"Whether it's coming from FDR or it's..." - Quote by Barack Obama
Whether it's coming from FDR or it's coming from Ronald Reagan, if the idea is right for the times then we're gonna apply it. And things that don't work we're gonna get rid of.
More by Barack Obama
“You don't like dealing with somebody who denies horrible things happening to your people or threatens future horrible things to your people.”
“We have got to dispel this myth that bullying is just a normal rite of passage.”
“Let's say I'm on the policy wonk end of the spectrum. As much as I can dive into a briefing book and really work to master various subjects that come before my desk, I'm still not an expert on a huge amount of the stuff that we work on.”
More on Pragmatism
“I am a socialist not because I think it is a perfect system, but half a loaf is better than no bread. The other system has been tried and found wanting”
“[Pragmatism's] only test of probable truth is what works best in the way of leading us, what fits every part of life best and combines with the collectivity of experience's demands, nothing being omitted.”
“Our words must be judged by our deeds; and in striving for a lofty ideal we must use practical methods; and if we cannot attain all at one leap, we must advance towards it step by step, reasonably content so long as we do actually make some progress in the right direction.”
More on Policy
“Now let me make it clear that I believe there can only be one defense policy for the United States and that is summed up in the word 'first.' I do not mean first, but. I do not mean first, when. I do not mean first, if. I mean first - period.”
“Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a jail. What you gain at one end you lose at the other. It's like feeding a dog on his own tail. It won't fatten the dog.”
“I just want to repeat that there's nothing that we've proposed that would make it harder for you to purchase a firearm.”