There is no legislation--I care not what it is--tariff, railroads, corporations, or of a general political character, that all equals in importance the putting of our banking and currency system on the sound basis proposed in the National Monetary Commission plan.

William Howard Taft

Categorized in : Character Sound Political

Too many people don't care what happens so long as it doesn't happen to them.

William Howard Taft

care long people

Repeat mantra: Donuts are not vitamins, donuts are not.

William Howard Taft

vitamins presidential fitness

The secret of Masonry, like the secret of life, can be known only by those who seek it, serve it, live it. It cannot be uttered; it can only be felt and acted. It is, in fact, an open secret, and each man knows it according to his quest and capacity. Like all things worth knowing, no one can know it for another and no man can know it alone.

William Howard Taft

dedication knowing men

The man with the average mentality, but with control, with a definite goal, and a clear conception of how it can be gained, and above all, with the power of application and labor, wins in the end.

William Howard Taft

winning average men

Enthusiasm for a cause sometimes warps judgment.

William Howard Taft

judgement causes enthusiasm

If they will play fair I will play fair, but if they won't then I reserve all my rights to do anything I find myself able to do.

William Howard Taft

able rights play

We must dare to be great; and we must realize that greatness is the fruit of toil and sacrifice and high courage.

William Howard Taft

sacrifice inspirational-life greatness

Don't write so that you can be understood, write so that you can't be misunderstood.

William Howard Taft

presidential inspirational-life writing

We can't have a decent government unless those in power exercise self restraint.

William Howard Taft

government self exercise

No tendency is quite so strong in human nature as the desire to lay down rules of conduct for other people.

William Howard Taft

strong people thinking

The real secrets of Masonry are never told, not even from mouth to ear. For the real secret of Masonry is spoken to your heart and from it to the heart of your brother. Never the language made for tongue may speak it, it is uttered only in the eye in those manifestations of that love which a man has for his friend, which passeth all other loves.

William Howard Taft

real brother heart

The world is not going to be saved by legislation.

William Howard Taft

presidential success world

Presidents come and go, but the Supreme Court goes on forever.

William Howard Taft

president goes-on forever

Substantial progress toward better things can rarely be taken without developing new evils requiring new remedies.

William Howard Taft

progress taken evil

Unless education promotes character making, unless it helps men to be more moral, more just to their fellows, more law abiding, more discriminatingly patriotic and public spirited, it is not worth the trouble taken to furnish it.

William Howard Taft

patriotic taken character

The cheerful loser is a sort of winner.

William Howard Taft

winner cheerful loser

The President can exercise no power which cannot be fairly and reasonably traced to some specific grant of power in the Federal Constitution or in an act of Congress passed in pursuance thereof. There is no undefined residuum of power which he can exercise because it seems to him to be in the public interest.

William Howard Taft

president power exercise

I do not allow myself to be moved by anything except the law. If there has been a mistake in the law, or if I think there has beenperjury or injustice, I will weigh the petition most carefully, but I do not permit myself to be moved by more harrowing details, and I try to treat each case as if I was reviewing it or hearing it for the first time from the bench.

William Howard Taft

law mistake thinking

We are all imperfect. We can not expect perfect government.

William Howard Taft

can-not government perfect

I do not believe in the divinity of Christ, and there are many other of the postulates of the orthodox creed to which I cannot subscribe.

William Howard Taft

atheism believe religion