Who said, "The finest steel has to go through the hottest fire"?

President Richard Nixon is the individual that is known for having said, "The finest steel has to go through the hottest fire." When making steel, it is known that in past history the strongest steel was forged in the fire. It is pounded and struck repeatedly before being plunged back into molten fire. The fire gives it power and flexibility, and the blows gave it strength. Those two thing made the metal pliable and able to withstand use in battle when it was called upon to fight. President Nixon when facing personal and political challenges used the quote. He specifically used it when he had issues with the Kremlin and the Watergate scandal.

Richard Nixon (born 1913 in California—died 1994 in New York) was elected the 37th President of the United States (1969-1974) after previously serving as a U.S. Representative and a U.S. Senator from California. After successfully ending American fighting in Vietnam and improving international relations with the U.S.S.R. and China, he became the only President to ever resign the office, as a result of the Watergate scandal.

He served for 5 years in the White House and gained praise as an elder statesman. By the time of his death on April 22, 1994, he had written numerous books on his experiences in public life and on foreign policy.