I hope to stand firm enough not to go backward, and yet not go forward fast enough to wreck the country's cause. - Doris Kearns Goodwin

But the same “personal charm” that had propelled Taft to the presidency ultimately proved “dangerous” to him, Baker concluded. For far too long, his amiable nature had kept him from the rough-and-tumble of politics, from the need to fight for himself and his convictions. Had he come into the White House

all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

It is surprising,” Roosevelt explained, “how much reading a man can do in time usually wasted.