James Buchanan

“To avoid entangling alliances has been a maxim of our policy ever since the days of Washington, and its wisdom no one will dispute.”

“The Union is a stake of such inestimable value as to demand our constant and watchful vigilance for its preservation.”

“I like the noise of democracy.”

“My duty is to execute the laws and not my individual opinions.”

“What is right and what is practicable are two different things.”

“I am the last President of the United States.”

“Whatever the result may be, I shall carry to my grave the consciousness that I at least meant well for my country.”

“Abstract propositions should never be discussed by a legislative body.”

“The ballot box is the surest arbiter of disputes among freemen.”

“Liberty must be restrained in order to be possessed.”

“The test of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there.”

“There is nothing stable but heaven and the Constitution.”