# Most Famous Quotes of the Presidents **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 26, 2013, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385 "2013-01-26T01:06:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/61 "2013-02-20T16:38:22Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > If you really want it straightened out, here goes: > > **BrainGlutton** thinks that Obama was saying that small business owners didn’t build the infrastructure that small businesses use like roads and bridges. His focus is narrowed like a laser on that alone and thus the thinks Obama is right: Small business owners didn’t build the roads and bridges personally. > > However, when you look at Obama’s comments in context it was clear that he was making a broader statement that revealed some deeply flawed assumptions: That small business owners aren’t successful primarily because of their own hard work and intelligence, but rather because of the community they depend on. > > It’s generally insulting to small business owners. By saying this Obama was very much wrong and he deserves the flak he gets for it. > > But Obama’s defenders have proven not to be capable of understanding that rather than a snippet taken out of context the entire statement was poorly worded and insulting. They can’t see fault in it because they agree with the underlying and flawed assumptions that Obama is coming from. Thus they think it’s all about an out of context sound bite. Unnecessary post. I already straightened everything out in Post 59! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/62 "2013-02-20T16:40:55Z")
Runner up line for Obama: “I think when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.” ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/63 "2013-02-20T16:43:57Z")
It would help the comprehension of some here to actually fucking _read_ [the full speech](http://factcheck.org/2012/07/you-didnt-build-that-uncut-and-unedited/). Here, with context added instead of imagined: > [@](#): > > There are a lot of wealthy, successful Americans who agree with me — because they want to give something back. They know they didn’t — look, if you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. You didn’t get there on your own. I’m always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something — there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there. (Applause.) > > If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn’t get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet. > > The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together. There are some things, just like fighting fires, we don’t do on our own. I mean, imagine if everybody had their own fire service. That would be a hard way to organize fighting fires. > > So we say to ourselves, ever since the founding of this country, you know what, there are some things we do better together. That’s how we funded the GI Bill. That’s how we created the middle class. That’s how we built the Golden Gate Bridge or the Hoover Dam. That’s how we invented the Internet. That’s how we sent a man to the moon. We rise or fall together as one nation and as one people, and that’s the reason I’m running for President — because I still believe in that idea. You’re not on your own, we’re in this together. It’s even clearer if you watch the video and hear the intonations. The “that” you didn’t build is the American system. Got it? Any other full quotes or context you might want to consider, other than simple gotcha soundbites that will not live in history and do not make you look smart? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/64 "2013-02-20T16:54:30Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Actually, for Carter, I nominate a quote from the message he put aboard Voyager I: “We hope some day, having solved the problems we face, to join a community of galactic civilizations.” Speaking to an audience in North Carolina (surprise, surprise!) in 1978, President Jimmy Carter said that the Federal Government would continue its research “to make the smoking of tobacco even more safe than it is today.” ---
**Author:** ![svd678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@svd678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/svd678)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/65 "2013-02-20T18:01:38Z")
A favorite of mine, from Reagan:“Maybe we should let the Third World War start; that might bring on the Second Coming.” One of those “this mike is off, isn’t it?” moments after a press conference. I"m sure I heard it, but evidently no one else in the world did; I can’t find a cite anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/66 "2013-02-20T18:36:41Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > However, when you look at Obama’s comments in context it was clear that he was making a broader statement that revealed some deeply flawed assumptions: That small business owners aren’t successful primarily because of their own hard work and intelligence, but rather because of the community they depend on. Which is the truth. And not for businesscritters alone – almost **nothing** an individual human being accomplishes is possible without a very great deal of the work of others. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/67 "2013-02-20T18:53:17Z")
Can we leave out the commentary? There are plenty of threads for that. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/68 "2013-02-20T19:40:19Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > It would help the comprehension of some here to actually fucking _read_ [the full speech](http://factcheck.org/2012/07/you-didnt-build-that-uncut-and-unedited/). Here, with context added instead of imagined: It’s even clearer if you watch the video and hear the intonations. The “that” you didn’t build is the American system. > > Got it? Any other full quotes or context you might want to consider, other than simple gotcha soundbites that will not live in history and do not make you look smart? The fact remains that The Kenyan (:D) will forever be tied to that line. Face it, he’s more of a socialist at heart. For good and for ill. Redirecting credit from a man who built a successful business to the fucking roads that were in place is asinine, except if you are of a socialist bent. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/69 "2013-02-20T22:16:28Z")
No, the lines he’ll forever be tied to are: > [@Barack Hussein Obama](#): > > I, Barack Hussein Obama … > [@Barack Hussein Obama](#): > > I, Barack Hussein Obama … Deal with it. ---
**Author:** ![Algorithm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/algorithm/32/12204_2.png) [@Algorithm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algorithm)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/70 "2013-02-20T22:54:14Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Redirecting credit from a man who built a successful business to the fucking roads that were in place is asinine Well, unless it’s some sort of delivery business, or some other business that depends on goods or supplies being delivered. Or one that depends on customers or employees going to the place of business. But how many businesses can that really be? ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/71 "2013-02-20T23:55:46Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > No, the lines he’ll forever be tied to are: The only reason those lines might be memorable is because of the “Hussein”. But they won’t overshadow the stupidity of his I already pointed out. Fact. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/72 "2013-02-20T23:58:21Z")
> [@Algorithm](#): > > Well, unless it’s some sort of delivery business, or some other business that depends on goods or supplies being delivered. Or one that depends on customers or employees going to the place of business. But how many businesses can that really be? Nope. Those things are there for us all. Most of us don’t put them to maximum use. When someone does and builds something successful, he or she deserves the credit. If you want credit for such things, go build a FedEx, Dominoes Pizza, [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com), Whole Foods, etc. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/73 "2013-02-21T00:37:48Z")
So how’d the roads get there, then? A wizard did it? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/74 "2013-02-21T00:56:09Z")
Back to the OP’s question, a line that \*will \*always be associated with Obama is > [@](#): > > We got him. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/75 "2013-02-21T01:28:54Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Can we leave out the commentary? There are plenty of threads for that. Guess not. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/76 "2013-02-21T01:31:54Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Back to the OP’s question, a line that \*will \*always be associated with Obama is More like, we got stuck with him. :D:D ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/77 "2013-02-21T01:49:26Z")
“Getting stuck with him” would imply that he ended up as President against our (the nation’s) wishes. I’m puzzled why anyone would think that an accurate description. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/78 "2013-02-21T02:27:34Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > The only reason those lines might be memorable is because of the “Hussein”. But they won’t overshadow the stupidity of his I already pointed out. > > Fact. As a man once said: you’re entitled to your own opinion; you’re not entitled to your own facts. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/79 "2013-02-22T14:43:27Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > So how’d the roads get there, then? A wizard did it? 😃 Most of them were built by corporations and small businesses, funded and organized by the government, using taxes from corporations and their employees. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/80 "2013-02-22T18:58:49Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > Most of them were built by corporations and small businesses, funded and organized by the government, using taxes from corporations and their employees. So it was a group effort and not the work of an individual. That sounds vaguely familiar. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385.md?page=5)