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It was my fortune, or misfortune, to be called to the office of Chief Executive without any previous political training.

— Ulysses S. Grant Eighth State of the Union Address (1876)

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Luck

More quotes by Ulysses S. Grant

I have no prejudice against sect or race, but want each individual to be judged by his own merit.

Letter to Isaac N. Morris (1868)

Wars produce many stories of fiction, some of which are told until they are believed to be true.

Personal Memoirs of General U. S. Grant (1885)

The cause of the great War of the Rebellion against the United States will have to be attributed to slavery.

Personal Memoirs of General U. S. Grant (1885)

I don't underrate the value of military knowledge, but if men make war in slavish obedience to rules, they will fail.

A History of Militarism: Romance and Realities of a Profession (1937)

I never wanted to get out of a place as much as I did to get out of the presidency.

Around the World with General Grant (1879)

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In the fields of observation chance favors only the prepared mind.

Louis Pasteur

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em.

William Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1601)

O Fortune, cruellest of heavenly powers,
Why make such game of this poor life of ours?

Horace Satires (-35)

Vicissitudes of fortune, which spares neither man nor the proudest of his works, which buries empires and cities in a common grave.

Edward Gibbon The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)

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