Who said “America's present need is not heroics but healing; not nostrums but normalcy; not…”?

Verified

Warren Gamaliel Harding. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceSpeech in Boston, Massachusetts (24 May 1920); Harding is often thought to have coined the word "normalcy" in this speech, but the word is recorded as early as the 1850s as alternative to "normality".

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“America's present need is not heroics but healing; not nostrums but normalcy; not revolution but restoration.”
— Warren Gamaliel Harding
VerifiedSpeech in Boston, Massachusetts (24 May 1920); Harding is often thought to have coined the word "normalcy" in this speech, but the word is recorded as early as the 1850s as alternative to "normality". · evidenceSolutions

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Speech in Boston, Massachusetts (24 May 1920); Harding is often thought to have coined the word "normalcy" in this speech, but the word is recorded as early as the 1850s as alternative to "normality"..

APA

Harding, W. G. (n.d.). America's present need is not heroics but healing; not nostrums but normalcy; not revolution but restoration. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/12681-americas-present-need-is-not-heroics-but-healing/

MLA

Harding, Warren Gamaliel. “America's present need is not heroics but healing; not nostrums but normalcy; not revolution but restoration.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/12681-americas-present-need-is-not-heroics-but-healing/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Harding, Warren Gamaliel. “America's present need is not heroics but healing; not nostrums but normalcy; not revolution but restoration.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/12681-americas-present-need-is-not-heroics-but-healing/.

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More quotes by Harding

“I have no trouble with my enemies. I can take care of my enemies all right. But my damn friends. They're the ones that keep me walking the floor nights!”
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