# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/81 "2013-02-22T19:54:26Z")
“I will never lie to you.” -Jimmy Carter, 1976. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/82 "2013-02-22T21:40:19Z")
This might be of interest, given what day it is: [Happy Washington's Birthday! - Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=457036) ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/83 "2013-02-22T22:53:02Z")
> [@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. Regardless of whether this interpretation is objectively correct, the results of the recent election indicate that most voters either disagreed with it or felt that the entire issue was too petty to sway their vote. As such, it’s unlikely that “You didn’t build that,” will be remembered as Obama’s “most famous” quote. Had he lost re-election, it might have been in the running as an example of the attitude and/or policies that cost Obama the election. But as it stands, it will be remembered (when it is remembered at all) chiefly as a failed Romney campaign strategy. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/84 "2013-02-24T04:16:47Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > …“You didn’t build that” … will be remembered (when it is remembered at all) chiefly as a failed Romney campaign strategy. Hell, they built a whole day of the Republican National Convention around it!: [http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2012/08/gop-convention-chris-christie-rick-santorum-/1#.USmT71qsb-A](http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2012/08/gop-convention-chris-christie-rick-santorum-/1#.USmT71qsb-A) ---
**Author:** ![kjckjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e36b37/32.png) [@kjckjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kjckjc)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/85 "2013-02-27T01:07:24Z")
GBI: “Read my lips, no new taxes” and on a similar note Obama: “If your family earns less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes increased a single dime. I repeat: not one single dime.” ---
**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 27, 2013, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/86 "2013-02-27T01:29:24Z")
Did anyone’s taxes go up under Obama? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/87 "2013-02-27T01:42:30Z")
Yes, everyone making under a certain amount (~$100k depending on year) had their Social Security/FICA go up, it’s 7.65% (15.3% including employer portion/self employed). Last year it was IIRC 5.65%/11.3%. Damn him. …but that wasn’t Obama’s fault, and it won’t stop someone from blaming him, it also first went down under his administration… ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/88 "2013-02-27T01:45:10Z")
A slightly more complete quote, **kjckjc** : > [@Obama](#): > > I want to pass a budget next year that ensures that each dollar we spend reflects only our most important national priorities. > […] > In order to save our children from a future of debt, we will also end the tax breaks for the wealthiest 2% of Americans. But let me perfectly clear, because I know you’ll hear the same old claims that rolling back these tax breaks means a massive tax increase on the American people: if your family earns less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes increased a single dime. I repeat: not one single dime. In fact, the recovery plan provides a tax cut – that’s right, a tax cut – for 95% of working families. And these checks are on the way. So he was discussing a tax proposal that never happened because Congressional Republicans objected to the idea of raising taxes on households that made $250,000 a year. It finally sort of happened last month as a tax increase on households making more than $400,00 a year. It’s not comparable to “read my lips.” ---
**Author:** ![kjckjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e36b37/32.png) [@kjckjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kjckjc)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/89 "2013-02-27T02:18:17Z")
Oops, sorry. This isn’t Great Debates, is it? Are you debating that what I posted was not, in fact, a quote spoken by Pres. Obama? Or that it won’t stand the test of time? Or that it is or isn’t true? Because it is all over my Facebook wall. And the hashtags relating to the quote were trending on Twitter more than once. So it is a famous quote. So what is the issue? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/90 "2013-02-27T02:21:43Z")
The issue is that the quote doesn’t say what you were suggesting it did. And no, as a quote from Obama’s first speech to Congress about a tax proposal that never happened, it’s not going to be a quote of enduring fame. That’s not to say that people who don’t like Obama won’t try to use that quote to call him a liar or something, but it’s not really a defining statement. ---
**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 27, 2013, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/91 "2013-02-27T02:22:11Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Yes, everyone making under a certain amount (~$100k depending on year) had their Social Security/FICA go up, it’s 7.65% (15.3% including employer portion/self employed). Last year it was IIRC 5.65%/11.3%. Damn him. > > …but that wasn’t Obama’s fault, and it won’t stop someone from blaming him, it also first went down under his administration… Right, but that was more than offset by the previous cuts. > [@kjckjc](#): > > Oops, sorry. This isn’t Great Debates, is it? Are you debating that what I posted was not, in fact, a quote spoken by Pres. Obama? Or that it won’t stand the test of time? Or that it is or isn’t true? Because it is all over my Facebook wall. And the hashtags relating to the quote were trending on Twitter more than once. So it is a famous quote. So what is the issue? You implied that it’s famous because it turned out to be untrue, like the Bush I quote. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/92 "2013-02-27T20:30:47Z")
> [@minlokwat](#): > > LBJ: Can’t think of one. LBJ: “I’ll have those niggers voting Democratic for the next 200 years.” Absolute vintage LBJ. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/93 "2013-02-27T21:25:10Z")
Hadn’t heard that one - his prediction that the Civil Rights Act would lose the Democratic Party the previously-Solid South for generations is well-known, though. My favorite LBJ story was when he was leaving an Air Force base and started heading towards a particular helicopter. His military guide pointed in another direction and said, “Uh, sir, your helicopter is over here.” The President threw his arm around the man’s shoulders and said, “Son, they’re _all_ my helicopters!” ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/94 "2013-02-27T21:32:20Z")
And the time he was asked about Vice President Humphrey’s contributions to his administration: “Hell, I keep Hubert’s balls in my back pocket.” ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/95 "2013-02-27T21:35:24Z")
Reagan: “My fellow Americans, I’m pleased to tell you today that I’ve signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.” GW Bush: “I’m not gonna fire a $2 million missile at a $10 empty tent and hit a camel in the butt.” ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/96 "2013-02-27T21:41:30Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > LBJ: “I’ll have those niggers voting Democratic for the next 200 years.” > > Absolute vintage LBJ. I’ve googled that, and can only find it on sites I don’t trust. Do you have a good source for it? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/97 "2013-02-28T00:53:42Z")
For LBJ, he supposedly said of J Edgar Hoover something like: “I’d rather have him inside the tent pissing outside than outside the tent pissing inside.” I see different wordings on the Internet, but this is the gist. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/98 "2013-02-28T02:54:59Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > For LBJ, he supposedly said of J Edgar Hoover something like: “I’d rather have him inside the tent pissing outside than outside the tent pissing inside.” > > I see different wordings on the Internet, but this is the gist. Yes, I’ve read that one in a number of reputable books on the Presidency. ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/99 "2013-02-28T08:13:52Z")
The business of America is business. - Calvin Coolidge ---
**Author:** ![morgensd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@morgensd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/morgensd)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385/100 "2013-04-01T22:30:32Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Kennedy:\* “Ich bin ein Berliner”\* This gets my vote as well. “I am a jelly donut” Kinda sings doesn’t it. morgensd [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-famous-quotes-of-the-presidents/648385.md?page=6)