clearly and precisely before he spoke. And then he spoke
with a brevity which was notable.
As in the case of his presidential portrait. When
it was hung, he and a companion viewed it discerningly
and at great length, during which neither spoke a word.
Then President Coolidge turned to his friend and quietly
said, "I think so, too." And strode away.
Many people do not know that the President
who seldom spoke, made one of the wisest statements of
all time. President Coolidge said, "Nothing in the world
will take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing
is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius
will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence
and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press
onl' has solved and always will solve the problems of the
human race."
That statement, alone, should assure President
Coolidge's place in history. It should be memorized by
every high-school graduate as a prerequisite to graduating.
If every high school graduate knew that "persistence and
determination alone are omnipotent, and that the slogan
'Press on!' has solved and always will solve the problems
of the human race"-how simple and direct the way to
achievement would be!
How much better it would be to teach that
statement of inspiration and fact by President Coolidge,
than to teach the statement made by his famous predecessor
that "All men are created equal", a preposterous conclu-
sion, which, in the unlikely event you haven't found it out
for yourself, any anthropologist will tell you just isn't so.