“There is no lack of bravery in the ranks of our armed forces, but bureaucratic cowardice rules in our intelligence establishment”

Les Gaulois et François, C. L. Bett's translation; reported in Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations (1922), p. 842.

21 August 1893
New Lamps for Old (1893)

2013, Second Inaugural Address (January 2013)
Context: We will defend our people and uphold our values through strength of arms and rule of law.  We will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully –- not because we are naïve about the dangers we face, but because engagement can more durably lift suspicion and fear. America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe.  And we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation. We will support democracy from Asia to Africa, from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom.  And we must be a source of hope to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice –- not out of mere charity, but because peace in our time requires the constant advance of those principles that our common creed describes: tolerance and opportunity, human dignity and justice.

As quoted in Ibrahim Al-Marashi and Sammy Salama (2008), Iraq's Armed Forces: An Analytical History.

Locke & Key, Vol. 3: Crown of Shadows

Source: The God of Jane: A Psychic Manifesto (1981), p. 216

Twenty Year Vision for America (2004)
Context: We'll still need our armed forces and we'll take every necessary action to make America safe — but we'll gain that safety not by force of arms, but by who we are and what we represent. For we should be an America not puffed up by pride in our own power, but rather an America humbled by the recognition of our common humanity. We must make sure that globalization helps people around the world, raising living standards and improving the environment everywhere — rather than leading a race to the bottom.

1940s, Response to the attack on Pearl Harbor (1941)