National Debt Quotes

You might be surprised to learn the national debt was something even the founders of this country contemplated. Following are national debt quotes from them and a few funnier people as well.

We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt.

THOMAS JEFFERSON

Obama called on Americans to have more grandchildren. Probably so there's more of them to pay off our debt.

JAY LENO

As a very important source of strength and security, cherish public credit. One method of preserving it is, to use it as sparingly as possible; avoiding occasions of expense by cultivating peace, but remembering also that timely disbursements to prepare for danger frequently prevent much greater disbursements to repel it; avoiding likewise the accumulation of debt, not only by shunning occasions of expense, but by vigorous exertions in time of peace to discharge the debts, which unavoidable wars may have occasioned, not ungenerously throwing upon posterity the burthen, which we ourselves ought to bear.

GEORGE WASHINGTON

President Obama laid out his plan to reduce the $14 trillion national debt. Unfortunately for Sasha and Malia, it involves selling a lot of Girl Scout cookies.

JIMMY KIMMELL

Blessed are the young for they shall inherit the national debt.

HERBERT HOOVER

They say President Lincoln once walked three miles to pay back a penny. That makes him the last president to do anything about the debt.

DAVID LETTERMAN

It is a terrible situation when the Government, to insure the National Wealth, must go in debt and submit to ruinous interest charges, at the hands of men, who control the fictitious value of gold. Interest is the invention of Satan.

THOMAS EDISON

After [the meeting of all 5 living Presidents] there was a fight over who would pay the lunch bill, but eventually they all agreed to leave it up to future generations.

SETH MEYERS

Many respected economists and statesmen believe our national debt is neither unwieldy nor a dangerous burden on the country. The trouble is that a vast majority of the American people think otherwise.... It violates basic American ideas of thrift and money management. These strong public feelings cannot be ignored forever.

MORRIS K. UDALL

There are 10^11 stars in the galaxy. That used to be a huge number. But it’s only a hundred billion. It’s less than the national deficit! We used to call them astronomical numbers. Now we should call them economical numbers.

RICHARD FEYNMAN

The consequences arising from the continual accumulation of public debts in other countries ought to admonish us to be careful to prevent their growth in our own.

JOHN ADAMS

Obviously, this doesn't cover every national debt quote out there. If you know of some good ones, feel free to send them in and we'll throw them up on the page.

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