James A. Garfield: Trending quotes (page 7)

1880s, Inaugural address (1881)

John Wingate Thornton, The historical relation of New England to the English Commonwealth (1875), p. 46
Misattributed
Variant: Ideas control the world.

Diary (26 April 1876) as quoted in Garfield (1978) by Allen Peskin, Ch. 13
1870s

[Great applause.] But victory was worth nothing except for the truths that were under it, in it, and above it. We meet tonight as comrades to stand guard around the sacred truths for which we fought. [Loud and prolonged cheers.] And while we have life to meet and grasp the hand of a comrade, we will stand by the great truths of the war. ["Good," "good," and loud cheers.] Many convictions have sunk so deep into our hearts that we can never forget them. Think of the elevating spirit of the war itself. We gathered the boys from all our farms and shops and stores and schools and homes, from all over the Republic. They went forth unknown to fame, but returned enrolled on the roster of immortal heroes. [Great applause.] They went in the spirit of the soldiers of Henry at Agincourt, of whom he said. 'For he today that sheds his blood with me. Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile. This day shall gentle his condition.'
1880s, Speech to the 'Boys in Blue' (1880)

Source: Maxims of James Abram Garfield (1880), compiled by William Ralston Balch, p. 1