Quotes: LBJ

The idea in bold-face print is a summary of the quote. The number after the topic is the page on which the quote was found.

LBJ
LBJ 200 After the divisiveness of the Vietnam War, LBJ will be credited for his social legislation. "But I believe future historians, less influenced by the divisiveness of the war, will offer a more balanced assessment [of Johnson’s presidency], crediting him with two legislative landmarks: the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965…history will record [these acts to be] among the greatest political achievements of this century." McNamara’s In Retrospect

LBJ 315 McNamara to President Johnson: "One hundred years of neglect cannot be overcome overnight; but you have pushed, dragged, and cajoled the nation into basic reforms from which my children and my children’s children will benefit for decades to come." McNamara’s In Retrospect

LBJ 317 McNamara on LBJ: "Many in this room believe Lyndon Johnson is crude, mean, vindictive, scheming, untruthful; perhaps at times he has shown each of these characteristics; but he is much, much more…in the decades ahead, history will judge him to have done more—for example, through such legislation as the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, and the Great Society legislation—to alert us all to our responsibility toward the poor, the disadvantaged, and the victims of racial prejudice than any other political leader of our time." McNamara’s In Retrospect