Quotes on the presidency

“All modern political prose descends from the Gettysburg address.” Garry Wills

“America can inspire the dreams and desires of others thanks to its dominance of global images.” Hubert Vedrine
“Americans are not very good at nation-building and not very good colonialists.” Francis Fukuyama
“Anybody like myself who has once made the decision that they want to give a State of the Union address … never ever permanently surrenders that.” Bob Kerrey
“Every President must endure a gap between what he would like and what is possible.” John F. Kennedy
“Every President needs a son-of-a-bitch and I’m Nixon’s.” Bob Haldeman
“I may be President of the United States, but my private life is nobody’s damned business.” Chester Arthur
“I sit here all day trying to persuade people to do the thing they ought to have sense enough to do without my persuading them. That’s all the powers of the President amount to.” Harry Truman
“If [military] intelligence were a television set, it would be an early black-and-white model with poor reception.” Madeline Albright
“Image makers are now selling the President.” Joe McGinniss
“Military leaders should not be complicit in accepting the President’s approach to war.” Major McMaster
“Never underestimate the power of proximity.” Daniel Moynihan
“Not deciding is also a decision.” Oliver Burkeman
“Presidential frustration is far more the rule than presidential triumph.” Thomas Cronin
“Speak softly and carry a big stick.” Theodore Roosevelt
“The most frightening words in the English language – I’m from the government and I am here to help.” Ronald Reagan
“The presidency can be characterized as high expectations yet limited power; many demands yet few resources.” Cronin and Genovese
“The presidency is … like an orchestra … made up of literally hundreds of people.” Anthony Bennett
“The presidency is not a powerful office.” James Pfiffner
“The presidency provides a wonderful bully pulpit.” Teddy Roosevelt
“The President must be a bargainer-in-chief.” David Mervin
“The single most important part of a successful team is a Chief of Staff strong enough to be an honest broker.” Samuel Popkin
“We do not have the God-given right to shape every nation in our own image or as we choose.” Robert McNamara
“We have not an imperial presidency but an imperiled presidency.” Gerald Ford
“When the President does it then it is not illegal.” Richard Nixon