Wisdom of the Presidents

The collected writings and wisdom of four great US presidents: Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Featuring both official and personal letters, documents, speeches, and articles, this brilliant anthology is filled with the ideas and observations of four iconic leaders who not only guided their nation through trying times, but also left a legacy of wisdom to guide future generations.

The Wisdom of FDR
What made Franklin Delano Roosevelt an effective leader? His policies and decisions changed our nation’s and the world’s history. But more than his skill as a savvy politician and progressive thinker, FDR’s ability to voice his thoughts on national concerns, social change, and humanity directly and eloquently spoke to the hearts of the people. His observations and opinions cover everything from faith, war, and peace to religion, freedom, and the very definition of what it is to be an American. The essays included here—“The Four Freedoms,” “We Belong to Many Races,” “True Education,” “The Rights of the Common Man,” “Dynamic Democracy,” and “Government with a Soul”—illustrate how a great American president communicated a changing worldview.

The Wisdom of Theodore Roosevelt
Few American presidents are remembered for such a vivid personality as Teddy Roosevelt. In this fascinating portrait of one of America’s most dynamic figures, the vibrant thinker, politician, and outdoorsman relays his passionate feelings on a wide array of subjects, showcasing his evolving beliefs on topics including his strenuous life, the bully pulpit, childhood, imperialism, religion, and even his daughter, Alice. Through his own words, the modern reader comes to understand how Roosevelt saw deeply into American society and its problems and willed the people to mobilize and deal with issues head on.

The Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln
Remembered for his leadership during the dark years of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln remains one of the most studied and intriguing figures in American history. The Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln examines the sixteenth president’s statements on politics, the Civil War, slavery, education, law, Reconstruction, and his private life, offering both his most notable remarks in their original context and insight on a variety of earlier and less explored historical events. His wry and self-deprecating humor comes through whether he is speaking of his own election or writing to his wife, and his quotes reflect his evolution from humble small-town politician to a leader facing his nation’s greatest internal crisis and massive social change.

The Wisdom of Thomas Jefferson
Statesman. Diplomat. Politician. Scholar. Inventor. Architect. President. Few men exemplify the Enlightenment ideal more than Thomas Jefferson. Here, his dynamic personality and insatiable curiosity jump off the page and draw the reader into the young country he so greatly influenced. Whether the topic is the right to freedom or the future of Native Americans, westward expansion or the political climate in France, his personal impressions of historical luminaries or his architectural preferences, his financial troubles or his feelings about religious freedom, Jefferson’s convictions are brilliantly explained and often ahead of their time. The Wisdom of Thomas Jefferson paints a detailed and revealing portrait of the mind of an American Renaissance man.