10 Quotes From the Last 10 Presidential Inaugurations

By Gillian Roberts

Posted January 19, 2017 at 5:00am

It’s a ritual that’s been repeated many times over. On Friday, President-elect Donald Trump will take the oath of office and give his inaugural address. Here are some memorable quotes and photos from the last 10 times this was done.

1. Jan. 20, 1977: Jimmy Carter

“The American dream endures. We must once again have full faith in our country — and in one another. I believe America can be better. We can be even stronger than before.”

President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter walk down Pennsylvania Avenue after his inauguration. (Courtesy National Archives)

2. Jan. 20, 1981: Ronald Reagan

“Your dreams, your hopes, your goals are going to be the dreams, the hopes, and the goals of this administration, so help me God.”

President Ronald Reagan takes the oath of office in 1981. (CQ Roll Call file photo)

3. Jan. 20, 1985: Reagan

“In this blessed land, there is always a better tomorrow.”

Republican President Ronald Reagan's inauguration in 1985. (CQ Roll Call file photo) — Reagan’s second inauguration in 1985. (CQ Roll Call file photo)

4. Jan. 20, 1989: President George H.W. Bush

“We have more will than wallet; but will is what we need.”

President George H.W. Bush at his inauguration in 1989. (CQ Roll Call file photo)

5. Jan. 20, 1993: Bill Clinton

“Each generation of Americans must define what it means to be an American.”

President Bill Clinton gives his first inaugural address in 1993. (Maureen Keating/CQ Roll Call file photo)

6. Jan. 20, 1997: Clinton

“And so, my fellow Americans, we must be strong, for there is much to dare. The demands of our time are great, and they are different. Let us meet them with faith and courage, with patience and a grateful, happy heart.”

Clinton shakes Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist’s hand after his swearing-in in 1997. (Scott J. Ferrell/CQ Roll Call file photo)

7. Jan 20, 2001: George W. Bush

“The most important tasks of a democracy are done by everyone.”

President George W. Bush is sworn in as the 43rd president. (CQ Roll Call file photo)

8. Jan. 20, 2005: Bush

“We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.”

Bush celebrates the 2005 inauguration with his wife, Laura, at the Liberty Ball in Union Station in Washington. (CQ Roll Call file photo)

9. Jan. 20, 2009: Barack Obama

“Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose and necessity to courage.”

President Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th president. (CQ Roll Call file photo)

10. Jan. 21, 2013: Obama

“But we have always understood that when times change, so must we; that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges; that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action.”