25 William Howard Taft Quotes Echoing Leadership Skills

By Norbert Juma

Master quote curator and editor on a mission to inspire

Published August 28, 2023

If you are searching for the best William Howard Taft quotes, this article is for you.

Here, you can find the top quotes from William Howard Taft that are authentic and relevant.

Apart from our quotes section, we also discuss William Howard Taft’s early life and career.

So, without any further delay, let’s dive in!

Who was William Howard Taft?

William Howard Taft was the 27^th President of the United States.

Since his early political career, he was dedicated to public service.

Besides his presidency, Taft also served as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Early Life and Legal Career

William Howard Taft was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on September 15, 1857.

He came from an influential and prominent family.

Alphonso Taft, His father, served as Secretary of War and Attorney General under the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant.

His early life was marked by exceptional intellect.

He used his learning skills to become a law graduate.

Eventually, after a career as a lawyer, he was appointed the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Governor-General of the Philippines

Before becoming the 27^th president of the U.S., Taft also served as the Governor-General of the Philippines (1901 to 1904).

It was the time when he worked to implement reforms and create governance structures in the Philippines.

He focused on the key areas including:

Education
Public Health
Infrastructure

Due to his tiring efforts, Taft successfully paved the way for self-governance in the Philippines.

This also helped to improve the overall living conditions in the country.

Tenure as President

Taft’s tenure as president lasted from 1909 to 1913.

His presidency was marked by his commitment to introduce reforms and progressive policies.

This is why he kept his focus on trust-building among large corporations.

As a result, there was fair competition and no monopolies.

Taft also set the foundation for future reforms, especially those carried out by later presidents, including Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt.

Chief Justice Supreme Court

After completing his tenure as the president of the U.S., Taft continued to serve his country as a supreme court judge.

In 1921, he was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Taft held this position until 1930.

His legal expertise proved instrumental in strengthening the integrity and respect of the Supreme Court.

Top 5 William Howard Taft Quotes

Let’s start the quotes section with the top quotes from William Howard Taft.

1. “The City that knows how.” — William Howard Taft

2. “The cheerful loser is a sort of winner.” — William Howard Taft

3. “Enthusiasm for a cause sometimes warps judgment.” — William Howard Taft

4. “A government is for the benefit of all the people.” — William Howard Taft

5. “We are all imperfect. We can not expect perfect government.” — William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft Quotes About Being President

In these quotes, William Howard Taft shares the Experience and duties of being a president.

6. “I am president now, and tired of being kicked around.” — William Howard Taft

7. “Presidents come and go, but the Supreme Court goes on forever.” — William Howard Taft

8. “I’ll be damned if I am not getting tired of this. It seems to be the profession of a President simply to hear other people talk.” — William Howard Taft

9. “I am afraid I am a constant disappointment to my party. The fact of the matter is, the longer I am president, the less of a party man I seem to become.” — William Howard Taft

10. “I have come to the conclusion that the major part of the work of a President is to increase the gate receipts of expositions and fairs and bring tourists to town.” — William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft participated actively in politics. These quotes share insights about politics.

11. “Politics, when I am in it, makes me sick.” — William Howard Taft

12. “We live in a stage of politics, where legislators seem to regard the passage of laws as much more important than the results of their enforcement.” — William Howard Taft

13. “I do not know much about politics, but I am trying to do the best I can with this administration until the time shall come for me to turn it over to somebody else.” — William Howard Taft

14. “I would like to have an ample fund to spread the light of Republicanism, but I am willing to undergo the disadvantage to make certain that in the future we shall reduce the power of money in politics for unworthy purposes.” — William Howard Taft

15. “The scope of modern government in what it can and ought to accomplish for its people has been widened far beyond the principles laid down by the old “laissez faire” school of political rights, and the widening has met popular approval.” — William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft Quotes About Legislation

Now, let’s check out some inspirational and helpful quotes that target the significance of the legislation.

16. “The world is not going to be saved by legislation.” — William Howard Taft

17. “A system in which we may have an enforced rest from legislation for two years is not bad.” — William Howard Taft

18. “What I am anxious to do is to secure my legislation…. What I want to do is to get through that, and if I can point to a record of the usefulness of that kind, I am entirely willing to quit office.” — William Howard Taft

19. “The laboring man and the trade unionist, if I understand him, ask only equality before the law. Class legislation and unequal privilege, though expressly in his favor, will, in the end, work no benefit to him or society.” — William Howard Taft

20. “The President can exercise no power which cannot be fairly and reasonably traced to some specific grant of power in the Federal Constitution or an act of Congress passed in pursuance thereof. There is no undefined residuum of power which he can exercise because it seems to him to be in the public interest.” — William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft Quotes About Masonry

These quotes share valuable information regarding masonry. You should go through these quotes to know more about masonry.

21. “The precepts of the Gospel were universally the obligations of Masonry.” — William Howard Taft

22. “The underlying principle of Masonry is the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. In this war, we are engaging in upholding these principles, and our enemies are attacking them.” — William Howard Taft

23. “The prosperity of Masonry as a means of strengthening our religion and propagating true brotherly love is one of the dearest wishes of my heart, which, I trust, will be gratified by the help of the Grand Architect of the Universe.” — William Howard Taft

24. “Masonry aims at the promotion of morality and higher living by the cultivation of the social side of man, the rousing in him of the instincts of charity and love of his kind. It rests surely on the foundation of the brotherhood of man and the fatherhood of God.” — William Howard Taft

25. “The secrecy of Masonry is honorable secrecy; any good man may ask for her secrets; those who are worthy will receive them. To give them to those who do not seek, or who are not worthy, would but impoverish the Fraternity and enrich not those who received them.” — William Howard Taft