Here are a few of the most memorable quotes from presidential inauguration speeches throughout the years:
Donald J. Trump (R), Jan. 20, 2017
“We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and to restore its promise for all of our people.”
Barack Obama (D), Jan. 20, 2009
“Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.”
George W. Bush (R), Jan. 20, 2005
“The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.”
Bill Clinton (D), Jan. 20, 1993
“This ceremony is held in the depth of winter. But, by the words we speak and the faces we show the world, we force the spring. A spring reborn in the world’s oldest democracy, that brings forth the vision and courage to reinvent America.”
George H. W. Bush (R), Jan. 20, 1989
“We must act on what we know. I take as my guide the hope of a saint: In crucial things, unity; in important things, diversity; in all things, generosity.”
Ronald Reagan (R), Jan. 20, 1981
“From time to time, we have been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. But if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else?”
John F. Kennedy (D), Jan. 20, 1961
“I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it — and the glow from that fire can truly light the world. And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt (D), March 4, 1933
“So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is … fear itself.”
