Ulysses S. Grant

"The test of a man's principles comes when they are inconvenient."

"Every person has within them the power to change the world."

"I believe the future will judge us by how we treated the weakest among us."

"The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving on."

"I have never advocated war except as a means of peace."

"The most anxious moment in my life was when I was made a Major General."

"Circumstances always change the character of a war."

"I believe man should live for his country."

"Whatever happens, there is always someone to blame."

"Labor disgraces no man; unfortunately, at times men disgrace labor."

"There are but few important events in the affairs of men whose great consequences were not foreseen by persons of sagacity."

"The right to hold slaves is nowhere sustained except in the Constitution of the United States."

"I felt like anything rather than rejoicing at the downfall of a foe whom I had fought so long."

"I have been a soldier all my life. I have known what it is to be hungry and cold."

"Perseverance is a powerful weapon against destiny."

"The cause of the great prosperity of the United States is simple; it is because man has been left more free there than anywhere else."

"Every one has a chance to improve their condition."

"I never take counsel of my fears."

"A friend in power is a friend lost."

"I have always believed that a good laugh is a great distance toward a better understanding."

"The truth is the best vindication against slander."

"If I am defeated, nothing can restore the Union; nothing would have a right to restore it."

"The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things."

"I am a believer in the old maxim that 'honesty is the best policy.'"

"Let us have peace—but let it be peace founded upon union and not upon subjugation."

"Nature will always change; we must learn to adapt to it."

"I take it as a compliment when people call me a man of principle."

"The greatest adversity often produces the greatest success."

"A man of small understanding is found a small man in everything."

"Preparation, I have often said, is the secret of success."