From the end of the World War twenty-one years ago, this country, like many others, went through a phase of having large groups of people carried away by some emotion--some alluring, attractive, even speciously inspiring, public presentation of a nostrum, a cure-all. Many Americans lost their heads because several plausible fellows lost theirs in expounding schemes to end barbarity, to give weekly handouts to people, to give everybody a better job--or, more modestly, for example, to put a chicken or two in every pot--all by adoption of some new financial plan or some new social system. And all of them burst like bubbles. Some proponents of nostrums were honest and sincere, others--too many of them--were seekers of personal power; still others saw a chance to get rich on the dimes and quarters of the poorer people in our population. All of them, perhaps unconsciously, were capitalizing on the fact that the democratic form of Government works slowly. There always exists in a democratic society a large group which, quite naturally, champs at the bit over the slowness of democracy; and that is why it is right for us who believe in democracy to keep the democratic processes progressive--in other words, moving forward with the advances in civilization. That is why it is dangerous for democracy to stop moving forward because any period of stagnation increases the numbers of those who demand action and action now. . Franklin D. Roosevelt
About This Quote

During the Great Depression of the 1930s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt called on Americans to "keep moving forward." He argued that those who continued to work and invest in the future would be rewarded with a better life for themselves and their families. The underlying message of this quote is that as we continue to progress as a nation, as we move forward we must not stop or we will become stagnant and irrelevant to our society.

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More Quotes By Franklin D. Roosevelt
  1. I'm not the smartest fellow in the world, but I can sure pick smart colleagues.

  2. The Truth is found when men (and Women) are free to pursue it.

  3. Freedom means the supremacy of human rights everywhere. Our support goes to those who struggle to gain those rights and keep them. Our strength is our unity of purpose. To that high concept there can be no end save victory.

  4. Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.

  5. Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.

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