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Unjust attacks on public men do them more good than unmerited praise. They are hurt less by undeserved censure than by undeserved commendation. Abuse helps; often praise hurts.

— Rutherford B. Hayes Diary and Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1922)

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More quotes by Rutherford B. Hayes

We can travel longer, night and day, without losing our spirits than almost any persons we ever met.

Diary and Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1922)

Fighting battles is like courting girls: those who make the most pretensions and are boldest usually win.

The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents (1991)

The melancholy thing in our public life is the insane desire to get higher.

I have a talent for silence and brevity. I can keep silent when it seems best to do so, and when I speak I can, and do usually, quit when I am done.

Diary and Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1922)

The real difficulty is with the vast wealth and power in the hands of the few and the unscrupulous who represent or control capital.

Diary and Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1922)

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