“We know that equality of individual ability has never existed and never will, but we do insist that equality of opportunity still must be sought.”

Go for the moon. If you don’t get it, you’ll still be heading for a star. Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of the creative effort.

The barrier to success is not something which exists in the real world; it is composed purely and simply of doubts about ability.

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

We must especially beware of that small group of selfish men who would clip the wings of the American Eagle in order to feather their own nests.

No government can help the destinies of people who insist in putting sectional and class consciousness ahead of general weal.

No country, however rich, can afford the waste of its human resources. Demoralization caused by vast unemployment is our greatest extravagance. Morally, it is the greatest menace to our social order.

I want to preach a new doctrine. A complete separation of business and government.

Calm seas never made a good sailor.

It is one of the characteristics of a free and democratic nation that it have free and independent labor unions.

The only sure bulwark of continuing liberty is a government strong enough to protect the interests of the people, and a people strong enough and well enough informed to maintain its sovereign control over the goverment.

Government cannot close its eyes to the pollution of waters, to the erosion of soil, to the slashing of forests any more than it can close its eyes to the need for slum clearance and schools.

In our democracy officers of the government are the servants, and never the masters of the people.

The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.

The fate of America cannot depend on any one man. The greatness of America is grounded in principles and not on any single personality.

The best customer of American industry is the well paid worker.

Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.

Let me show you how it’s done, Loser!

I used to think that one of the great signs of security was the ability to just walk away.

One of the great undiscovered joys of life comes from doing everything one attempts to the best of one’s ability. The smallest task, well done, becomes a miracle of achievement.

In my travels all over the world, I have come to realize that what distinguishes one child from another is not ability, but access. Access to education, access to opportunity, access to love.

For success, attitude is equally as important as ability.

Youth is happy because it has the capacity to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.

What people have the capacity to choose, they have the ability to change.

Ability is of little account without opportunity.