Quotes and anectdotes from the wise to the foolish, and the courageous to the drunk

Adlai E. Stevenson US Vice President

  • Gender: Male
  • Citizenship: United States
  • Born: Oct 23, 1835
  • Died: Jun 14, 1914

Adlai Ewing Stevenson I served as the 23rd Vice President of the United States. Previously, he served as a Congressman from Illinois in the late 1870s and early 1880s. After his subsequent appointment as Assistant Postmaster General of the United States during Grover Cleveland's first administration, he fired many Republican postal workers and replaced them with Southern Democrats. This earned him the enmity of the Republican-controlled Congress, but made him a favorite as Grover Cleveland's running mate in 1892, and he duly became 23rd Vice President of the United States.

In office, he supported the free-silver lobby against the gold-standard men like Cleveland, but was praised for ruling in a dignified, non-partisan manner.

In 1900, he ran for Vice President with William Jennings Bryan. Although unsuccessful, he was the first ex-Vice President ever to win re-nomination for that post with a different Presidential candidate. Stevenson was the grandfather of Adlai Stevenson II, a Governor of Illinois and the unsuccessful Democratic presidential candidate in both 1952 and 1956.

The journey of a thousand leagues begins with a single step. So we must never neglect any work of peace within our reach, however small. peace

Freedom rings where opinions clash. freedom

Change is inevitable. Change for the better is a full-time job. change

Man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them. alone

To act coolly, intelligently and prudently in perilous circumstances is the test of a man - and also a nation. cool

Peace is the one condition of survival in this nuclear age. age & peace

It's hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse. funny

The first principle of a free society is an untrammeled flow of words in an open forum. society

We mean by 'politics' the people's business - the most important business there is. business & politics

Journalists do not live by words alone, although sometimes they have to eat them. alone

Making peace is harder than making war. peace & war

We can chart our future clearly and wisely only when we know the path which has led to the present. future

That which seems the height of absurdity in one generation often becomes the height of wisdom in another. wisdom

A beauty is a woman you notice a charmer is one who notices you. beauty

There was a time when a fool and his money were soon parted, but now it happens to everybody. money

I believe in the forgiveness of sin and the redemption of ignorance. forgiveness

If the Republicans will stop telling lies about the Democrats, we will stop telling the truth about them. truth

Nature is indifferent to the survival of the human species, including Americans. nature

Every age needs men who will redeem the time by living with a vision of the things that are to be. age

Do you know the difference between a beautiful woman and a charming one? A beauty is a woman you notice, a charmer is one who notices you. beauty

An Independent is someone who wants to take the politics out of politics. politics

Nature is neutral. nature

Law is not a profession at all, but rather a business service station and repair shop. business

After four years at the United Nations I sometimes yearn for the peace and tranquility of a political convention. peace