.

Policy makers who have never served in the military continue to use the military to lead social change in this country.

Many people, including some conservatives, have been very impressed with how brainy the president and his advisers are. But that is not quite as reassuring as it might seem.

Never, never, never give up.

I like to always lead from the front and set an example for whoever is playing with me or around me. I like taking responsibilities. That is my natural thing.

If a man constantly aspires is he not elevated?

Ideas excite me, and as soon as I get excited, the adrenaline gets going and the next thing I know I’m borrowing energy from the ideas themselves.

I am not designed to come second or third. I am designed to win.

Whoever won’t fight when the President calls him, deserves to be kicked back in his hole and kept there.

When nature has work to be done, she creates a genius to do it.

Men are more easily governed through their vices than through their virtues.

We don’t want to wait on someone to hire us and give us a check. We want to create our own opportunities.

I probably hold the distinction of being one movie star who, by all laws of logic, should never have made it. At each stage of my career, I lacked the experience.

When we assumed the Soldier, we did not lay aside the Citizen.

The progress of evolution from President Washington to President Grant was alone evidence to upset Darwin.

Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be.

I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. No matter what the injury – unless it’s completely debilitating – I’m going to be the same player I’ve always been. I’ll figure it out. I’ll make some tweaks, some changes, but I’m still coming.

If I wished to do something, even if I couldn’t find anyone who wanted to make the effort with me, I would go out solo climbing. I did find solo climbing very challenging and a little frightening. You knew that you were completely on your own, and you had to overcome all the problems and possible dangers.

I want people to draw strength from me.

Leave no authority existing not responsible to the people.

I don’t like to see a president who is just out campaigning all year long or for the last four years. I’d like to see somebody who’s going in the office. In fact, I’d like to not see them because that way you’d be sure that they’d be working.

A book must be the ax for the frozen sea within us.

The Scoutmaster teaches boys to play the game by doing so himself.

Ambition must be made to counteract ambition.

I tend not to look back and dwell on a project once it is finished.

I think my vice would be outdoing myself.

A rooster crows only when it sees the light. Put him in the dark and he’ll never crow. I have seen the light and I’m crowing.

I have always been pushed by the negative. The apparent failure of a play sends me back to my typewriter that very night, before the reviews are out. I am more compelled to get back to work than if I had a success.

A lot of people are focused on taking over the world or doing the biggest thing and getting the most users. I think part of making a difference and doing something cool is focusing intensely.

Positional leaders ignore the fact that every person has hopes, dreams, desires, and goals of his own. And leaders must bring their vision and the aspirations of the people they lead together in a way that benefits everyone.

Founding a company is hard. Most of it isn’t smooth. You’ll have to make very hard decisions. You have to fire a few people. Therefore, if you don’t believe in your mission, giving up is easy. The majority of founders give up. But the best founders don’t give up.

You aren’t going to find anybody that’s going to be successful without making a sacrifice and without perseverance.

I’m convinced of this: Good done anywhere is good done everywhere. For a change, start by speaking to people rather than walking by them like they’re stones that don’t matter. As long as you’re breathing, it’s never too late to do some good.