William Lyon Mackenzie King is most famously known as the longest-serving Prime Minister in Canada’s history, serving 21 years. He was the 10th Prime Minister of Canada. King was born on December 17th, 1874, in Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario. Below you will discover dozens of William Lyon Mackenzie King quotations.
1. Until the control of the issue of currency and credit is restored to Government and recognized as its most conspicuous and sacred responsibility, all talks of the sovereignty of Parliament and of democracy is idle and futile.
2. Once a nation parts with the control of its credit, it matters not who makes the laws.
3. From the outset of the war, the Canadian people have clearly shown that it is their desire to help in every way to make Canada’s war effort as effective as possible.
4. A true man does not only stand up for himself; he stands up for those that do not have the ability to.
5. The politician’s promises of yesterday are the taxes of today.
6. Every hour of useful work is precious.
7. Usury, once in control, will wreck the nation.
8. The people of Canada do not wish, as a result of mass immigration, to make a fundamental alteration in the character of our population. Large-scale immigration from the Orient would change the fundamental composition of the Canadian population.
9. Far more has been accomplished for the welfare and progress of mankind by preventing bad actions than by doing good ones.
10. I believed the people had a true instinct in most matters of Government when left alone. That they were not swayed, as specially favoured individuals were, by personal interest but rather by a sense of what best served the common good. That they recognized the truth when it was put before them and that a leader can guide so long as he kept to the right lines. I did not think it was a mark of leadership to try to make the people do what one wanted them to do.
11. Government, in the last analysis, is organized opinion. Where there is little or no public opinion, there is likely to be bad Government.
12. It is what we prevent, rather than what we do, that counts most in Government.
13. I’ve always found that you can control people better if you don’t see too much of them.