Throughout America’s history, many of our leaders have been men who had a firm faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Some of our leaders who did not have religious faith had read deeply in the Bible and had great respect for its teachings. They also saw religion as a force for good in the world and important for the stability of our republic.
Here are 16 quotes from U.S. Presidents about faith and the Bible:
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1. Ulysses S. Grant
“My advice to Sunday Schools, no matter their denomination, is: Hold fast to the Bible as the sheet-anchor of your liberties; write its precepts in your heart and practice them in your lives. To the influence of this book we are indebted for all the progress made in true civilization, and to this we must look as our guide in the future.”
- Ulysses S. Grant, 18th President of the United States
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2. John Quincy Adams
“So great is my veneration for the Bible and so strong my belief that when duly read and meditated upon, it is of all the books in the world, that which contributes most to make men good, wise, and happy.”
- John Quincy Adams, 6th President of the United States
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3. Abraham Lincoln
“In regard to this Great Book, I have but to say, it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Saviour gave to the world was communicated through this book.”
- Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States
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4. George W. Bush
“I believe there’s an Almighty, and I believe the Almighty’s great gift to each man and woman in this world is the desire to be free.”
- George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States
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5. Ronald Reagan
“If we trust in Him, keep His word, and live our lives for His pleasure, He’ll give us the power we need – power to fight the good fight, to finish the race, and to keep the faith.”
- Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States
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6. Barack Obama
“I am a Christian, and I am a devout Christian. I believe in the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe that faith gives me a path to be cleansed of sin and have eternal life.”
- Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States
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7. Calvin Coolidge
“The strength of our country is the strength of its religious convictions. The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country.”
- Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States
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8. John Adams
“The Christian Religion is, above all the religions that ever prevailed or existed in ancient or modern times, the religion of wisdom, virtue, equity, and humanity.”
- John Adams, 2nd President of the United States
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9. George Washington
“While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion–to the distinguished character of patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of a Christian.”
- George Washington. 1st President of the United States
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10. Theodore Roosevelt
“A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.”
- Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States
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11. James Madison
“We have staked the whole future of American civilization not on the power of government, far from it. We have staked the whole of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the commandments of God. The future and success of America is not in this Constitution, but in the laws of God upon which this Constitution is founded.”
- James Madison, 4th President of the United States
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12. Andrew Jackson
“That Book, sir, is the Rock on which our Republic rests.”
- Andrew Jackson, 7th President of the United States
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13. Woodrow Wilson
“The Bible is the one supreme source of revelation of the meaning of life, the nature of God, and spiritual nature and needs of men. It is the only guide of life which really leads the spirit in the way of peace and salvation. America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scripture.”
- Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States
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14. Franklin Roosevelt
“We cannot read the history of our rise and development as a nation without reckoning with the place the Bible has occupied in shaping the advances of the Republic. Where we have been the truest and most consistent in obeying its precepts, we have attained the greatest measure of contentment and prosperity.”
- Franklin Roosevelt, 32 President of the United States
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15. Harry Truman
“The fundamental basis of this nation’s laws was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings we get from Exodus and Saint Matthew, from Isaiah and Saint Paul…. If we don’t have a proper fundamental moral background, we will finally end up with a totalitarian government which does not believe in rights for anybody except the State!”
- Harry Truman, 33rd President of the United States
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16. Donald Trump
When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice. The Bible tells us, 'How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity.'
- Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States
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