The Essential Wisdom of the First Ladies

Inspiring, poignant, and sometimes-funny quotations by first ladies from Martha to Melania. The iconic women who've made an indelible mark on our country are richly represented in this collection-as are the lesser-known first ladies, whose powerful words often reveal tragic personal circumstances. The excerpts, compiled from speeches, interviews, books, letters, and other sources, are arranged thematically, touching upon a diverse array of subjects, including government and democracy; freedom, rights, equality and justice, hardship and hope; happiness, success, and life's pleasures, and more. Together, they offer an insightful glimpse into the public and private lives of the women in the White House who have had such a profound influence on the leaders-and the historic course-of our great country.

Editor Carol Kelly-Gangi has carefully curated the inspiring, poignant, and at times, humorous quotations from our country’s first ladies, spanning Martha Washington to Melania Trump. The iconic women who’ve made an indelible mark on our country are richly represented here, as are the lesser-known first ladies, whose powerful words often reveal tragic personal circumstances. The excerpts have been compiled from speeches, interviews, books, letters, and other sources to create this collection. Arranged thematically, they touch upon a diverse array of subjects, including government and democracy; freedom, rights equality and justice, hardship and hope; happiness, success, and life’s pleasures, and more. Together, they offer an insightful glimpse into the public and private lives of the women who have had such a profound influence on the leaders—and the historic course—of our great country.