Words Matter
I have said many things in my life that I regretted. Never, though, did I make these statements in a speech. A prepared remark holds more weight than spontaneous speech.
The people quoted below knew they would be quoted. Their words expressed their intent, at least when they spoke them (or wrote them). In some cases, a figure may have captured sentiments at a moment in time and then have had a change of heart, years later.
Albert Einstein, for example, urged President Franklin Roosevelt to develop a fission-based bomb, an atomic bomb. In 1939 he wrote, persuasively,
In view of this situation you may think it desirable to have some permanent contact maintained between the Administration and the group of physicists working on chain reactions in America.
In 1954 he changed his mind. He said to a friend that urging Roosevelt to develop the bomb was the "one great mistake of his life".
This famous scientist's about turn is one of the most somber in history.
![Albert_Einstein,_by_Doris_Ulmann[1].jpg](https://images.hive.blog/768x0/https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/agmoore/EogG6JzEQbpP7Bh3bJFW5iXB67MYo8rm9BYUykuJpGDEPMyWGLsE1777gtvyhEzKJdn.jpg)
Einstein, by Doris Ullman. 1934. Public domain
Another, perhaps more consequential about face may be found in the words of Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the years leading up to WW II. In 1938 he gave a speech to his nation in which he expressed confidence in Hitler's promise to stop military aggression. Chamberlain announced:
This is the second time in our history that there has come back from Germany to Downing Street peace with honor. I believe it is peace for our time.
Chamberlain announcing peace agreement with Hitler. National Digital Archives Wydawnictwo Prasowe Kraków-Warszawa used under CC 4.0 license
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The folly of the Prime Minister's words became evident all too soon. In 1939, after Hitler invaded Poland, Chamberlain was obliged to tell his nation, with regard to Hitler,
His action shows convincingly that there is no chance of expecting that this man will ever give up his practice of using force to gain his will. He can only be stopped by force,
England was going to war.
The figures, both noble and ignoble, quoted below may have eventually changed their minds at some point, also. A speech, a phrase, by such a significant person, however, is preserved in amber. It has effect. In many cases, these statements were made when the person was quite mature, and had achieved stature.
I chose the quotes because to me they are representative of the author's place in history, of their world view, and of their character. My judgement on this is obviously subjective.
- Franklin Roosevelt: President of the United States during the Great Depression and WWII. Helped to draft post-war world with Stalin and Churchill
Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin at Yalta. Public domain
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Winston Churchill: Prime Minister of England during WWII. Largely credited with leading his nation to a hard-won victory against fascism.
Abraham Lincoln: President of United States during U. S. Civil War. Often rated by historians as the best president in U.S. history. Sometimes that honor is given to George Washington. Assassinated.
John F. Kennedy: President of United States for a short time in the 1960s. Remembered for his youth, his inspirational leadership, his brinkmanship with the USSR. Assassinated.
Donald J. Trump: 45th and 47th (current) President of the United States
Trump, by Miley Riley. White House Official Portrait. Public domain
Dwight D. Eisenhower: Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force during World War II. Led the amphibious landing on Normandy at the end of the war. President of the United States in the 1950s.
George Washington: General who led army to victory during U. S. war for independence. First President of the United States.
Napoleon Bonaparte: Marched across Europe as the head of the French army. Became Emperor of France. Was eventually exiled and died in exile.
Joseph Stalin: Leader of the Soviet Union from the 20's until his death in 1953. Led USSR to victory in WWII. Sat down with Churchill and Roosevelt at Yalta. Together the three men divided up Europe--East and West. Soviet Bloc and Western-allied nations.
Adam Smith: Eighteenth-century economist/philosopher. Considered by some to be the father of modern capitalism.
Statue of Adam Smith by William Theed the Younger.Public domain
Nicholas II: Last Romanov Czar of Russia. Assassinated, along with his family, during the Russian Revolution of 1917.
John Adams: A leader of the American Revolution. Second President, first Vice president of the United States. Drafted Constitution for Massachusetts. One of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
Benito Mussolini: Fascist leader in Italy. Rose to power in the twenties. Became allied with Adolf Hitler in WW II. Was killed by a mob as the war came to an end.
Mussolini by Antola Swan. 1939. Public domain
- Jimmy Carter: President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. Gained international renown after his presidency for his humanitarian work.
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
Franklin Roosevelt
An iron curtain has descended across the continent
Winston Churchill
This was their finest hour
Winston Churchill
A date that will live in infamy
Franklin Roosevelt
A house divided against itself cannot stand.
Abraham Lincoln--Paraphrasing the Bible
Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.
John F. Kennedy
I am your justice...I am your retribution
Donald J. Trump
...we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
...the freedom of Speech may be taken away, and, dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep, to the Slaughter.
George Washington
A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution...
Donald J. Trump
Change based on principle is progress. Constant change without principle becomes chaos.
Dwight Eisenhower
In politics stupidity is not a handicap.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Education is a weapon, whose effect depends on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed.
Joseph Stalin
Whenever the legislature attempts to regulate the differences between masters and their workmen, its counsellors are always the masters.
Adam Smith
...we will continue to deport these monsters...
Donald J. Trump
Civil government, so far as it is instituted for the security of property, is in reality instituted for the defence of the rich against the poor, or of those who have some property against those who have none at all.
Adam Smith
I shall never, under any circumstances, agree to a representative form of government because I consider it harmful to the people whom God has entrusted to my care.
Nicholas II
He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.
Donald J. Trump
The very definition of a Republic, is an Empire of Laws, and not of Men....
John Adams
For Fascism the State is absolute, individuals and groups relative.
Benito Mussolini
"When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total. And that's the way it's got to be. It's total.
Donald J. Trump
...a question arises whether all the powers of government, legislative, executive, and judicial, shall be left in this body? I think a people cannot be long free...
John Adams
“Our American values are not luxuries, but necessities — not the salt in our bread but the bread itself. Our common vision of a free and just society is our greatest source of cohesion at home and strength abroad — greater even than the bounty of our material blessings.
Jimmy Carter
Every moment in time is a moment in history. Some moments, though, stand out as critical junctures. The development of the bomb may have been inevitable, but it was nonetheless a critical juncture. The same may be said of Kennedy's 1962 confrontation with Khrushchev over missiles in Cuba.
It is my sense, and the belief of many people, that the United States is at a critical juncture. I try to understand what is happening by looking back at history. I try to gain perspective on the leadership in my country today. I hope some of my readers find this collection of quotes useful in the same way.
Thank you for reading. Peace and health to all.
Love this one
Trump is the only one of these who is in power today. I have quite a few friends who adore him. This helps me understand how any ruler is able to go too far - he bamboozles his subjects. No quotes from Obama? In hindsight, he was no better than any of these.
Hi @owascI like that quote too
I didn't include Obama because I wanted this to be about the current leader from a perspective of history. Obama is still alive. Still making a record. Still a relatively young man.
I wanted people, especially followers of our current leader, to see how his tone, his intent stacks up against figures in history. His message is similar to some and discordant with others. Are those with whom he agrees heroes in history? What do the heroes in history have to say (from their graves) about the policies of our current leader? I let their words speak for them.
Thanks a lot for reading. I know this can be tedious for many to go through, but it helps me to sort through facts, not opinions or digested news. We do not live in reassuring times.
I really enjoyed your post, it's right up the alleys I tread daily now.
Yes, and no. The last 70 or so of "reassuring" years in the US have been an illusion; our freedoms have been whittled down to nearly none under a succession of administrations, right and left. I am reassured that many of us can see this now, that we can see that fascism has been here, disguised by rhetoric and hypnotic states, for many years already. We now have a chance to make some true changes, not just hope for them.
Absolutely! In the name of 'security' we have signed away the basic protections provided for in our Constitution. The more 'safe' the government makes me, the less secure I feel.
Exactly. Governments ought not to protect us, but rather protect our natural rights. I'm no longer sure we need governments at all. The world is replete with them, and look at the mess that has been made.
There are no perfect governments, but, again, looking at history, a power vacuum leads to the worst of us taking over. We need a balance. Our forefathers tried to strike that balance. Of course they made mistakes--obviously, because look where we are now.
Governments, by nature, are parasitical. They feed on us to exist at all. The reason that the worst have taken over in recent history could very well be because the US and other western powers have been complicit in the toppling of legitimate governments and installation of their corrupt cronies. In the case of the US, who is going to control that coup? Some say we are seeing a controlled demolition. I do not know, but I am on my toes, or so I believe.
Ditto
I really like your story of words that matter, you take as an example the thinking of several scientists, including Einstein, when he urged President Franklin Roosevelt to develop an atomic bomb. Then, in 1954, he changed his mind and told a friend that urging that president to develop the bomb was the “great mistake of his life.” So words do matter; some presidents, from various countries, have laboratories that make atomic bombs. Have a happy day with your family and may God give you good health.
Thank you for your comment, @rammargarita. I studied history in college. As a matter of fact, my undergraduate degree is in history. I think when looking at history it is best to let people's words speak for them. I don't want to be told about them. I want to hear from them. That's why I quote people. It is the most direct way of knowing someone's intention.
I hope you are well my friend, and that your family is peaceful and well. God bless you.
I think we are at interesting times but we’ve always been at these junctures, it seems.
For example, in the time of JFK, the government was planning a false flag to get itself into war. They wanted to bomb something, I forget the target, and blame Cuba so they could get into war. JFK refused and we know what happened to him, for among other reasons.
Gulf of Tonkin for Vietnam..
weapons of mass destruction for Iraq
I’m trying to say that indeed we have a lot of issues going on but there have been considerable points in the past where there were also some really scary and disgusting things those in power wanted to do simply for more war, control and power.
I disagree with some of the actions of the current administration for sure, and we shall see how they shake out!
Hello @cmplxty,
I very much appreciate your feedback. Historicity, the art of ascertaining the truth of the past, has always been one of my interests. As I think I have said before here (maybe not), my undergraduate degree was in history. I was always less interested in what scholars, writers, reporters said about history than I was in primary sources. What did the actual figures say, themselves? What did the people who experienced history see and do? That's why I like the exercise of quotes. This is the most accurate indication of intention: What did they say?
People lie. That's a fact. But what they say is what they want us to believe about them and their plans.
There are no politicians who are saints. Politics is a realist's world and that implies moral compromise. Our history (U.S. history) is littered with egregious misdeeds. With lies. With imperialism. All true.
This administration is certainly no different in that regard, although perhaps more blatant. There is no attempt to put a fig leaf on the aggressive intentions of the administration (think Greenland, Canada, Panama, Gaza, etc....)
However, at no time in our past has any president ever uttered any phrase indicative of totalitarian intent such as this one:
"When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total. And that's the way it's got to be. It's total."
It surprises me that you can read those words and not have a chill run down your spine.
or these words:
"A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution..."
Do you hear what he is saying? He claims absolute authority to do whatever he wants. He is asserting abrogation of all rules, regulations, controls. Do you not believe him? What in his behavior tells you he doesn't intend to take onto himself absolute authority?
If this is a government model in which you feel comfortable, you are not alone. Many people long for a strongman at the head of government. Many people believe democracy (representative government where there is at least an attempt to gauge the will of the people) is messy and dangerous. I am not one of those people.
This community is a great opportunity for all of us to express our opinions. Not just that, but to have those opinions challenged so that we may more objectively examine them.
Thank you for providing this forum. Again, I really appreciate your feedback. It is enlightening.
Sorry if I'm not always able to reply, each post is a great thesis on it's own :D but I do enjoy reading them!!
I for sure hear your concern and agree with it. One of the issues I have with it is that although he is openly saying it, the Biden camp previously did not say it yet enacted as much control as possible. What is worse, overt or covert?
Perhaps in the long-term the overt reduces the semblance of what people think is a government, being people in suits who are formal and respectful. These days, it is anything but.
I vehemently disagree with the rule-by-dictate style that he is doing, because sure I agree many of the policies being used, however the most insidious aspect is when the shoe is on the other foot and the psychos who wanted to lock us all down and force us to take experimental injections get that type of control. Is this the calm before the storm, in that he is the facade ahead of the real totalitarian state, enforced by AI?
For sure a lot of crazy things to think about in these times! We have sadly come far from the rule of laws and congress doing the things that are enumerated in its powers, the same as judicial and executive.
A scary thought about the judicial side of it is more cases are being dismissed now than ever before, all citing a supreme court ruling I forget the details but seemingly almost like "this is a waste of my time" instead of giving people their day in court.
What will the fate of the future be?!
I am relieved to hear that you do not want rule by fiat. Where we disagree is in the degree of danger.
Government has too much power. I don't want my phones tapped. I don't want my property seized by a police officer because of a minor offense. I don't want the government telling me how to educate my children. However, the overt power grab of the current administration is a degree beyond where any other administration has dared to go. At least prior administrations acknowledged the power of the courts. They may have tried to get around the courts, but ultimately the courts prevailed. Previous administrations did not seize people off the streets and disappear them. Previous administrations used the power of the purse to influence universities, but did not actually take them over.
It is the brashness, the naked power grab, that terrifies me. There are no limits. Indeed, I wonder if by writing these words I may not some day be called to account. That's scary.
So sorry I write a lot. I appreciate your response and do not expect another. I wish you and your family good fortune. I wish that for all of us.