On Monday the nation witnessed the second inauguration of
President Barack Obama. The catch phrase
from the address according to MSN is “The possibilities are limitless.”
Presidential inaugurations, whether first or second, have
embodied the spirit of the United States.
They have lifted the ideas of Americans and set the course for the
direction of the country.
Thomas Jefferson looked to unify the nation after a divisive
election:
"Every difference of opinion is not a
difference of principle. We have called by different names brethren of the same
principle. We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists. If there be any
among us who would wish to dissolve this Union or to change its republican
form, let them stand undisturbed as monuments of the safety with which error or
opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it."- March
4, 1801
Abraham Lincoln reminded the country of our need to heal
during his second inauguration as the Civil War was coming to and end:
"With malice toward none, with charity
for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us
strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care
for him who have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all
which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with
all nations." – March 4, 1865
Ronald
Reagan, in his first address, focused on the economic issues plaguing the
country. He looked to inspire and
motivate the people.
"My fellow citizens, our nation is
poised for greatness. We must do what is right and do it with all our might.
Let history say of us, ‘Those were the golden years — when the American Revolution
was reborn, when freedom gained new life, when America reached for her best.’”
– January 20, 1981
Every president since Jefferson has tried to communicate the
idea that America’s best days are ahead of us.
We are always striving to be something better than what we are today. It is part of the idea of being an
American. I like to think each of us as
individuals and as a country are always trying to improve ourselves and our
nation. We want to leave the world a
better place for the generations that follow.
Please find a favorite quote of yours from an American
president and share it in your comment.
Please explain why you chose the quote and what it means to you.
Jackie- "If you do not feel something strongly you're not going to achieve." -G.W. Bush
ReplyDeleteI love this quote. For me it means so much. In my eyes it means that if you do not feel passionately about a goal then you will have nothing to fuel your will to achieve it. In my everyday life I have many goals. Some of my goals for life I don't think I would be able to achieve without passion to thrive off of. People have told some celebrities (as you have probably heard of) that they couldn't do it, that it was impossible, but they went out and used that fuel their dreams. If you don't have a will to fuel your dreams they will never come true. I chose this quote because it speaks directly to me, I feel. I have very big goals in life and I plan on achieving them! :) ***
Jacob_ "In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."
ReplyDelete-A. Lincoln.
I like this quote because it tells you to live your life to the greatest extent that you can. It doesn't matter how long you live but how you live in the years God gave you. This quote makes each of us individually think how we can live out our lives in the best way we can.
My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.
-J.F. Kennedy
One of the most famous quotes ever to be said by the President of the US, this quote speaks out to the Americans that JFK served for. Although many think that Americans always try to get what they want and think only about themselves, many Americans aren't like this. This quote makes me think about how I live my life. Am I living my life for my country and fellow countrymen or for myself. I love this quote because it inspires Americans to live for others and to serve. If we do this than we will be rewarded tenfold.
Sena-"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed. In this life we get nothing saved by effort." -Theodore Roosevelt
ReplyDeleteI just found this quote but I think it is very true. To me this means we just need to keep trying. You may not always get it your first try but don't give up. If we aim for success, we will eventually get there. I love this quote!!!
Dan-
ReplyDelete"The only man who makes no mistake is the man who does nothing."
-Theodore Roosevelt
To me this means that in life you HAVE to make mistakes. There is no perfection in anything and you have to make mistakes in life to succeed and get better.
"Defeat doesn't finish a man, quit does. A man is not finished when he's defeated. He's finished when he quits"
-Richard Nixon
To me this means to never give up and don't quit. Defeat is what strives you to do better and quitting is giving up.
"Always give your best, never get discouraged, never be petty; always remember, others may hate you. Those who hate you don't win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself."
-Richard Nixon
To me this means don't let people get in your way and discourage you from your dreams or what you want. Don't hate others.
Conor -
ReplyDelete"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing."-Abraham Lincoln
I chose this quote because I like what it stands for. It means that if you set your mind to something it rodent matter what anyone else says you can do it. Abraham Lincoln was a man of failure. He lost chances of being in Congress and vice president multiple times, but he never gve up. I think we should all be like this.
Aaron-"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. "
ReplyDelete-John Adams
I believe this is an amazing quote because of how true it is! It is saying that the constitution was made for only our government and no one else's. If anyone else tries to use our constitution it will fail, because it was constructed for the U.S. government.
Catie-"I have never been hurt by anything that I didn't say."
ReplyDelete-John Calvin Coolige
I chose this saying because I like how it gives simple but potent advice. It tells me that if I don't say anything offensive or rude, I will never get in trouble or make enemies. It teaches a good lesson.
"Let us have faith that right makes might; and in that faith let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it."from abraham lincon.This is means to me that people need to express themselfs and to trust in what we believe in.((CODY))
ReplyDeleteKatie H.- "In the end, its not the years in your life that count. Its the life in the years."-Abraham Lincoln
ReplyDeleteI chose this quote because it means that its not how long you live that matters, how you lived your life when you were here on earth that counts.
Kordell
ReplyDelete"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more,you are a leader" John Quincy Adams
I chose this quote because I want to be a leader some day so i have to do this to be one.
Abby: when your reach the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on. - Thomas Jefferson
ReplyDeleteThomas Jefferson was a great courageous wise man who spoke up for what he believed in and stuck with what he said. I am just now learning about him and he is now one of my favorites. He worked with George Washington and Alexander Hamilton. Although he fought with Hamilton he still respected. They had there differences but he still worked with him and tolerated him. He was a great loyal man who deserves to be remembered for ever.
Gabi- If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong- Abraham Lincoln
ReplyDeleteI think that this means that if you are going to say that slavery is right, and it is not wrong then everything else is okay to do. Like murder or stealing. Because slavery is so wrong. And no one should say that it is okay. Some people did think that slavery was okay, and this was Lincoln's way of saying that if you think that something as awful as slavery is okay then everything else must be okay.
Ryan- my favorite president quote is
ReplyDeleteDo I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends? Abraham Lincoln
This mean if you can create friends with enemy they are no longer called an enemy, they are called a friend. There can be multiply ways you can see it, but i see it as you should try to always turn enemy into friends because it makes have less things to worry about. Friends are always better than enemy.
Emma Grant- I really like the quote
ReplyDelete"In any moment of a decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing."
(President Theodore Roosevelt)
I really like this quote because in the littlest way possible it is telling you to think about your decision before you take it or it might be a mistake. Everyone should think about what they say or do.
I also like
"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."
(John Quincy Adams)
I really like his because in the littlest of people you could be a leader. If you inspire people to do things then you are a leader. Even if you dont think so.
Vincent~
ReplyDelete"It is only when the people become ignorant and corrupt, when they degenerate into a populace, that they are incapable of exercising their sovereignty."
~James Monroe
I picked this quote because I think that it is very true in our society and that we must not become corrupt and ignorant and we must stay loyal and just in exercising our sovereignty. To me this quote means that we must be in check of how we are participating in the way we exercise our loyalty to the government.
Belle- "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
ReplyDeletein my opinion this quote means that fear is the only thing we need to be afraid of. fear is the only thing that keeps us from doing something .so fear is what we should fear because its what holds us back. fear is what is scary about something when really the scary thing is fear, not the thing your afraid of
Amaia- My favorite quote is "Do not look upon these states as a finished product. We are still in the making" -Franklin D. Roosevelt. I loved this quote because what it said to me was that as a nation, no matter how good we are as a nation, or how dominate or powerful, we will always strive to do better. As Americans we are the most powerful nation in the world and in our oppion we are also the overall 'best'. That being said, the reason we are the way we are is because we are contantly working to make something that is good and works better and work better. That Amercian additude of it can always inprove is the main reason we are the best nation in the world.
ReplyDeleteEmma- "You only live once but if you do it right, once is enough" -unknown
ReplyDeleteI chose this quote because you never know when your life is going to come to an end. Death is on it's own clock and you choose what to do while you have it. Wether good or bad decisions they bring out the person in you today. Life is to short to live through mistakes so you should choose to achieve more in order to succeed. If you choose a life full of happiness and love you won't have to live in regret.
"You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time."
ReplyDelete"If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong."
"Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?"
-Abraham Lincoln
I like these quotes because they mean a differnent thing to every person. abraham Lincoln also said the"If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong." quote during the period that he was banning slavery. These quotes are preacher like, coming from a witty mans mind.
Niko
Raphie-My favorite quote by a president is "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."-Ronald Reagan. This quote means to me that do be free and enjoy the liberties and rights that come with it we must defend that freedom with our life as the generations before us did. I chose this quote because Ronald Reagan was one of my favorite presidents and was a wise man who was inspiring. Also he had to handle tought desicions during his presidency and when I face tough times I look to him for inspiration.
ReplyDeleteDillon
ReplyDelete"If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong." Abraham Lincoln
This is so powerful because slavery was one the biggest problems in the U.S. It is also one of the reasons that we went to the civil war. To me slavery is one of the worst things that you can do t a person. This is why I like this quote so much. Slavery goes against the founding principal that our government is based on. It also goes against the inalienable rights that god gave us.
Matea- "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." That is my favorite quote by Abraham Lincoln. I chose this quote because it was the only one that stood out to me and meant something. I take from it that everyone can seem like they are a great person. If they get one chance to have a say that no one will argue with, they might do something that you wouldn't think that they would normally do. That is the only time that they got heard so yeah, some people might abuse the opportunities that they get. That is the true test to see if someone is really good or not good.
ReplyDeleteNatalia- My favorite American presidential quote is "It is easier to do a job right than to explain why you didn't." by Martin Van Burren. I like this quote because it is telling not just all the future presidents but all of the people that they need to do what is right. This is advice to future presidents telling them that all they have to do is do what is right and its easy. If everyone just does what is right then especially presidents wont have to explain to millions of people why they did something wrong or chose not to do something. When presidents make a decision knowing that is completely the right decision and the people wont be mad at them for it then their life is easier and they wont have to explain to the country what they did wrong and why they did it. To me this means that if i just try to do what is right every day my life will be much easier. Life is hard but if i do what is right it will become much easier. If i do something wrong then i will have to explain to everyone why i did that and why i didnt just do what was right.
ReplyDeleteNatalia- My favorite quote is "It is easier to do a job right than to explain why you didn't." by Martin Van Burren. This quote shows presidents that if they make a right decision then their life as president will be much easier. Life is hard but if you make good decisions it will be much easier than expalining the wrong decision you made. To me it means that i have to make the right decisions every day and my life will be easier. I like this quote because it inspires me to live my life choosing good decisions.
ReplyDeleteTaylor-
ReplyDelete"Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind."
-John F. Kennedy
This has been my favorite quote ever since I went to the 6th Floor Museum in Texas and stood next to the place where Lee Harvey Oswald shot Kennedy. I could even see the X on Elm Street where they marked the exact place Kennedy was assassinated. I felt very different after that day. They made it feel like I was actually there when he was killed. It was an amazing experience and now I have a favorite president.
~Alli~ My favorite quote is "In the time of darkest defeat, victory may be nearest." -William McKinley
ReplyDeleteI like this quote because it's saying that even if you lose or mess up chances are the next big thing in tor life is going to be amazing. You win a little, you lose a little.
peter-My favorite quote is:
ReplyDelete"In the present crisis,government is not the solution to our problem;its the problem. -Ronald Regan
I like this quote because everyone thought that we needed a big government to solve all of the problems with the country. The real problem with the country is putting not enough authority in the people and too much in the government.
Stephanie-
ReplyDelete"The happiness of society is the end of government."-John Adams
I think this quote means that the government can get between people and thier relashonships torwards eachother. Goverment issues and arguments can really tear people apart. Also the government has lots of laws and taxes that can put someone in a financial issue. I think this means that friends come before polotics.
Caleigh-
ReplyDelete“Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself”-FDR
The reason I really like this quote is because you might have a fear of something but you can make the fear large or push it away. And we do fear fearing things in the world.