Statement before the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration (vice-presidential confirmation hearings), Nov. 1, 1973

“I am not a saint, and I am sure I have done things I might have done better or differently, or not at all.  I have also left undone things that I should have done.  But I believe and hope that I have been honest with myself and with others, that I have been faithful to my friends and fair to my opponents, and that I have tried my very best to make this great government work for the good of all Americans.”
Speech following oath of office as president, Aug. 9, 1974
“I am acutely aware that you have not elected me as your president by your ballots, and so I ask you to confirm me as your president with your prayers.  I hope that such prayers will be the first of many.  If you have not chosen me by secret ballot, neither have I gained office by any secret promises.  I have not campaigned either for the presidency or the vice presidency.  I have not subscribed to any partisan platform.  I am indebted to no man, and only to one woman—my dear wife—as I begin this very difficult job.  I have not sought this enormous responsibility, but I will not shirk it.”

“I believe that truth is the glue that holds government together, not only our government, but civilization itself.  That bond, though strained, is unbroken at home and abroad.  In all my public and private acts as your president, I expect to follow my instincts of openness and candor with full confidence that honesty is always the best policy in the end.  My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over.  Our Constitution works; our great republic is a government of laws and not of men.  Here the people rule.”
Address to Joint Session of the Congress, Aug. 12, 1974
“This Congress, unless it has changed, I am confident, will be my working partner as well as my most constructive critic.  I am not asking for conformity.  I am dedicated to the two-party system, and you know which party I belong to.  I do not want a honeymoon with you.  I want a good marriage.”

“They [Americans] know that a government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.”

Remarks on signing a proclamation granting a pardon to President Nixon, Sept. 8, 1974
“As we are a nation under God, so I am sworn to uphold our laws with the help of God.  And I have sought such guidance and searched my own conscience with special diligence to determine the right thing for me to do with respect to my predecessor in this place, Richard Nixon, and his loyal wife and family.  Theirs is an American tragedy in which we all have played a part.  It could go on and on and on, or someone must write the end to it.  I have concluded that only I can do that, and if I can, I must.”
Remarks at the Annual Congressional Dinner of the University of Michigan Club, March 5, 1975
“… I was lucky enough to play football [for the University of Michigan], first on Ferry Field and then in the stadium.  And I was lucky enough to start a few games in the football season of 1934—and that was quite a year.  The Wolverines on that memorable occasion played Ohio State, and we lost 34 to 0.  And to make it even worse, that was the year we lost seven out of eight of our scheduled games.  But you know, what really hurt me most was when my teammates voted me their most valuable player.  I didn’t know whether to smile or sue.”
Remarks at a reception for members of the National Commission on the Observance of International Women’s Year, Washington, D.C., April 14, 1975
“The restrictions on the rights, the restrictions on the responsibilities to one American affects all of us.  A nation is only as strong, a nation is only as creative as its citizens.  The better we use the talents of all our people, women as well as men, the brighter and more secure the future of this great Republic will be.”
Address before the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, Helsinki, Finland, Aug. 1, 1975
“We are bound together by the most powerful of all ties, our fervent love for freedom and independence, which knows no homeland but the human heart.”

“History will judge this Conference not by what we say here today, but by what we do tomorrow—not by the promises we make, but by the promises we keep.”
Remarks at Valley Forge State Park, Pennsylvania, July 4, 1976
“As we continue our American adventure … all our heroes and heroines of war and peace send us this single, urgent message: though prosperity is a good thing, though compassionate charity is a good thing, though institutional reform is a good thing, a nation survives only so long as the spirit of sacrifice and self-discipline is strong within its people.  Independence has to be defended as well as declared; freedom is always worth fighting for; and liberty ultimately belongs only to those willing to suffer for it.”
Remarks at the University of Michigan, Sept. 15, 1976
“I am proud of the maturity of American people who demand more honesty, truthfulness and candor of their elected representatives.  The American people, particularly our young people, cannot be expected to take pride—or even participate—in a system of government that is defiled and dishonored, whether in the White House or in the halls of the Congress.  Personal integrity is not too much to ask of public servants.  We should accept nothing less.”
Farewell address, State of the Union, Jan. 12, 1977
“My fellow Americans, I once asked you for your prayers, and now I give you mine:  May God guide this wonderful country, its people, and those we have chosen to lead them.  May our third century be illuminated by liberty and blessed with brotherhood, so that we and all who come after us may be the humble servants of Thy peace.  Amen.”
Informal remarks at the dedication of the Gerald R. Ford Library, April 27, 1981, as quoted in the press
“The library will surpass anything you can imagine.  We want it to be a living facility that gives on a daily basis.”

“I thought it would be proper to have the library in an academic setting, such as the University.  That way (the archivists) won’t be bothered by tourists who come to see the museum.”

“My retirement … is not what I anticipated.  I fall down less often, and because I have more time to practice, I hit fewer spectators on the golf course—and my friends in the press pay less attention.”
Remarks at the dedication of the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Sept. 17, 1981
“I want the museum to be a living, educational institution that will provide inspiration to future generations.  The finest tribute of all will be to see the Gerald R. Ford Museum living and growing and constructive and useful.”
Remarks from a phone interview days before the University of Michigan retired his jersey number, appearing in the Ann Arbor News, Oct. 6, 1994
“I’m a loyal Wolverine.  When they lose in football, basketball or anything, I still get darn disappointed.”
Remarks at the retirement of his jersey, number 48, University of Michigan, Oct. 8, 1994
“Other honors that have been bestowed on me were because of my work or my efforts.  But in this case, I am being honored [by the] school where I learned skills and discipline that I used for the rest of my life.”
Remarks at the dedication of the new permanent core exhibit at the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, April 17, 1997
“… this [museum] is not a monument to any one man or any one presidency.  Rather, it is a classroom of American democracy, a place where school kids as well as scholars will enjoy privileged access to the innermost workings of their government.”
Remarks at the dinner receiving the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, May 21, 2001
“I have always believed that most people are mostly good, most of the time.  I have never mistaken moderation for weakness, nor civility for surrender.  As far as I'm concerned, there are no enemies in politics—just temporary opponents who might vote with you on the next roll call.”

“… the ultimate test of leadership is not the polls you take, but the risks you take.  In the short run, some risks prove overwhelming.  Political courage can be self-defeating.  But the greatest defeat of all would be to live without courage, for that would hardly be living at all.”

Remarks at site dedication program at Rackham Auditorium, Sept. 18. 2003
“Let me say with deep conviction how lucky I was to have the kind of first-class education (at the University of Michigan).”

Remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Joan and Sanford Weill Hall, which will house the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at State and Hill streets, Nov. 12, 2004
“I had to wonder why that was so vacant.”

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