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Nelson Rockefeller Quotes

Nelson Rockefeller
  • Mini Bio
  • Name: Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller
  • Born: 8th July 1908, Bar Harbor, Maine, U.S.
  • Died: 26th January 1979, New York City, U.S.
  • Alma mater: Dartmouth College (A.B.)
  • Occupation: Businessman and politician
  • Political party: Republican
  • Nickname: Rocky
  • Height: 5' 10½" (1.79 m)
  • Positions of power: 49th Governor of New York (1959-1973), 41st U.S. vice president (1974-1977)
  • Trivia: While campaigning in 1976 in New York a crowd of hecklers were met with Rocky's raised middle finger that made more headlines than any political speech of that day and became metaphorically known as 'The Rockefeller Gesture'

"Wherever we look upon this earth, the opportunities take shape within the problems"

Nelson Rockefeller

"I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature"

Nelson Rockefeller

"The most important thing for a young man is to establish a credit - a reputation, character"

Nelson Rockefeller

"It is wrong to assume that men of immense wealth are always happy"

Nelson Rockefeller

"America is not just a power, it is a promise. It is not enough for our country to be extraordinary in might; it must be exemplary in meaning"

Nelson Rockefeller

"As President, I would work toward international creation of a new world order"

Nelson Rockefeller

"The chief problem of the low-income farmers is poverty"

Nelson Rockefeller

"There are three periods in life: youth, middle age and how well you look"

Nelson Rockefeller

"The secret to success is to own nothing, but control everything"

Nelson Rockefeller

"You can't leave footprints in the sands of time while sitting down"

Nelson Rockefeller

"If your only goal is to become rich, you will never achieve it"

Nelson Rockefeller

"Try to turn every disaster into an opportunity"

Nelson Rockefeller

"You have a challenge; Never quit"

Nelson Rockefeller

"A man should make all he can, and give all he can"

Nelson Rockefeller

"The most powerful force on earth is love"

Nelson Rockefeller
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Nelson Rockefeller Biography

When you realise you are a descendant of the richest family in American history it can be a daunting prospect to live up to such successful ancestors but Nelson Rockefeller mostly ploughed his own path through life and he served the people of New York with distinction during four terms as governor between 1959 and 1973.

In education he was responsible for making New York State University the largest of its kind in the U.S. Rockefeller was a political conservationist way ahead of his time as under his tenure he ensured the preservation of parks and forest lands as well as establishing the Office of Parks and Recreation, he slowed the urban sprawl of New York and he also put measures in place to end water pollution by banning certain pesticides.

Nelson Rockefeller was responsible for improving the transportation network of New York that saw 22,000 miles of new highways alleviating the traffic jams of New York state. He stood for president on 3 occasions and was considered the last of a dying breed by aligning his liberal ideas to the republican party that was progressively becoming more conservative in the 1970's.

He died in 1979 of a heart attack after a lifetime of service to the country and to the people and while gossip mongers are more concerned with the circumstances surrounding his death they selfishly neglect to opine about some of the great achievements this respected pillar of the American community gave to his country.

Great men often come out with fantastic one liners and their stature in public life gives their words more meaning, so without further ado this is my compilation of 15 of the best Nelson Rockefeller quotes

Quotes About Nelson Rockefeller

Martin Luther King Jr. was highly complimentary about his governance: "If we had one or two governors in the Deep South like Nelson Rockefeller, many of our problems could be readily solved"

The lawyer Sheri Dillon when defending Donald Trump against potential conflicts of interest made this comparison: "You know, the business empire built by President-elect Trump over the years is massive, not dissimilar to the fortunes of Nelson Rockefeller when he became vice president. But at that time, no one was so concerned"

President Dwight D. Eisenhower once remarked that Rockefeller was "too used to borrowing brains instead of using his own"


Nelson Rockefeller quote