Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

He returned to Washington the next day and was re-sworn in by Justice Adolph A. Coolidge continued the previous administration's policy not to recognize the Soviet Union. "I think the American people want a solemn ass as a President" he once told Ethel Barrymore "and I think I will go along with them.

As a Coolidge biographer put it "He embodied the spirit and hopes of the middle class could interpret their longings and express their opinions. Coolidge restored public confidence in the White House after the scandals of his predecessor's administration and left office with considerable popularity. That he did represent the genius of the average is the most convincing proof of his strength.