The 9th President of the United States of America, William Henry Harrison, served between March 1841 and April 1841. Just 31 days after being appointed the country’s president, he passed away and thus his presidency has been the shortest of all presidencies in US history. Despite the short duration of his tenure, he has left us with several life lessons and even numerous William Henry Harrison quotes to remember for the rest of our lives.
If you’re interested in finding out what these quotes are, keep reading!
Until 1980, William Henry Harrison was also the oldest person to become the President in US history. He was 68 at the time he was elected and proved to the public that no age is old enough to assume office and run one of the strongest countries in the world. Are you curious to find out what this interesting political figure has left behind for us? Read the following William Henry Harrison quotes:
William Henry Harrison Quotes to Remember for a Lifetime
1.“There is nothing more corrupting, nothing more destructive of the noblest and finest feelings of our nature, than the exercise of unlimited power.” – William Henry Harrison
2.“To Englishmen, life is a topic, not an activity. William Henry Harrison All the measures of the Government are directed to the purpose of making the rich richer and the poor poorer.” – William Henry Harrison
3.“A decent and manly examination of the acts of government should not only be tolerated, but encouraged.” – William Henry Harrison
4.“It is necessary, therefore, to watch, not the political opponents of the administration, but the administration itself, and to see that it keeps within the bounds of the Constitution and the laws of the land. The executive of the Union has immense power to do mischief if he sees fit to exercise that power. He may prostrate the country. Indeed this country has been already prostrated. It has already fallen from pure republicanism to a monarchy in spirit if not in name.” – William Henry Harrison
5.“The plea of necessity, that eternal argument of all conspirators.” – William Henry Harrison
6.“Conscience, that vicegerent of God in the human heart, whose “still small voice” the loudest revelry cannot drown.” – William Henry Harrison
7.“Times change, and we change with them.” – William Henry Harrison
8.“I believe that all the measures of the Government are directed to the purpose of making the rich richer and the poor poorer.” – William Henry Harrison
9.“All the lessons of history and experience must be lost upon us if we are content to trust alone to the peculiar advantages we happen to possess.” – William Henry Harrison
10.“The liberties of a people depend on their own constant attention to its preservation.” – William Henry Harrison
11.“The only legitimate right to govern is an express grant of power from the governed.” – William Henry Harrison
12.“Sound morals, religious liberty, and a just sense of religious responsibility are essentially connected with all true and lasting happiness.” – William Henry Harrison
13.“Is one of the fairest portions of the globe to remain in a state of nature, the haunt of a few wretched savages, when it seems destined by the Creator to give support to a large population and to be the seat of civilization?” – William Henry Harrison
14.“I have determined never to remove a Secretary of the Treasury without communicating all the circumstances attending such removal to both Houses of Congress.” – William Henry Harrison
15.“We admit of no government by divine right, believing that so far as power is concerned the Beneficent Creator has made no distinction amongst men; that all are upon an equality, and that the only legitimate right to govern is an express grant of power from the governed.” – William Henry Harrison
16.“it is preposterous to suppose that a thought could for a moment have been entertained that the President, placed at the capital, in the center of the country, could better understand the wants and wishes of the people than their own immediate representatives, who spend a part of every year among them, living with them, often laboring with them, and bound to them by the triple tie of interest, duty, and affection.” – William Henry Harrison
17.“I contend that the strongest of all governments is that which is most free.” – William Henry Harrison
18.“Far different is the power of our sovereignty. It can interfere with no one’s faith, prescribe forms of worship for no one’s observance, inflict no punishment but after well-ascertained guilt, the result of investigation under rules prescribed by the Constitution itself.” – William Henry Harrison
19.“The people are the best guardians of their own rights and it is the duty of their executive to abstain from interfering in or thwarting the sacred exercise of the lawmaking functions of their government.” – William Henry Harrison
20.“I believe and I say it is true Democratic feeling, that all the measures of the Government are directed to the purpose of making the rich richer and the poor poorer.” – William Henry Harrison
21.“The prudent capitalist will never adventure his capital . . . if there exists a state of uncertainty as to whether the Government will repeal tomorrow what it has enacted today.” – William Henry Harrison
22.“Fellow-citizens, being fully invested with that high office to which the partiality of my countrymen has called me, I now take an affectionate leave of you. You will bear with you to your homes the remembrance of the pledge I have this day given to discharge all the high duties of my exalted station according to the best of my ability, and I shall enter upon their performance with entire confidence in the support of a just and generous people.” – William Henry Harrison
23.“The chains of military despotism, once fastened upon a nation, ages might pass away before they could be shaken off.” – William Henry Harrison
24.“The people of the District of Columbia are not the subjects of the people of the States, but free American citizens.” – William Henry Harrison
25.“The broad foundation upon which our Constitution rests being the people—a breath of theirs having made, as a breath can unmake, change, or modify it—it can be assigned to none of the great divisions of government but to that of democracy.”
26.“Sir, I wish to understand the true principles of the Government. I wish them carried out. I ask nothing more.” – William Henry Harrison
27.“Understanding of men can be warped and their affections changed by operations upon their passions and prejudices.” – William Henry Harrison
28.“The only legitimate right to govern is an express grant of power from the governed.” – William Henry Harrison
29.“There is no part of the means placed in the hands of the Executive which might be used with greater effect for unhallowed purposes than the control of the public press.” – William Henry Harrison
30.“It may be observed, however, that organized associations of citizens requiring compliance with their wishes too much resemble the recommendations of Athens to her allies, supported by an armed and powerful fleet.” – William Henry Harrison
Video:William Henry Harrison Quotes
Done reading our compilation of William Henry Harrison quotes? This video has taken some of the best, most memorable William Henry Harrison quotes that almost all of his followers, politicians, and historians know. Let’s take a look:
Summary of William Henry Harrison’s Quotes
In addition to leaving behind some amazing words of wisdom for us, William Henry Harrison also left several notable contributions including his work as a military commander during the war of 1812 that forever changed the relations between Native Americans and the US government. William Henry Harrison quotes are nothing short of inspirational, awe-striking, and mind-boggling.
One can’t help but reminisce and deep-dive into US history and the lasting impact that several US presidents and politicians have had, and William Henry Harrison quotes have definitely had that effect on many. If you want to read more inspiring and thought-provoking quotes by politicians and presidents, take a look at some of the related articles listed below.
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Image Credits
William Henry Harrison (1773–1841) by Albert Gallatin Hoit, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
William Henry Harrison by Albert Gallatin Hoit, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
William Henry Harrison by James Reid Lambdin, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
William Henry Harrison by James Henry Beard, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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