Some years ago I became president of Columbia University and learned within 24 hours to be ready to speak at the drop of a hat, and I learned something more, the trustees were expected to be ready to speak at the passing of the hat.

The more nobly a man wills and acts, the more avid he becomes for great and sublime aims to pursue. He will no longer be content with family, country, and the remunerative aspect of his work. He will want wider organisations to create, new paths to blaze, causes to uphold, truths to discover, an ideal to cherish and defend.

The time has come for us to draw the line. The time has come for the responsible leaders of both political parties to take a stand against overgrown Government and for the American taxpayer.

Remember, it is not about voting for the perfect candidate – there is no such thing. Presidents are human.

The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.

A lot has happened over the years. And while this nation has been tested by war, and it’s been tested by recession and all manner of challenges – I stand before you again tonight, after almost two terms as your president, to tell you I am more optimistic about the future of America than ever before.

Now from a distance, I look back on what the Corps taught me: to think like men of action, and to act like men of thought!

It is a paradox that every dictator has climbed to power on the ladder of free speech. Immediately on attaining power each dictator has suppressed all free speech except his own.

Talkers are usually more articulate than doers, since talk is their specialty.

There will be no end to the troubles of states, or of humanity itself, till philosophers become kings in this world, or till those we now call kings and rulers really and truly become philosophers, and political power and philosophy thus come into the same hands.

Look, when you’re the president, there’s all kinds of things said about us. I mean, it’s just the nature of the job.

If you want to reach the top, don’t run over others. Likely, the only way you’ll reach the top is to be carried there by others.

When Caroline Kennedy managed to say ‚you know‘ more than 200 times in an interview with the New York ‚Daily News,‘ and on 130 occasions while talking to ‚The New York Times‘ during her uninspired attempt to become a hereditary senator, she proved, among other things, that she was (a) middle-aged and (b) middle class.

Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.

So when I speak in front of thousands, tens of thousands of people, I don’t really get nervous because I know what I want to say and I know what message I want to give.

Moral authority is never retained by any attempt to hold on to it. It comes without seeking and is retained without effort.

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.

One must steer, not talk.

In oratory the will must predominate.

If I hadn’t been President of the United States, I probably would have ended up a piano player in a bawdy house.

I just think overall there’s not as many female ministers than there are male ministers.

Any lady who is first lady likes being first lady. I don’t care what they say, they like it.

When the tyrant has disposed of foreign enemies by conquest or treaty, and there is nothing more to fear from them, then he is always stirring up some war or other, in order that the people may require a leader.

It’s really fun to be on stage in front of people.

In my opinion eight years as president is enough and sometimes too much for any man to serve in that capacity.

All good leaders are connectors. They relate well and make people feel confident about themselves and their leader.

The mark of a true politician is that he is never at a loss for words because he is always half-expecting to be asked to make a speech.

It’d be stupid for me to sit here and say that there aren’t kids who look up to me, but my responsibility is not to them. I’m not a baby sitter.

If you tell people where to go, but not how to get there, you’ll be amazed at the results.

PowerPoint makes us stupid.

In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.

True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.

The government’s job is good governance for everybody. My government will make policies; if you fit into it, come on board, or stay where you are. My job is not to spoon-feed anyone.

The time has come for all evangelists to practice full financial disclosure. The world is watching how we walk and how we talk. We must have the highest standards of morality, ethics and integrity if we are to continue to have influence.

What I admire most about Hillary is that she never buckles under pressure. She never takes the easy way out. And Hillary Clinton has never quit on anything in her life.

Leaders in all spheres who are living with HIV should be encouraged, not coerced, to lead by example and disclose their HIV status.

I’m more than comfortable just sitting back and scoring 21, 22 points or whatever and getting 10, 11 assists whatever the case might be. More than comfortable with that. It’s just a matter of the pieces that you have around you and what you can do to elevate everybody else.

It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself.

I have always been grateful to Colonel Longley. He proved to me that when people in authority take a stand, good can come out of it.

I understand everybody in this country doesn’t agree with the decisions I’ve made. And I made some tough decisions. But people know where I stand.

I just think you ought to talk straight with your people.

I’ve been known to preach.

Anything important is never left to the vote of the people. We only get to vote on some man; we never get to vote on what he is to do.

I’m responsible for starting a whole new school of pretension.

Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory.

Leaders who are kind of insecure or egocentric, they basically sabotage themselves.

Standing as I do, with my hand upon this staff, and under the folds of the American flag, I ask you to stand by me so long as I stand by it.

All of us are mentors. You’re mentors right here and now. And one of the things I’ve always done throughout my life, I have always found that person, that group of people that I was going to reach my hand out and help bring them along with me.

I know it’s going to be the private sector that leads this country out of the current economic times we’re in. You can spend your money better than the government can spend your money.

I think I was identified as a failed president because I wasn’t re-elected.

Power is the measure of the degree of control you have over circumstances in your life and the actions of the people around you. It is a skill that is developed by a deep understanding of human nature, of what truly motivates people, and of the manipulations necessary for advancement and protection.

We don’t have to guess what Mitt Romney would have done if he were president. Because he told us. He said we should let foreclosures – and I quote – ‚hit the bottom‘ so the market could – I quote – ‚run its course.‘

The American President resembles the commander of a ship at sea. He must have a helm to grasp, a course to steer, a port to seek.

At first, I wasn’t really keen on the idea of me being on stage having to sing in front of people.

No one person controls Microsoft. The board and the shareholders decide whether they want to have me as CEO.

If we have to use force, it is because we are America. We are the indispensable nation. We stand tall. We see further into the future.

One of the key qualities a leader must possess is the ability to detach from the chaos, mayhem, and emotions in a situation and make good, clear decisions based on what is actually happening.

I stand here before you not as a prophet, but as a humble servant of you, the people.

Any man who wants to be president is either an egomaniac or crazy.

I spend a great deal of time with the President. We have a very close, personal, loyal relationship. I’m not, as they say, a potted plant in these meetings.

At the end of the day, when it comes time to make that decision, as president, all you have to guide you are your values, and your vision, and the life experiences that make you who you are.