--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Few expected very much of Franklin…" description: "\"Few expected very much of Franklin Roosevelt on Inauguration Day in 1933. Like Barack Obama seventy-six years later, he was succeeding a failed Republi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/870/russell-baker-2930_barack_few-expected-very-much-of-franklin-roose_386385.png" --- # Few expected very much of Franklin Roosevelt on… ![“Few expected very much of Franklin Roosevelt on Inauguration Day in 1933. Like Barack Obama seventy-six years later, he was succeeding a failed Republican president, and Americans had voted for change. What that change might be Roosevelt never clearly said, probably because he himself didn't know.” quote by Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/870/russell-baker-2930_barack_few-expected-very-much-of-franklin-roose_386385.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/870/russell-baker-2930_barack_few-expected-very-much-of-franklin-roose_386385.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/870/russell-baker-2930_barack_few-expected-very-much-of-franklin-roose_386385.png) > “Few expected very much of Franklin Roosevelt on Inauguration Day in 1933. Like Barack Obama seventy-six years later, he was succeeding a failed Republican president, and Americans had voted for change. What that change might be Roosevelt never clearly said, probably because he himself didn't know.” [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Roosevelt entered office amid high expectations for change, yet he could not articulate a clear vision, reflecting uncertainty in leadership transitions. **In simple terms:** Leaders often face unclear futures after crises. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty and adapt. Themes leadership politics expectations Mood hopeful uncertain Type historical political When to use this quote - campaign promises - policy formation - public expectation - historical analysis Key Concepts vision adaptation public sentiment Questions to Reflect On - How do leaders balance hope with realistic planning? - What role does clarity play in political transitions? A Different Perspective Roosevelt’s vague promises may have limited early public confidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Franklin roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/franklin-roosevelt/) [Inauguration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inauguration/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Republican](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/republican/) ## Related quotes > [The president of the United States, on Inauguration Day, takes an oath to faithfully execute the laws. Those are the laws that are passed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-sensenbrenner/the-president-of-the-united-states-on-inauguration-day-takes-an-oath/) [Jim Sensenbrenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-sensenbrenner/) > [ In this case, the government will essentially be run by the people who are running it now. The top level \[Barack\] Obama appointees will… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/in-this-case-the-government-will-essentially-be-run-by-the-people-who/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Inauguration Day is like two ships passing in the night: the new staff moving in while the other walks out, taking one final look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-perino/inauguration-day-is-like-two-ships-passing-in-the-night-the-new-staff/) [Dana Perino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-perino/) > [On Inauguration Day I will be on the platform sitting on the steps behind President Barack Obama. I don't know how I'm going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/on-inauguration-day-i-will-be-on-the-platform-sitting-on-the-steps/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) > [ One has to say that they \[Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt\] were pioneering to some extent. They didn't know that some of the housing projects… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-rusher/one-has-to-say-that-they-eleanor-and-franklin-roosevelt-were/) [William A. Rusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-rusher/) > [Franklin D. Roosevelt is no crusader. He is no tribune of the people. He is no enemy of entrenched privilege. He is a pleasant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/franklin-d-roosevelt-is-no-crusader-he-is-no-tribune-of-the-people-he/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [Franklin Roosevelt was very concerned about environmental issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-nelson/franklin-roosevelt-was-very-concerned-about-environmental-issues/) [Gaylord Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-nelson/) > [In this country kings or dukes don't amount to nothing. The greatest man around then was Franklin D. Roosevelt, and he was the President;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-holiday/in-this-country-kings-or-dukes-don-t-amount-to-nothing-the-greatest/) [Billie Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-holiday/) > [In his State of the Union speech in January 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt declared America's commitment to Four Freedoms in the struggle against Nazi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/in-his-state-of-the-union-speech-in-january-1941-president-franklin/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [Well, Mr Obama inherited probably the biggest inventory of problems, certainly foreign policy problems, than any American president ever has. I think the entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/well-mr-obama-inherited-probably-the-biggest-inventory-of-problems/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [Franklin Roosevelt had a pretty clear line. Ronald Reagan had a pretty clear line, people who rescue parties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/franklin-roosevelt-had-a-pretty-clear-line-ronald-reagan-had-a-pretty/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [George Washington sets the nation on its democratic path. Abraham Lincoln preserves it. Franklin Roosevelt sees the nation through depression and war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/george-washington-sets-the-nation-on-its-democratic-path-abraham/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [I think Franklin Roosevelt was a lousy president. What he did- which is to impose this great nanny state on America- was a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-crane/i-think-franklin-roosevelt-was-a-lousy-president-what-he-did-which-is/) [Ed Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-crane/) > [You know who was a hero? Franklin Roosevelt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-know-who-was-a-hero-franklin-roosevelt/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was born during the Depression in a little community just outside Waco, and I grew up listening to Franklin Roosevelt on the radio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-richards/i-was-born-during-the-depression-in-a-little-community-just-outside/) [Ann Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-richards/) ## More by Russell Baker > [Unpleasant questions are being raised about Mother's Day. Is this day necessary? . . . Isn't it bad public policy? . . . 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Plastic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/it-doesn-t-matter-to-me-where-barack-obama-goes-if-he-wants-to-go-to/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [ It wasn't \[Barack\] Obama per se; it was the feeling on the ground; it was seeing an old black woman in a wheelchair being… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/it-wasn-t-barack-obama-per-se-it-was-the-feeling-on-the-ground-it-was/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [I don't think that we really know a whole lot about Barack Obama at all that you would really call distinctive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-mcwhorter/i-don-t-think-that-we-really-know-a-whole-lot-about-barack-obama-at/) [John H. 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In private, he can discuss it at a really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-chait/in-public-barack-obama-s-giving-the-simple-version-of-his-beliefs-for/) [Jonathan Chait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-chait/) Browse all 1,672 Barack quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Few expected very much of Franklin Roosevelt on Inauguration Day in 1933. Like Barack Obama seventy-six years later, he was succeeding a failed Republican president, and Americans had voted for change. 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