“Adventure is worth while in itself.”—Amelia Earhart, 1932 A fearless pioneer and a record-breaking pilot, Amelia Earhart engaged the nation and the world when she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. Today people remember her most for her disappearance on the last leg of her round-the-world flight in 1937. But more than a record breaker or a ghost lost over the Pacific, Earhart was ambitious, driven, and strong at a time when all three of these traits were considered unfeminine. Earhart’s words and her example encouraged women to step beyond the narrow confines of their traditional roles. The Quotable Amelia Earhart brings together statements from a variety of sources and covers a wide range of topics, including Earhart’s flights and her opinions on politics, work, religion, and gender equality. This definitive resource provides a concise, documented collection of Earhart’s quotations so that her words, as well as her achievements, may inspire a new generation.

Born in the late 1800s to one of the wealthiest families in New York City, Eleanor Roosevelt seemed destined for a traditional woman's role within a sedate Victorian life. Instead, she married her fifth cousin and was flung into the highest levels of American politics, culminating in Franklin's unprecedented four-term presidency. While previous first ladies refrained from public discussion of their personal views, Eleanor's bold opinions on political, social, and racial issues took many by surprise. She held press conferences and wrote a syndicated column. She spoke at national conventions, granted interviews, and often made appearances on her husband's behalf. Her own influence lasted years beyond his death. She advocated for human rights, worked with the United Nations, and supported what later became the civil rights movement. The fascinating quotes in this collection are the words of an articulate, honest, and thoughtful woman. Of war, she said, "I hope the day will come when all that inventing and mechanical genius will be used for other purposes." At a time when racism prevailed, Eleanor said, "We must be proud of every one of our citizens, for regardless of nationality, or race, every one contributes to the welfare and culture of the nation." Organized by topic-government, money, art, education, class, relationships, emotions-these quotations reveal the personal thoughts Roosevelt shared in letters and conversations alongside the strong opinions she expressed in speeches and interviews, giving evidence to her character and her beliefs. Her words continue to resonate today.

Brilliant businessman, successful entrepreneur, pioneer of the low-price, mass-produced motor vehicle, and profoundly important to twentieth-century American life, Henry Ford was also a character of little-known but surprising contradictions. Ford sported a hefty ego yet suffered from a pathological dislike of public speaking. He pioneered forty-hour work weeks and a minimum wage yet hated labour unions. He was a pacifist yet admired the efficiency of Nazi Germany. Such fascinating inconsistencies stand out sharply in The Quotable Henry Ford, an uncompromising presentation of the automaker's own voice. Michele Albion's selection of quotes addresses widely varying topics: cars, employees, money, education, nature, family, politics, urbanisation, and even world peace. "Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black," said Ford, who knew that black paint dried faster, allowing for increased production of vehicles. He also told women to go easy on cheating husbands, explaining "they are simply trying to hold on to their youth"-a statement made the same year as the birth of a boy who was likely his illegitimate son. Historians, teachers, car experts, Ford enthusiasts, and anyone interested in early twentieth-century America will discover that Henry Ford was very complicated, and very human. His words were often brilliant, often folksy, but often his own worst enemy.