In case you or your calendar publisher missed it, today is Presidents’ Day. And in case you were wondering “what’s that all about?” I thought this little snippet from the History Channel’s website was helpful:
Presidents’ Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, it is still officially called “Washington’s Birthday” by the federal government. Traditionally celebrated on February 22—Washington’s actual day of birth—the holiday became popularly known as Presidents’ Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents’ Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present.
No matter what your party affiliation, every American ought to be able to concede that there isn’t a more stressful job than the presidency of the United States. As comedian Brian Regan has put it, there’s nothing like being awakened every morning to: “Problems. All kinds of problems!” And while they are often ambitious folk, these remarkable individuals give up 4 years (maybe 8, or even 12 if you’re FDR) of their lives (in the case of 4, literally), their privacy, and their public reputations to do their very best in leading our country. A lonely post in the best of times, few leave office without the indicators of the wear and tear the intensity of the presidency leaves. Each one has left a unique legacy, a mark on American history. And each one deserves the gratitude and respect of the American people.
With that in mind, I’m proud to present to you ABB’s third “In the Words of the President” quiz! Below are ten quotations from our presidents, with three choices as to which president the quote originated from. Take a few minutes to take the quiz (without using Google for a reference!) and submit your answers via the comment section by March 4. The reader who gets the most questions correct will receive an inspiring book from ABB! The Printer will have one more question in store in case of a tie.
And so, without further adieu, I give you the Presidents of the United States of America, in their own words!
1) “To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.”
a) Abraham Lincoln
b) John Quincy Adams
c) George Washington
2) “Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.”
a) Franklin Delano Roosevelt
b) Thomas Jefferson
c) Martin Van Buren
3) “The best social program is a good job.”
a) Theodore Roosevelt
b) William Jefferson Clinton
c) Franklin Pierce
4) “It is much easier in many ways for me—and for other Presidents, I think, who felt the same way—when Congress Is not in town.”
a) John F. Kennedy
b) Grover Cleveland
c) Donald Trump
5) “The brave man inattentive to his duty, is worth little more to his country than the coward who deserts her in the hour of danger.”
a) Calvin Coolidge
b) Andrew Jackson
c) Chester Alan Arthur
6) “A man is not finished when he’s defeated; he’s finished when he quits.”
a) Richard Nixon
b) John F. Kennedy
c) Dwight Eisenhower
7) “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.”
a) John Tyler
b) James Madison
c) William Taft
8) "The circulation of confidence is better than the circulation of money.”
a) Abraham Lincoln
b) James Monroe
c) Franklin Delano Roosevelt
9) “To hunger for use and to go unused is the worst hunger of all.”
a) Barrack Obama
b) Ronald Reagan
c) Lyndon Johnson
10) “The numbers of men in all ages have preferred ease, slumber, and good cheer to liberty, when they have been in competition.”
a) John Adams
b) George H.W. Bush
c) Ulysses Grant
1) “To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.”
a) Abraham Lincoln
b) John Quincy Adams
c) George Washington
2) “Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.”
a) Franklin Delano Roosevelt
b) Thomas Jefferson
c) Martin Van Buren
3) “The best social program is a good job.”
a) Theodore Roosevelt
b) William Jefferson Clinton
c) Franklin Pierce
4) “It is much easier in many ways for me—and for other Presidents, I think, who felt the same way—when Congress Is not in town.”
a) John F. Kennedy
b) Grover Cleveland
c) Donald Trump
5) “The brave man inattentive to his duty, is worth little more to his country than the coward who deserts her in the hour of danger.”
a) Calvin Coolidge
b) Andrew Jackson
c) Chester Alan Arthur
6) “A man is not finished when he’s defeated; he’s finished when he quits.”
a) Richard Nixon
b) John F. Kennedy
c) Dwight Eisenhower
7) “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.”
a) John Tyler
b) James Madison
c) William Taft
8) "The circulation of confidence is better than the circulation of money.”
a) Abraham Lincoln
b) James Monroe
c) Franklin Delano Roosevelt
9) “To hunger for use and to go unused is the worst hunger of all.”
a) Barrack Obama
b) Ronald Reagan
c) Lyndon Johnson
10) “The numbers of men in all ages have preferred ease, slumber, and good cheer to liberty, when they have been in competition.”
a) John Adams
b) George H.W. Bush
c) Ulysses Grant
