Humorous and heartfelt reflections include Abigail Adams's thoughts on partnership ("No man ever prospered in the world without the consent and cooperation of his wife."); Dolley Madison's attitude toward gossip ("It is one of my sources of happiness never to desire a knowledge of other people's business."); and Eleanor Roosevelt's comment on accountability ("It is often the people who refuse to assume any responsibility who are apt to be the sharpest critics of those who do.").
Humorous and heartfelt reflections include Abigail Adams's thoughts on partnership ("No man ever prospered in the world without the consent and cooperation of his wife."); Dolley Madison's attitude toward gossip ("It is one of my sources of happiness never to desire a knowledge of other people's business."); and Eleanor Roosevelt's comment on accountability ("It is often the people who refuse to assume any responsibility who are apt to be the sharpest critics of those who do.").
Wit and Wisdom of America's First Ladies: A Book of Quotations
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Humorous and heartfelt reflections include Abigail Adams's thoughts on partnership ("No man ever prospered in the world without the consent and cooperation of his wife."); Dolley Madison's attitude toward gossip ("It is one of my sources of happiness never to desire a knowledge of other people's business."); and Eleanor Roosevelt's comment on accountability ("It is often the people who refuse to assume any responsibility who are apt to be the sharpest critics of those who do.").
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780486798646 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Dover Publications |
| Publication date: | 08/04/2014 |
| Series: | Dover Thrift Editions: Speeches/Quotations |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 64 |
| Sales rank: | 749,967 |
| File size: | 3 MB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Wit and Wisdom of America's First Ladies
A Book of Quotations
By JOSLYN PINE
Dover Publications, Inc.
Copyright © 2014 Dover Publications, Inc.All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-486-79864-6
CHAPTER 1
Martha Dandridge Custis Washington
Born June 2, 1731—Died May 22, 1802 1st First Lady, 1789–1797
There were no precedents for the role Martha Washington had thrust upon her at the age of fifty-eight when her second husband became the first president of the new republic in 1789. The two were aptly considered trailblazers as together they helped define and shape what might be expected of a chief executive and his helpmate who, unlike British heads of state, had not inherited their positions by virtue of blood. Martha was known for her courage, making frequent visits to her husband's field headquarters during the Revolution, which was a means of showing her commitment to the cause as well. "Lady Washington"—as she came to be called—also distinguished herself as a superlative hostess, the first of her kind. For the sake of preserving their privacy—and at a considerable cost to posterity—Martha burned most of her correspondence with her husband before her death.
* * *
I have learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances. We carry the seeds of the one or the other about with us in our minds, wherever we go.
[on being First Lady] I live a very dull life here, and know nothing that passes in town. I never go to any public place—indeed, I am more like a state prisoner than anything else. There are certain bounds set for me which I must not depart from, and as I cannot do as I like, I am obstinate and stay home a great deal.
[on the "ceremonies of mere etiquette" that accompanied the First Lady's role] I sometimes think that arrangement is not quite as it ought to have been, that I, who had much rather be at home, should occupy a place with which a great many younger and gayer women would be extremely pleased.... I have learned too much of the vanity of human affairs to expect felicity from the scenes of public life.
Though I may not have a great deal of business of consequence, I have a great many avocations of one kind or another which imperceptibly consume my time.
I have been so long accustomed to conform to events which are governed by public voice that I hardly dare indulge any personal wishes which cannot yield to that.
[on Thomas Jefferson, who had been fiercely critical of her husband's policies] [He is] one of the most detestable of mankind, the greatest misfortune our country had ever experienced.
[on her husband's retirement from the presidency] The General and I feel like children just released from school or from a hard taskmaster, and we believe that nothing can tempt us to leave the sacred roof-tree again, except on business or pleasure.
I think our country affords everything that can give pleasure or satisfaction to a rational mind.
I am fond only of what comes from the heart.
CHAPTER 2Abigail Smith Adams
Born November 11, 1744—Died October 28, 1818 2nd First Lady, 1797–1801
Abigail Adams is remarkable among First Ladies for being the wife of one president and the mother of another, and she was the first to live in the White House. But her formidable intellect, strong character and moral courage overshadow such facile labels. Her husband, John, considered his wife fully his equal, and as such, his key advisor on all important political issues—keeping in mind that he was on the Committee of Five who drafted the Declaration of Independence. She was fiercely opposed to slavery and voiced her objections vociferously—unafraid of exposing the hypocrisy behind the avowed principles of the American Revolution, while slavery continued to exist within the nation's borders. She was also a staunch champion of women's rights, urging her husband to include them in the governing process at a time when women didn't have the vote.
* * *
These are the times in which a genius would wish to live.... The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties. All history will convince you of this, and that wisdom and penetration are the fruits of experience, not the lessons of retirement and leisure.
[from a 1775 letter to a friend] Is it not better to die the last of British freeman than live the first of British slaves.
[from a 1777 letter to her husband] Posterity who are to reap the blessings, will scarcely be able to conceive the hardships and sufferings of their ancestors.
Merit, not title, give a man preeminence.
No man ever prospered in the world without the consent and cooperation of his wife.
[from a 1776 letter to her husband, lobbying for the protection of women when he participates in writing the laws for the young nation] In the new Code of Laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could.
AND
If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation. That your sex are naturally tyrannical is a truth so thoroughly established as to admit of no dispute.
[from a 1782 letter to her husband] Patriotism in the female sex is the most disinterested of all virtues. Excluded from honors and from offices, we cannot attach ourselves to the state or government from having held a place of eminence.... Deprived of a voice in legislation, obliged to submit to those laws which are imposed upon us, is it not sufficient to make us indifferent to the public welfare? Yet all history and every age exhibit instances of patriotic virtue in the female sex; which considering our situation equals the most heroic of yours.
I will never consent to have our sex considered in an inferior point of light. Let each planet shine in their own orbit, God and nature designed it so. If man is Lord, woman is Lordess—that is what I contend for, and if a woman does not hold the reins of government, I see no reason for her not judging how they are conducted.
Men of sense in all ages abhor those customs which treat us only as the vassals of [their] sex.
Arbitrary power is like most other things which are very hard, very liable to be broken.
Learning is not attained by chance; it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.
I wish most sincerely there was not a slave in the province. It always appeared a most iniquitous scheme to me—fight ourselves for what we are daily robbing and plundering from those who have as good a right to freedom as we have.
I have sometimes been ready to think that the passion for liberty cannot be equally strong in the breasts of those who have been accustomed to deprive their fellow creatures of theirs. Of this I am certain: that it is not founded upon the generous and Christian principle of doing to others as we would that others should do unto us.
[answering a challenge when she enrolled one of her servants in a local school] The boy is a freeman as much as any of the young men, and merely because his face is black, is he to be denied instruction, how is he to be qualified to procure a livelihood?
Though I have been called to sacrifice to my country, I can glory in my sacrifice, and derive pleasure from my intimate connection with one who is estimated worthy of the important trust developed upon him.
[on being First Lady] I have been so used to freedom of sentiment that I know not how to place so many guards about me, as will be indispensable, to look at every word before I utter it, and to impose a silence upon myself, when I long to talk.
AND
I feel a pleasure in being able to sacrifice my selfish passions to the general good, and in imitating the example which has taught me to consider myself and family but as the small dust of the balance, when compared with the great community.
Great necessities call out great virtues. When a mind is raised, and animated by scenes that engage the heart, then those qualities which would otherwise lay dormant, wake into life, and form the character of the hero and the statesman.
If you complain of neglect of education in sons, what shall I say with regard to daughters, who every day experience the want of it?
If woman is to be council to her husband, pray train her, that he may have a learned advisor.
Every assistance and advantage which can be procured is afforded to the sons, whilst the daughters are totally neglected ... Why should children of the same parents be thus distinguished?
[from a letter to her son, John Quincy Adams] Advising to a measure against which some objections arise, in case of failure the adviser must bear the blame.
[from a letter to her husband] You can do much service to your sons by your letters, and advice. You will not teach them what to think, but how to think, and they will then know how to act.
[remarking on English women's fashions during a trip to London] They paint here nearly as much as in France, but with more art. The head-dress disfigures them in the eye of an American. I have seen many ladies, but not one elegant one.... O, my country, my country! Preserve, preserve the little purity and simplicity of manners you yet possess. Believe me, they are jewels of inestimable value.
[on being presented to the Court of St. James, London] I found the Court like the rest of mankind, mere men and women and not of the most personable kind neither.
I begin to think that a calm is not desirable in any situation in life. Every object is beautiful in motion; a ship under sail, trees gently agitated with the wind, and a fine woman dancing, are three instances in point. Man was made for action and for bustle too, I believe. I am quite out of conceit with calms.
CHAPTER 3Dolley Payne Todd Madison
Born May 20, 1768—Died July 12, 1849 4th First Lady, 1809–1817
The image of First Lady was enthusiastically reimagined and refined by the special endowments of Dolley Madison. She relished being treated like a celebrity and perceived new challenges to be met in the role of hostess, including redecorating the White House and dressing herself in a manner befitting a grand dame of Washington society. As the wife of Thomas Jefferson's Secretary of State, she had a head-start on her position, having assisted the third president at public functions (Jefferson was already eighteen years a widower by the time of his presidency). She was also famous for actively involving herself in charitable causes, setting a precedent for future First Ladies.
* * *
I have always been an advocate for fighting when assailed, though a Quaker.
I do not admire contention in any form, either political or civil. I would rather fight with my hands than with my tongue.
[on refusing to flee Washington when the British invaded during the War of 1812] I was so unfeminine as to be free from fear.
It is one of my sources of happiness never to desire a knowledge of other people's business.
What in this world can compensate for the sympathy and confidence of a mother and a sister—nothing but the tie that binds us to a good husband. Such are ours and we ought to be satisfied.
The profusion of my table so repugnant to foreign customs arises from the happy circumstance of abundance and prosperity in our country; and I shall continue to prefer Virginia liberality to European elegance.
[on her husband, James, whom she called "The Great Little Madison"] There was no question of his greatness, but he was also little. He was five feet, four inches tall and weighed a hundred pounds.
There is one secret, and that is the power we all have in forming our own destinies.
CHAPTER 4Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams
Born February 12, 1775—Died May 15, 1852 6th First Lady, 1825–1829
Louisa Adams was notably an avid reader from her early youth, and an accomplished singer and harpist when a musical career for a woman was out of the question. She had to confront problems on many fronts when she embraced the role of First Lady. For one thing, her husband's presidency was under a cloud from allegations that his election was tainted by backroom political dealing. In addition, she suffered from a variety of ills, including severe depression, and found the White House living conditions uncongenial—cold and isolating. Further, the relationship between the Adamses did not flourish during the years of his presidency, exacerbated by difficulties with her rather imperious in-laws. Nonetheless, she was valiant throughout and prevailed—unsurprising for a woman who undertook a perilous six-week winter journey by carriage from St. Petersburg to Paris during Napoleon's last days, accompanied only by her seven-year-old son and two servants.
* * *
[on her 1815 trip from Russia to France] My journey from St. Petersburg was performed with as little uneasiness and as few misfortunes as could possibly be anticipated and I have really acquired the reputation of a heroine at a very cheap rate.
[on meeting her husband's family for the first time] Had I stepped into Noah's Ark, I do not think I could have been more utterly astonished. Do what I would there was a conviction on the part of others that I could not suit.... I was literally and without knowing it a fine Lady.
[on her mother-in-law Abigail Adams] [She was] the equal of every occasion in life.
[from a letter to her son Charles] When I see such women as your grandmother go through years of exertion, of suffering, and of privation, with all the activity, judgment, skill and fortitude, which any man could display, I cannot believe there is any inferiority in the sexes, as far as mind and intellect are concerned, and man is aware of the fact.
[on the White House] That dull and stately prison in which the sounds of mirth are seldom heard.
AND
There is something in this great unsocial house which depresses my spirits beyond expression and makes it impossible for me to feel at home or to fancy that I have a home anywhere.
The more I bear, the more is expected to me, and I sink in the efforts I make to answer such expectations.
I have nothing to do with the disposal of affairs and have never but once been consulted.
[on being a woman] That sense of inferiority which by nature and by law we are compelled to feel and to which we must submit is worn by us with as much satisfaction as the badge of slavery generally, and we love to be flattered out of our sense of degradation.
CHAPTER 5Sarah Whitsett Childress Polk
Born September 4, 1803—Died August 14, 1891 11th First Lady, 1845–1849
Sarah Polk was a deeply religious individual, who brought some of her beliefs with her into the White House—like abolishing dancing and not permitting business to be conducted there on Sundays. Yet despite what could have been perceived as an excessively puritanical bent, she garnered great respect among the populace as a model of propriety, and was also highly regarded by newspaper reporters of the time. She was uniquely suited to serve as her husband's personal secretary and valued political advisor, having attended in her youth the Salem Academy in North Carolina. Founded in 1772 by members of the Moravian Church, its mission was to provide a formal education to girls, when few institutions like it existed.
* * *
It is beautiful to see how women are supporting themselves, and how those who go forward independently in various callings are respected and admired for their energy and industry.... It is now considered proper for young ladies, when they leave school, to teach or do something else for themselves. It was not so in my young days.
[James Polk favored gold and silver over paper currency and banks, while Sarah preferred the latter] Don't you see how troublesome it is to carry around gold and silver. This is enough to show you how useful banks are.... Why, if we must use gold and silver all the time, a lady can scarcely carry enough money with her.
If I should be fortunate enough to reach the White House, I expected to live on $25,000 a year, and I will neither keep house nor make butter.
When it came to actual conflict, and the lives of people with whom I always lived, and whose ways were my ways, my sympathies were with them; but my sympathies did not involve my principles. I have always belonged, and do now belong to the whole country.
The Speaker, if the proper person, and with the correct idea of his position, has even more power and influence over legislation, and directing the policy of parties than the President or any other public officer.
[on her ban of dancing in the White House] To dance in these rooms would be undignified, and it would be respectful neither to the house nor to the office. How indecorous it would seem for dancing to be going on in one apartment, while in another we were conversing with dignitaries of the republic or ministers of the gospel.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Wit and Wisdom of America's First Ladies by JOSLYN PINE. Copyright © 2014 Dover Publications, Inc.. Excerpted by permission of Dover Publications, Inc..
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Table of Contents
"The one thing I do not want," quipped Jacqueline Kennedy, "is to be called First Lady. It sounds like a saddle horse." This lively collection includes more than 350 revealing and thought-provoking remarks by White House wives, from Martha Washington ("I live a very dull life here, and know nothing that passes in town.") to Melania Trump ("Together, let's encourage children to dream big, think big, and do all they can to be best in everything that they do.")Humorous and heartfelt reflections include Abigail Adams's thoughts on partnership ("No man ever prospered in the world without the consent and cooperation of his wife."); Dolley Madison's attitude toward gossip ("It is one of my sources of happiness never to desire a knowledge of other people's business."); and Eleanor Roosevelt's comment on accountability ("It is often the people who refuse to assume any responsibility who are apt to be the sharpest critics of those who do.").