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I know how irritating it is to have somebody else lay down rules for your moral uplift, but you’ve got to stand a great deal in order to make progress.

William Howard Taft

There is nothing so despicable as a secret society that is based upon religious prejudice and that will attempt to defeat a man because of his religious beliefs. Such a society is like a cockroach – it thrives in the dark. So do those who combine for such an end.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Belief Combination Darkness Land Religious Secret Society
If they will play fair I will play fair, but if they won’t then I reserve all my rights to do anything I find myself able to do.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Fair Myself Play Reserve Right
The true Mason always carries his working tools everywhere.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Carry Tools True Work
The intoxication of power rapidly sobers off in the knowledge of its restrictions and under the prompt reminder of an ever-present and not always considerate press, as well as the kindly suggestions that not infrequently come from Congress.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Kind Knowledge Power Reminder Suggestion
I do not believe in the divinity of Christ, and there are many other of the postulates of the orthodox creed to which I cannot subscribe.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Believe Divine Subscription
The laboring man and the trade-unionist, if I understand him, asks only equality before the law. Class legislation and unequal privilege, though expressly in his favor, will in the end work no benefit to him or to society.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Equality Law Man Privilege Society Trade Understand
Don’t write so that you can be understood, write so that you can’t be misunderstood.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Understand Writing Yourself
The world is not going to be saved by legislation.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Liegislative Save World
The cheerful loser is a sort of winner.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Cheerful Lost Win
Action for which I become responsible, or for which my administration becomes responsible, shall be within the law.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Action Administration Law Responsibility
We live in a stage of politics, where legislators seem to regard the passage of laws as much more important than the results of their enforcement.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Important Live Politics Result Stage Time
I know this, and I know it from actual experience in the Orient, that the progress of modern Christian civilization has largely depended on the earnest hard work of the Christian missions of every denomination.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Experience Hard Work Modern Myself Progress
No, the only things which do not bother me are the elements. I can overcome them without a fight. All one has to do to get the best of the elements is to stand pat and one will win.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Element Fight Oneself Stand Win
That all may be so, but when I begin to exercise that power I am not conscious of the power, but only of the limitations imposed on me.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Beginning Exercise Impose Limitation Myself Power
I am afraid I am a constant disappointment to my party. The fact of the matter is, the longer I am President the less of a party man I seem to become.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Afraid Disappointment Man Myself Party
Constitutions are checks upon the hasty action of the majority. They are the self-imposed restraints of a whole people upon a majority of them to secure sober action and a respect for the rights of the minority.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Action Check Constitution Minority People Security
The true Mason never hesitates to use the working tools to correct personal flaws.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Flaw Hesitation Personal Tools Work
What I am anxious to do is to secure my legislation…. What I want to do is to get through that, and if I can point to a record of usefulness of that kind, I am entirely willing to quit office.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Anxious Legislation Office Quit Security Willing
Anyone who has taken the oath I have just taken must feel a heavy weight of responsibility. If not, he has no conception of the powers and duties of the office.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Feeling heavy Office Power Promise Responsibility
We, as Unitarians, may feel that the world is coming our way.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Feeling Ourselves Way World
I think his greatest fault is his failure to accord credit to anyone for what he may have done. This is a great weakness in any man.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Greatness Man Mistake Thinking Weakness
I am in favor of helping the prosperity of all countries because, when we are all prosperous, the trade with each becomes more valuable to the other.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Country Favor Help Myself Prosperity Value
Politics, when I am in it, makes me sick.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Feeling Myself Politics Sick
I am president now, and tired of being kicked around.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Kick Myself President Tired
We are imperfect. We cannot expect perfect government.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Expectation Government Imperfection
Politics make me sick.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

One Liner Politics Sick
If this humor be the safety of our race, then it is due largely to the infusion into the American people of the Irish brain.
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

Brain Humor People Race Safety

I know how irritating it is to have somebody else lay down rules for your moral uplift, but you’ve got to stand a great deal in order to make progress.

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I know how irritating it is to have somebody else lay down rules for your moral uplift, but you’ve got to stand a great deal in order to make progress.

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