Quote #34

I am not conscious of having any particular style about my writings. If I have any, it is undoubtedly due to my training in the construction of legal papers, where it is necessary in the framing of a contract, or the drawing of a pleading, to say what you mean and mean what you say in terms sufficiently clear and concise so that your adversary will not be able to misinterpret them, or to divert the trial into a discussion of unimportant matters. The rule is to state the case with as little diffusion as possible.

More from Calvin Coolidge

  1. The Nation which forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten.
  2. Duty is not collective; it is personal.
  3. If you don't say anything, you won't be called on to repeat it.
  4. A man must eat. (when asked why he attends functions if he doesn't like talking to anybody).
  5. They criticize me for harping on the obvious. Perhaps someday I'll write On the Importance of the Obvious. If all the folks in the United S…
  6. I favor the policy of economy, not because I wish to save money, but because I wish to save people. The men and women of this country who t…
  7. visiting lady at the White House: Mr. President, earlier this evening, I had made a bet that I can make you say more than two words. Coolid…
  8. There is no dignity quite so impressive, and no one independence quite so important, as living within your means.

All Calvin Coolidge quotes