Farewell Address (1953) Quotes
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Source: Farewell Address (1953)
Speaker: Harry S. Truman
"The President—whoever he is—has to decide. He can't pass the buck to anybody."
The President—whoever he is—has to decide. He can't pass the buck to anybody. No one else can do the deciding for him. That's his job.
Context
This line was spoken by President Harry S. Truman regarding his "The Buck Stops Here" sign.
President Truman kept a sign on his desk. No, not "Slow Children Ahead," but "The Buck Stops Here." He wasn't talking about a deer head or a dollar bill. This was a sign about presidential responsibility, two words you don't often see next to one another.
He was asked about this sign a lot, and he didn't pass the buck on explaining it. This quote is one way he elaborated on the meaning of his famous sign.
Where you've heard it
You've heard this when someone is saying that you shouldn't pass the blame to someone else. Fancy that.
However, that's not what Truman meant by it. According to Dan Amira with the New York Magazine, this slogan means "the president's decisions are his alone to make." Truman was speaking out against "Monday morning quarterbacks" telling him how to do his job.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
Taking responsibility is rarely pretentious.