Rutherford B. Hayes's Quotes

I am not liked as a President by the politicians in office, in the press, or in Congress. But I am content to abide the judgment the sober second thought of the people.

Law without education is a dead letter. With education the needed law follows without effort and, of course, with power to execute itself; indeed, it seems to execute itself.

We are in a period when old questions are settled and the new are not yet brought forward. Extreme party action, if continued in such a time, would ruin the party. Moderation is its only chance. The party out of power gains by all partisan conduct of those in power.

Let every man, every corporation, and especially let every village, town, and city, every county and State, get out of debt and keep out of debt. It is the debtor that is ruined by hard times.

The filth and noise of the crowded streets soon destroy the elasticity of health which belongs to the country boy.

Wars will remain while human nature remains. I believe in my soul in cooperation, in arbitration; but the soldier's occupation we cannot say is gone until human nature is gone.

He serves his party best who serves his country best.

Must swear off from swearing. Bad habit.

Do not let your bachelor ways crystallize so that you can't soften them when you come to have a wife and a family of your own.

Conscience is the authentic voice of God to you.

The progress of society is mainly the improvement in the condition of the workingmen of the world.

Unjust attacks on public men do them more good than unmerited praise.

As friends go it is less important to live.

To vote is like the payment of a debt, a duty never to be neglected, if its performance is possible.

Virtue is defined to be mediocrity, of which either extreme is vice.

Universal suffrage should rest upon universal education. To this end, liberal and permanent provision should be made for the support of free schools by the State governments, and, if need be, supplemented by legitimate aid from national authority.

The unrestricted competition so commonly advocated does not leave us the survival of the fittest. The unscrupulous succeed best in accumulating wealth.

I am a radical in thought (and principle) and a conservative in method (and conduct).

In avoiding the appearance of evil, I am not sure but I have sometimes unnecessarily deprived myself and others of innocent enjoyments.

It is the desire of the good people of the whole country that sectionalism as a factor in our politics should disappear...'