71 Harry Truman Quotes From The 33rd President Of The United States Of America
Gallery
Harry S Truman served as the 33rd President of the USA from 1945 to 1953.
He is known for implementing the Marshall Plan for the rebuilding of the economy of Western Europe. He also established the Truman Doctrine and NATO aimed at containing the Communist expansion.
Sadly, he suffered from illnesses throughout his life. At the age of 88, he was hospitalized for lung congestion, kidney blockages, heart irregularity, and digestive system failure. He died in Kansas City on December 26, 1972.
This article has a list of 71 Harry S Truman quotes grouped into various categories. This list of the best Harry Truman quotes includes Harry Truman quotes on politics, Harry Truman quotes on trust, funny Harry Truman quotes, Harry Truman quotes on Republicans, Harry Truman quotes from speeches, and Harry Truman quotes about the press.
You might also like to check out these Kamala Harris quotes and Juneteenth quotes too.
The Best Harry S Truman Quotes
Some of the best Harry S Truman quotes are listed below.
1. “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”
-Harry S Truman.
2. “A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.”
-Harry S Truman.
3. “If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen.”
-Harry S Truman.
4. “There are always a lot of people so afraid of rocking the boat that they stop rowing. We can never get ahead that way.”
-Harry S Truman.
5. “A society will be judged by how it treats its weakest members.”
-Harry S Truman.
6. “The only things worth learning are the things you learn after you know it all.
-Harry S Truman.
7. “The most peaceful thing in the world is plowing a field. Chances are you’ll do your best thinking that way.”
-Harry S Truman.
8. “As you get older, you get tired of doing the same things over and over again, so you think Christmas has changed. It hasn’t. It’s you who has changed.”
-Harry S Truman.
9. “When you have an efficient government, you have a dictatorship.
-Harry S Truman.
10. “Leadership is the ability to get men to do what they don’t want to do and like it.”
-Harry Truman.
11. “... they [books] are the sole instruments of registering, perpetuating and transmitting thought.”
-Harry S Truman.
Powerful Harry S Truman Quotes
Given below is a list of some powerful quotes by Harry S Truman.
12. “When even one American - who has done nothing wrong - is forced by fear to shut his mind and close his mouth - then all Americans are in peril.”
-Harry S Truman.
13. “Men make history and not the other way around.”
-Harry S Truman.
14. “The atom bomb was no 'great decision.' It was merely another powerful weapon in the arsenal of righteousness.”
-Harry S Truman.
15. “A President needs political understanding to run the government, but he may be elected without it.”
-Harry S. Truman.
16. “It’s a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it’s a depression when you lose your own.”
-Harry S Truman.
17. “Most of the problems a President has to face have their roots in the past.”
-Harry S Truman.
18. “Well, I wouldn't say I was in the 'great' class, but I had a great time while I was trying to be great.”
-Harry S Truman.
19. “People are very much wrought up about the Communist bugaboo.”
-Harry S Truman.
20. “A man who is influenced by the polls or is afraid to make decisions which make him unpopular is not a man to represent the welfare of the country.”
-Harry S Truman.
21. “The Russians... are fine people. They got along with our soldiers in Berlin very well. As far as I am concerned, they can have whatever they want just so they don't try to impose their system on others.”
-Harry S Truman.
22. “I never did give them hell. I just told the truth, and they thought it was hell.”
-Harry S Truman.
Harry S Truman Quotes About America
Some quotes on America and other countries said by Harry S Truman are given below.
23. “The United Nations is designed to make possible lasting freedom and independence for all its members.”
-Harry S Truman.
24. “America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.”
-Harry S Truman.
25. “I've said many a time that I think the Un-American Activities Committee in the House of Representatives was the most un-American thing in America!”
-Harry S Truman.
26. “There is no more fundamental axiom of American freedom than the familiar statement: In a free country we punish men for the crimes they commit but never for the opinions they have.”
-Harry S Truman.
27. “The Republican Party either corrupts its liberals or it expels them.”
-Harry S Truman.
28. “It is a terrible-and I mean terrible-nuisance to be kin to the President of the United States.”
-Harry S Truman.
29. “We should resolve now that the health of this nation is a national concern; that financial barriers in the way of attaining health shall be removed; that the health of all it's citizens deserves the help of all the nation.”
-Harry S. Truman.
30. “A leader in the Democratic Party is a boss, in the Republican Party he is a leader.”
-Harry S Truman.
31. “You know that being an American is more than a matter of where your parents came from. It is a belief that all men are created free and equal and that everyone deserves an even break.”
-Harry S Truman.
32. “I have little patience with people who take the Bill of Rights for granted. The Bill of Rights, contained in the first ten amendments to the Constitution, is every American's guarantee of freedom.”
Harry S. Truman.
33. “When a fellow tells me he's bipartisan, I know he's going to vote against me”
-Harry S Truman.
34. “If you tell Congress everything about the world situation, they get hysterical. If you tell them nothing, they go fishing.”
-Harry S Truman.
35. “The Marshall Plan will go down in history as one of America's greatest contributions to the peace of the world.”
-Harry S Truman.
Inspirational Harry S Truman Quotes
A list of inspirational Harry S Truman quotes is given below.
36. “All my life, whenever it comes time to make a decision, I make it and forget about it.”
-Harry S Truman.
37. “I do not believe there is a problem in this country or the world today which could not be settled if approached through the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount.”
-Harry S Truman.
38. “In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves... self discipline with all of them came first.”
-Harry S Truman.
39. “Without a strong educational system — free of government control — democracy is crippled. Knowledge is not only the key to power. It is the citadel of human freedom.”
-Harry S. Truman.
40. “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.”
-Harry S Truman.
41. “Fame is a vapor, popularity is an accident, riches take wings, those who cheer today may curse tomorrow and only one thing endures - character.”
-Harry S Truman.
42. “The President hears a hundred voices telling him that he is the greatest man in the world. He must listen carefully indeed to hear the one voice that tells him his is not.”
-Harry S Truman.
43. “There is some risk involved in action, there always is. But there is far more risk in failure to act.”
-Harry S Truman.
44. “Keep working on a plan. Make no little plans. Make the biggest plan you can think of and spend the rest of your life carrying it out.”
-Harry S Truman.
45. “Tact is the ability to step on a man's toes without messing up the shine on his shoes.”
-Harry S Truman.
46. “If you can't convince them, confuse them.”
-Harry S Truman.
Popular Harry S Truman Quotes
Given below are some popular Harry S Truman quotes.
47. “Experience has shown how deeply the seeds of war are planted by economic rivalry and social injustice.”
-Harry S Truman.
48. “If I hadn't been President of the United States, I probably would have ended up a piano player in a bawdy house.”
-Harry S Truman.
49. "I would rather have peace in the world than be President."
-Harry S Truman.
50. "A President cannot always be popular."
-Harry S Truman.
51. “If you don't have your own goals, you'll be doomed to work toward someone else's.”
-Harry S Truman.
52. “Intense feeling too often obscures the truth.”
-Harry S Truman.
53. “I can remember when a good politician had to be 75 percent ability and 25 percent actor, but I can well see the day when the reverse could be true.
-Harry S Truman.
54. “Being a President is like riding a tiger. A man has to keep on riding or he is swallowed.”
-Harry S Truman.
55. “In my opinion eight years as President is enough and sometimes too much for any man to serve in that capacity.”
-Harry S Truman.
56. “No one in the world can take the place of your mother. Right or wrong, from her viewpoint you are always right. She may scold you for little things, but never for the big ones.”
-Harry S Truman.
57. “Of course, there are dangers in religious freedom and freedom of opinion. But to deny these rights is worse than dangerous, it is absolutely fatal to liberty.”
-Harry S Truman.
58. “A President either is constantly on top of events or, if he hesitates, events will soon be on top of him. I never felt that I could let up for a moment.”
-Harry S Truman.
59. “It's not the hand that signs the laws that holds the destiny of America. It's the hand that casts the ballot.”
-Harry S Truman.
Great Harry S Truman Quotes
Some great quotes by Harry S Truman from the history books are given below.
60. “The Marine Corps is the Navy's police force and as long as I am President that is what it will remain. They have a propaganda machine that is almost equal to Stalin's.”
-Harry S Truman.
61. "Art is parasitic on life, just as criticism is parasitic on art."
-Harry S Truman.
62. “The President is always abused. If he isn't, he isn't doing anything.”
-Harry S Truman.
63. “The only thing new in the world is the history you don't know.”
-Harry S Truman.
64. “Some of my best friends never agree with me politically.”
-Harry S Truman.
65. “I sit here all day trying to persuade people to do the things they ought to have the sense to do without my persuading them. That's all the powers of the President amount to.”
-Harry S Truman.
66. “You cannot get all the facts from just one newspaper, and unless you have the facts, you cannot make proper judgments about what is going on.”
-Harry S Truman.
67. “I am not worried about the Communist Party taking over the Government of the United States, but I am against a person, whose loyalty is not to the Government of the United States, holding a Government job. They are entirely different things.”
-Harry S Truman.
68. “Actions are the seed of fate deeds grow into destiny.”
-Harry S Truman.
69. “I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it.”
-Harry S Truman.
70. “Selfishness and greed, individual or national, cause most of our troubles.”
-Harry S Truman.
71. “You and I are stuck with the necessity of taking the worst of two evils or none at all. So-I'm taking the immature Democrat as the best of the two. Nixon is impossible.”
-Harry S Truman.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Harry Truman quotes, then why not take a look at these King Solomon quotes or Billie Jean King quotes too?
We Want Your Photos!
More for You
See All
Bachelor of Science specializing in Microbiology
Oluwatosin MichaelBachelor of Science specializing in Microbiology
With a Bachelor's in Microbiology from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Oluwatosin has honed his skills as an SEO content writer, editor, and growth manager. He has written articles, conducted extensive research, and optimized content for search engines. His expertise extends to leading link-building efforts and revising onboarding strategies.
Disclaimer
1) Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising. We hope you love our recommendations for products and services! What we suggest is selected independently by the Kidadl team. If you purchase using the Buy Now button we may earn a small commission. This does not influence our choices. Prices are correct and items are available at the time the article was published but we cannot guarantee that on the time of reading. Please note that Kidadl is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. We also link to other websites, but are not responsible for their content.
2) At Kidadl, we strive to recommend the very best activities and events. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability. Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
3) Because we are an educational resource, we have quotes and facts about a range of historical and modern figures. We do not endorse the actions of or rhetoric of all the people included in these collections, but we think they are important for growing minds to learn about under the guidance of parents or guardians.