Use power to help people. For we are given power not to advance our own purposes nor to make a great show in the world, nor a name. There is but one just use of power and it is to serve people. The notion of political correctness declares certain topics, certain expressions, even certain gestures, off-limits. What began as a crusade for civility has soured into a cause of conflict and even censorship. Reality challenges and rewards. I believe our best days are yet to come. Real improvement in our schools is not simply a matter of spending more, it is a matter of expecting more. Leadership to me means duty, honor, country. It means character, and it means listening from time to time. I take as my guide the hope of a saint: in crucial things, unity; in important things, diversity; in all things, generosity. I do not like broccoli. And I haven't liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I'm President of the United States and I'm not going to eat any more broccoli. From now on, any definition of a successful life must include serving others. A good country song taps into strong undercurrents of family, faith, and patriotism. |