list of inspirational quotes made by 14 U.S. presidents to celebrate Presidents Day Flickr/Jefre Gilyen Besides sales and travel deals , Presidents Day is typically recognized as a day for patriotic celebration and remembrance. To commemorate U.S. presidents past and present, below are 14 quotes to share on the national holiday: “If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” – George Washington “Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom.” -- Thomas Jefferson “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” -- John Quincy Adams "I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice." – Abraham Lincoln “It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed. In this life we get nothing save by effort.” -- Theodore Roosevelt “I not only use all the brains that I have but all that I can borrow.” -- Woodrow Wilson “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have little.” -- Franklin D. Roosevelt “Accomplishment will prove to be a journey, not a destination.” -- Dwight D. Eisenhower “Let us resolve to be masters, not the victims, of our history, controlling our own destiny without giving way to blind suspicions and emotions.” -- John F. Kennedy “Peace is a journey of a thousand miles, and it must be taken one step at a time.” -- Lyndon B. Johnson “We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.” -- Jimmy Carter “Think about every problem, every challenge, we face. The solution to each starts with education.” – George H.W. Bush “We must teach our children to resolve their conflicts with words, not weapons.” -- Bill Clinton “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” -- Barack Obama