Quotes by Rutherford Hayes

• The progress of society is mainly the improvement in the condition of the workingmen of the world.
• As friends go it is less important to live.
• Must swear off from swearing. Bad habit.
• One of the tests of the civilization of people is the treatment of its criminals.
• The filth and noise of the crowded streets soon destroy the elasticity of health which belongs to the country boy.
• The President of the United States should strive to be always mindful of the fact that he serves his party best who serves his country best.
• No person connected with me by blood or marriage will be appointed to office.
• The truth is, this being errand boy to one hundred and fifty thousand people tires me so by night I am ready for bed instead of soirees.
• The unrestricted competition so commonly advocated does not leave us the survival of the fittest. The unscrupulous succeed best in accumulating wealth.
• To vote is like the payment of a debt, a duty never to be neglected, if its performance is possible.
• Universal suffrage is sound in principle. The radical element is right.
• Universal suffrage should rest upon universal education. To this end, liberal and permanent provision should be made for the support of free schools by the State governments, and, if need be, supplemented by legitimate aid from national authority.
• Unjust attacks on public men do them more good than unmerited praise.
• Virtue is defined to be mediocrity, of which either extreme is vice.
• Wars will remain while human nature remains. I believe in my soul in cooperation, in arbitration; but the soldier's occupation we cannot say is gone until human nature is gone.
• The independence of all political and other bother is a happiness.
• Conscience is the authentic voice of God to you.
• It is the desire of the good people of the whole country that sectionalism as a factor in our politics should disappear...'
• In avoiding the appearance of evil, I am not sure but I have sometimes unnecessarily deprived myself and others of innocent enjoyments.
• I am not liked as a President by the politicians in office, in the press, or in Congress. But I am content to abide the judgment the sober second thought of the people.
• I am less disposed to think of a West Point education as requisite for this business than I was at first. Good sense and energy are the qualities required.
• I am a radical in thought (and principle) and a conservative in method (and conduct).
• Do not let your bachelor ways crystallize so that you can't soften them when you come to have a wife and a family of your own.
• Law without education is a dead letter. With education the needed law follows without effort and, of course, with power to execute itself; indeed, it seems to execute itself.
• The bold enterprises are the successful ones. Take counsel of hopes rather than of fears to win in this business.
• Let every man, every corporation, and especially let every village, town, and city, every county and State, get out of debt and keep out of debt. It is the debtor that is ruined by hard times.
• He serves his party best who serves his country best.
• We are in a period when old questions are settled and the new are not yet brought forward. Extreme party action, if continued in such a time, would ruin the party. Moderation is its only chance. The party out of power gains by all partisan conduct of those in power.