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An honorable defeat is better than a dishonorable victory.

— Millard Fillmore

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Source, in full

Speech (13 September 1844), Buffalo, New York, quoted in the Buffalo Commercial Advertiser (14 September 1844). Fillmore won the Whig nomination for governor of New York, and in his acceptance speech he hoped his supporters would not resort to dirty tricks. The newspaper summary was: "He entreated them to enter the contest with zeal and enthusiasm; but as they valued the sacredness of their cause, and the stability of their principles, to resort to no unfair means: that an honorable defeat was better than a dishonorable victory." He ended up losing the election to Silas Wright.

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Failure

More quotes by Millard Fillmore

May God save the country, for it is evident that the people will not.

Let us remember that revolutions do not always establish freedom. Our own free institutions were not the offspring of our Revolution. They existed before.

The whole country is full of enterprise. Our common schools are diffusing intelligence among the people and our industry is fast accumulating the comforts and luxuries of life.

God knows that I detest slavery, but it is an existing evil, for which we are not responsible, and we must endure it, and give it such protection as is guaranteed by the constitution, till we can get rid of it without destroying the last hope of free government in the world.

Regarding enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act (1850)

It is not strange, however much it may be regretted, that such an exuberance of enterprise should cause some individuals to mistake change for progress and the invasion of the rights of others for national prowess and glory.

All Millard Fillmore quotes →

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Millard Fillmore (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.