A Brief History
On September 2, 1901, the then Vice President of the United States, Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt first used his famous phrase “Speak softly and carry a big stick” in a speech at the Minnesota State Fair. Presidents and other famous people have often uttered lines that has become closely associated with that person. Here 10 of the author’s favorite utterances by famous people are listed.
Digging Deeper
10. “I am not a crook.” Richard Nixon.
Twice elected vice president twice and twice elected president, and this simple line is how he is remembered. This was one tortured, weird guy.
9. “Well, there you go again.” Ronald Reagan.
“…there you go again” what?! Telling the truth?! When confronted in presidential debates with actual facts contrary to the reality that he would have preferred, Reagan used this idiotic line against Jimmy Carter and then against Walter Mondale. Incredibly, it worked, and the points failed to hurt Reagan. In fact, many Americans thought it was profound. (Too bad he did not also use “It is what it is.”)
8. “Thank you, thank you very much.” Elvis Presley.
Such a simple phrase, and yet most people know exactly who you are imitating when you utter it. Another favorite thing Elvis liked to say was “taking care of business” or TCB.
7. “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.” Clark Gable.
With this most famous line from the most-watched movie of all time (Gone With The Wind, 1939), Gable as Rhett Butler blew off Scarlett O’Hara, and men have copied the quote ever since, but usually without oozing the manliness of Gable.
6. “The Buck Stops Here.” Harry S Truman.
If only all politicians would live by this concept! As president, Truman had this phrase sitting on his desk as a reminder to anyone who came into his office that he was taking responsibility for whatever went on. You will notice there is no period after his middle initial. This is because he did not have a proper middle name, just the letter “S.” Perhaps that means his middle name was actually “S?” Go figure.
5. “I ain’t an athlete, lady. I’m a baseball player.” John Kruk.
Major league baseball player John Kruk was an All Star 3 times and twice finished in the top 5 in batting. Apparently not a role model, he uttered his famous quote while he was eating, smoking and drinking beer after a woman had chastised the overweight ballplayer for setting a bad example since he was an athlete. This man is an inspiration to most American men.
4. “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” John F. Kennedy.
This remark is definitely one of the greatest lines ever spoken by an American president, and it is the line most often associated with JFK. The words had some credibility because Kennedy himself was a war hero who had nearly died in World War II , and he had served in the Senate and White House despite being rich enough to not have to work. Furthermore, his service to his country eventually cost him his life.
3. Veni, vidi, vici. Julius Caesar.
I came, I saw, I conquered. A boast to be sure, but a true one. And what did he get for his troubles? A bunch of guys in togas stabbing him to death! Julius Caesar also popularized the phrase Jacta alea est (“the die is cast”), but the first quotation just sounds better.
2. “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.” Bill Clinton.
In an ill-advised attempt to retain some kind of dignity, Clinton tried to lie his way out of a humiliating revelation about his personal life. It did not work, and 8 years of an entire presidency is mostly remembered by this single sentence.
1. “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” Theodore Roosevelt.
This great line by one of our greatest presidents in regard to his foreign policy is indeed profound (Think of Dirty Harry talking softly while packing his big .44 caliber Magnum.).
Question for students (and subscribers): What other catch phrases or signature lines captivate you? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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For another interesting even that happened on September 2, please see the History and Headlines article: “September 2, 1666: The Great Fire of London.”
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Bartlett, John and Geoffrey O’Brien. Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations. Little, Brown and Company, 2012.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="4480 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=4480">6 Comments
Almost only american phrases. Lame!
Dear Pedro, I appreciate and respect your observation. You will note, however, that in the introduction of this article the author said that these were 10 of his favorite statements. He is American and so in most familiar with famous quotes from his own country. I, myself, an editor an occasional writer on this site, am a Europhile, and do try to give the articles more international appeal. Please stick around and continue to read. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to make these. Perhaps in the future, we will have an article on famous (and translated) quotes by non-English speakers. At any rate, I don’t think this article was lame. It is still educational, and I learned something from it.
The problem with Americans is that you usually ignore other people´s culture and only show it in stereotypes in your TV & movies, which shows you need more universal education, not just national education.
Examples of non-english speakers?
“Impossible is not french” – Napoleon
“Tonight we dine in Hades” – Leonidas, ruler of Sparta
Diogenes, the Cynical, said lots of things which made him the funniest ancient Greek Philosopher.
“Let they hate me, as long as they fear me” – Caligula
“Let them fear me, as long as they obey me” – Tiberius, Caligula´s great-uncle
“What a great artist the world will loose with my death” – Nero (Caligula´s nephew)
“Tu quote, fili mi” (You too, my son?) – Julius Ceaser (not “et tu, Brute”, Shakspear made it up).
Dear Pedro, Thank you for those suggestions. Perhaps you’ll be seeing some of them in an upcoming article 😉 In regard to Americans, however, please refrain from lumping all of us together in one pot. As with any culture, yes, there are narrow-minded Americans, and yes, Americans tend to have more isolationist policies and beliefs than people of other nationalities might, but this has a lot to do with the history of the country and its location. Many of us are still, in fact, well-traveled and well-read despite this. And just how you believe to that only stereotypes are portrayed on American tv and in movies, this also applies to the Americans depicted on the shows and not just the foreigners.
Dear Beth, you are welcome! 😉
If your own tv and cinema give americans a bad name (which is ignorance), sorry for that. Most europeans think americans are “ignorants” because of what they see in your tv and cinema.You got to admit your society has a share of blame for such opinion.
Big Teddy my boy! Rough riders 4life. You cant argue with the logic, always be polite but always be ready to play defense.