First Inaugural Address of Franklin D. Roosevelt (Primary source)
FDR’s First Inaugural Address marked a turning point in American history as the nation grappled with the depths of the Great Depression. Speaking to a fearful and economically devastated public, Roosevelt declared, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”—a call for confidence and collective action in the face of crisis.
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“Through this program of action we address ourselves to putting our own national house in order and making income balance outgo. Our international trade relations, though vastly important, are in point of time and necessity secondary to the establishment of a sound national economy. I favor as a practical policy the putting of first things first. I shall spare no effort to restore world trade by international economic readjustment, but the emergency at home cannot wait on that accomplishment.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
— Franklin D. Roosevelt Primary source“There are many ways in which it can be helped, but it can never be helped by merely talking about it. We must act. We must act quickly.”
— Franklin D. Roosevelt Primary source“Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.”
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“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Disputed“Have you felt it, too? Have you seen how your best friends love everything about you—except the things that count? And your most important is nothing to them, nothing, not even a sound they can recognize.”
— Ayn Rand Primary source“Friendship with oneself is all-important, because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt Disputed“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”
— Henry David Thoreau Primary source