In honor of President’s Day, this Einsights’ blog looks at our favorite quotes from U.S. Presidents—and lessons from these leaders and founding fathers for communicators today.

Our all-time favorite is from the Great Emancipator himself (and Oscar contender this year), Abraham Lincoln. Given at his second inauguration, at the conclusion of the bloodiest war ever fought by Americans, he laid out his vision for the nation to move forward: “With malice towards none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in.” Would that he had lived to carry it forward. . .

And then, there is the most poignant memorial that exists to the sacrifice of fallen soldiers: “That we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Then the Father of Our Country, as he reached for his spectacles to read a letter before a group of mutineering soldiers, “Pardon me, I have grown old in the service of my country and now I am going blind.” At this unconscious reminder of all that Washington had sacrificed on behalf of his country, the eyes of the mutineers filled with tears and their intent to revolt dissolved.

With the nation traumatized by the Great Depression and with no hope in sight, Franklin Delano Roosevelt inspired courage and resolve with his directive: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

Finally, the quote that inspired millions of idealistic young people to dedicate themselves to service and creating a better world: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country,” from John F. Kennedy.

Why are these quotes so memorable? Yes, there is symmetry in the words and some interesting turns of a phrase. Each of these statements is especially powerful for two reasons:

• They appealed to the emotions as well as the intellect. Too often, we are caught up in the building blocks of the words themselves and lose the connection with the hearts of our audience. No communication can be successful by appealing only to the mind.

• And secondly, they are congruent with the speakers themselves. Each of these leaders embodied the idea they espoused. Lincoln was a forgiving man, a peacemaker at heart. FDR was fundamentally optimistic. Kennedy himself was inspired by service and commitment to his country. Washington asked no one to make a sacrifice that he was filling to give.

What is your favorite Presidential quote, and why?

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