From now on in America, any definition of a successful life must include serving others.
—George H. W. Bush
Up until now, this book has been about “lessons learned from George H. W. Bush,” almost always through the examples he set by the way he lived his life and by the way he led.
The word “advice” has come up rarely.
That’s because he rarely gave it.
As I began work on this book, President Bush’s post–White House speechwriter, Jim McGrath, reminded me that one of the boss’s favorite quotes was, “Preach the gospel. Use words when necessary.”1
But when asked to do so—either through a speech or through the written word—President Bush was actually pretty good at it. A great example would be the commencement address he gave at Prairie View A&M University, May 9, 1998:
… Let me encourage you that, in whatever path you choose to follow, don’t waste time. Start right away. After all, commencement days are for commencing.
So start something. Start a business. Start a family. Start getting involved in our community.
Most importantly, start dreaming—and never stop. It’s been said that “man never gets old until regrets take the place of his dream.” Never let that be you.
And when you dream, dream big. Don’t be daunted or limited. Be bold.
To dream big dreams, you can’t be afraid of failure. You can’t be afraid to extend yourself, to take qualified risks, to do something new.
One of my heroes, Teddy Roosevelt, once said: “The only person who never makes mistakes is the person who never does anything.”
Roosevelt knew that, just as nobody can dream your dream for you, it takes a sustained effort to make your dreams come true.
It also takes values—simple, basic values such as always do your best.
If you accept responsibility, honor it.
If you are a leader, lead by example.
Be accountable for your actions. Remember that actions are more important than words because they give your words truer meaning.
Here are some excerpts from his own speeches and writings, in chronological order:
Inaugural Address, January 20, 1989:
… I come before you and assume the presidency at a moment rich with promise. We live in a peaceful, prosperous time, but we can make it better. For a new breeze is blowing, and a world refreshed by freedom seems reborn. For in man’s heart, if not in fact, the day of the dictator is over. The totalitarian era is passing, its old ideas blown away like leaves from an ancient, lifeless tree. A new breeze is blowing, and a nation refreshed by freedom stands ready to push on. There is new ground to be broken and new action to be taken. There are times when the future seems thick as a fog; you sit and wait, hoping the mists will lift and reveal the right path. But this is a time when the future seems like a door you can walk right through into a room called tomorrow.
… We know what works: Freedom works. We know what’s right: Freedom is right. We know how to secure a more just and prosperous life for man on Earth: through free markets, free speech, free elections, and the exercise of free will unhampered by the state.
For the first time in this century, for the first time in perhaps all history, man does not have to invent a system by which to live. We don’t have to talk late into the night about which form of government is better. We don’t have to wrest justice from the kings. We only have to summon it from within ourselves. We must act on what we know. I take as my guide the hope of a saint: In crucial things, unity; in important things, diversity; in all things, generosity.
… My friends, we are not the sum of our possessions. They are not the measure of our lives. In our hearts we know what matters. We cannot hope only to leave our children a bigger car, a bigger bank account. We must hope to give them a sense of what it means to be a loyal friend; a loving parent; a citizen who leaves his home, his neighborhood, and town better than he found it. And what do we want the men and women who work with us to say when we’re no longer there? That we were more driven to succeed than anyone around us? Or that we stopped to ask if a sick child had gotten better and stayed a moment there to trade a word of friendship?
No president, no government can teach us to remember what is best in what we are. But if the man you have chosen to lead this government can help make a difference; if he can celebrate the quieter, deeper successes that are made not of gold and silk but of better hearts and finer souls; if he can do these things, then he must.
America is never wholly herself unless she is engaged in high moral principle. We as a people have such a purpose today. It is to make kinder the face of the Nation and gentler the face of the world. My friends, we have work to do. There are the homeless, lost and roaming. There are the children who have nothing, no love and no normalcy. There are those who cannot free themselves of enslavement to whatever addiction—drugs, welfare, the demoralization that rules the slums. There is crime to be conquered, the rough crime of the streets. There are young women to be helped who are about to become mothers of children they can’t care for and might not love. They need our care, our guidance, and our education, though we bless them for choosing life.
The old solution, the old way, was to think that public money alone could end these problems. But we have learned that that is not so. And in any case, our funds are low. We have a deficit to bring down. We have more will than wallet but will is what we need. We will make the hard choices, looking at what we have and perhaps allocating it differently, making our decisions based on honest need and prudent safety. And then we will do the wisest thing of all. We will turn to the only resource we have that in times of need always grows: the goodness and the courage of the American people.
And I am speaking of a new engagement in the lives of others, a new activism, hands-on and involved, that gets the job done. We must bring in the generations, harnessing the unused talent of the elderly and the unfocused energy of the young. For not only leadership is passed from generation to generation but so is stewardship. And the generation born after the Second World War has come of age.
I have spoken of a Thousand Points of Light, of all the community organizations that are spread like stars throughout the nation, doing good. We will work hand in hand, encouraging, sometimes leading, sometimes being led, rewarding. We will work on this in the White House, in the Cabinet agencies. I will go to the people and the programs that are the brighter points of light, and I’ll ask every member of my government to become involved. The old ideas are new again because they’re not old, they are timeless: duty, sacrifice, commitment, and a patriotism that finds its expression in taking part and pitching in.
We need a new engagement, too, between the Executive and the Congress. The challenges before us will be thrashed out with the House and the Senate. And we must bring the federal budget into balance. And we must ensure that America stands before the world united, strong, at peace, and fiscally sound. But of course things may be difficult. We need to compromise; we’ve had dissension. We need harmony; we’ve had a chorus of discordant voices.
… Let us negotiate soon and hard. But in the end, let us produce. The American people await action. They didn’t send us here to bicker. They ask us to rise above the merely partisan. “In crucial things, unity”—and this, my friends, is crucial.
Great nations like great men must keep their word. When America says something, America means it, whether a treaty or an agreement or a vow made on marble steps. We will always try to speak clearly, for candor is a compliment; but subtlety, too, is good and has its place. While keeping our alliances and friendships around the world strong, ever strong, we will continue the new closeness with the Soviet Union, consistent both with our security and with progress. One might say that our new relationship in part reflects the triumph of hope and strength over experience. But hope is good, and so is strength and vigilance.
… Our children are watching in schools throughout our great land. And to them I say thank you for watching democracy’s big day. For democracy belongs to us all, and freedom is like a beautiful kite that can go higher and higher with the breeze. And to all I say, no matter what your circumstances or where you are, you are part of this day, you are part of the life of our great nation.
Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Polish hero Lech Walesa, November 13, 1989:
The story of our times is the story of brave men and women who seized a moment, who took a stand. Lech Walesa showed how one individual could inspire others—in them a faith so powerful that it vindicated itself and changed the course of a nation. History may make men, but Lech Walesa has made history. And I believe history continues to be made every day by small daily acts of courage, by people who strive to make a difference. Such people, says Lech, “are everywhere, in every factory, steel mill, mine, and shipyard—everywhere.” And we’ve certainly seen them in the American labor movement, where from the leadership of Lane Kirkland2 to the rank and file across the country, they have struggled in the vanguard of the free labor movement around the world.
Our own humble electrician, Ben Franklin, declared that “Our cause is the cause of all mankind, for we are fighting for their liberty in defending our own.” And like Franklin, who seized lightning from the skies and brought it to Earth, Lech Walesa seized an idea, a powerful idea, and with it electrified the world. The idea is freedom. And the time is now.
Lighting the National Christmas Tree, December 14, 1989:
We’ve worked hard this year, all of us, all of you, to help build a better America, help someone else, help make this a kinder and gentler nation. But there remains a world of need all around us. In this holiday season, reach out to someone right where you live. Because from now on in America, “There’s no room at the inn”—that’s simply not an acceptable answer. From now on in America, any definition of a successful life must include serving others. For Christmas is measured not by what’s beneath your tree but by what’s inside your heart. And so, this year, the spirit of the holidays is at long last matched by the spirit of the time. And it’s the beginning of a new decade at the ending of an old century. And whatever your dream, whatever star you’re following, the future is bright with possibility.
Speaking to the National Leadership Coalition on AIDS, March 29, 1990:
… This virus is our challenge—not a challenge we sought; not a challenge we chose. But today our responsibility is clear: We must meet this challenge. We must beat this virus. For whether talking about a nation or an individual, character is measured not by our tragedies but by our response to those tragedies.
And for those who are living with HIV and AIDS, our response is clear: They deserve our compassion, they deserve our care, and they deserve more than a chance—they deserve a cure. America will accept nothing less. We’re slashing red tape, accelerating schedules, boosting research. And somewhere out there, there is a Nobel Prize and the gratitude of planet Earth waiting for the man or woman who discovers the answer that’s eluded everyone else.
… And every American must learn what AIDS is and what AIDS is not, and they must learn now. You in this room are leaders. You already know. The HIV virus is not spread by handshakes or hugs. You can’t get it from food or drink, coughing or sneezing, or by sharing bathrooms or towels or conversation… it is our duty to make certain that every American has the essential information needed to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS, because while the ignorant may discriminate against AIDS, AIDS won’t discriminate among the ignorant.
… In this nation, in this decade, there is only one way to deal with an individual who is sick: with dignity, with compassion, care, and confidentiality—and without discrimination. Once disease strikes, we don’t blame those who are suffering. We don’t spurn the accident victim who didn’t wear a seatbelt. We don’t reject the cancer patient who didn’t quit smoking. We try to love them and care for them and comfort them. We don’t fire them; we don’t evict them; we don’t cancel their insurance.
Today I call on the House of Representatives to get on with the job of passing a law, as embodied in the Americans with Disabilities Act, that prohibits discrimination against those with HIV and AIDS. We’re in a fight against a disease, not a fight against people. And we will not, and we must not, in America tolerate discrimination.
Addressing the nation from the Oval Office, following the “not guilty” verdict in the Rodney King police brutality case in Los Angeles, which sparked days of violent rioting across the nation, May 1, 1992:
What we saw last night and the night before in Los Angeles is not about civil rights. It’s not about the great cause of equality that all Americans must uphold. It’s not a message of protest. It’s been the brutality of a mob, pure and simple. And let me assure you: I will use whatever force is necessary to restore order. What is going on in L.A. must and will stop. As your President I guarantee you this violence will end.
Now let’s talk about the beating of Rodney King, because beyond the urgent need to restore order is the second issue, the question of justice: Whether Rodney King’s Federal civil rights were violated, what you saw and what I saw on the TV video was revolting. I felt anger. I felt pain. I thought: How can I explain this to my grandchildren?
… [But] in a civilized society, there can be no excuse, no excuse for the murder, arson, theft, and vandalism that have terrorized the law-abiding citizens of Los Angeles. Mayor Bradley, just a few minutes ago, mentioned to me his particular concern, among others, regarding the safety of the Korean community. My heart goes out to them and all others who have suffered losses.
The wanton destruction of life and property is not a legitimate expression of outrage with injustice. It is itself injustice. And no rationalization, no matter how heartfelt, no matter how eloquent, can make it otherwise.
Television has become a medium that often brings us together. But its vivid display of Rodney King’s beating shocked us. The America it has shown us on our screens these last 48 hours has appalled us. None of this is what we wish to think of as American. It’s as if we were looking in a mirror that distorted our better selves and turned us ugly. We cannot let that happen. We cannot do that to ourselves.
… We must understand that no one in Los Angeles or any other city has rendered a verdict on America. If we are to remain the most vibrant and hopeful nation on earth, we must allow our diversity to bring us together, not drive us apart. This must be the rallying cry of good and decent people.
… We must build a future where, in every city across this country, empty rage gives way to hope, where poverty and despair give way to opportunity. After peace is restored to Los Angeles, we must then turn again to the underlying causes of such tragic events. We must keep on working to create a climate of understanding and tolerance, a climate that refuses to accept racism, bigotry, anti-Semitism, and hate of any kind, anytime, anywhere.
Tonight, I ask all Americans to lend their hearts, their voices, and their prayers to the healing of hatred.
Radio address to the nation on the results of the 1992 presidential election, November 7, 1992. This speech is less about advice and more about character:
Way back in 1945, Winston Churchill was defeated at the polls. He said, “I have been given the Order of the Boot.” That is the exact same position in which I find myself today.
I admit, this is not the position I would have preferred, but it is a judgment I honor. Having known the sweet taste of popular favor, I can more readily accept the sour taste of defeat, because it is seasoned for me by my deep devotion to the political system under which this Nation has thrived for two centuries.
… Ours is a nation that has shed the blood of war and cried the tears of depression. We have stretched the limits of human imagination and seen the technologically miraculous become almost mundane. Always, always, our advantage has been our spirit, a constant confidence, a sense that in America the only things not yet accomplished are the things that have not yet been tried. President-elect Clinton needs all Americans to unite behind him so he can move our nation forward. But more than that, he will need to draw upon this unique American spirit.
There are no magic outside solutions to our problems. The real answers lie within us. We need more than a philosophy of entitlement. We need to all pitch in, lend a hand, and do our part to help forge a brighter future for this country.
On January 20th, Barbara and I will head back to Texas. For us there will be no more elections, no more politics. But we will rededicate ourselves to serving others because, after all, that is the secret of this unique American spirit. With this spirit, we can realize the golden opportunities before us and make sure that our new day, like every American day, is filled with hope and promise.
Addressing Daily Points of Light winners in the East Room of the White House, January 14, 1993:
I’ve always believed that in each individual, there’s a Point of Light waiting to be revealed; in each community, a thousand miracles waiting to happen. And when I assumed this great office, I pledged to do all I could to honor, encourage, and increase volunteer efforts until their light filled every dark corner of our country.
… You see, it’s not just Points of Light that are important. It’s the idea that every community in America could be filled with light.
… Regardless of what we believe Government should do, all of us agree that no serious social problem in this country is going to be solved without the active engagement of millions of citizens in tens of thousands of institutions, schools and businesses, churches and clubs, armies of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
Government has a critical role in helping people and so does solid, sustainable economic growth. But people, people, not programs, solve problems. And somewhere in America, every serious social problem is being solved through voluntary service, for therein lies the greatest national resource of all. It doesn’t matter who you are. Everybody’s got something to give: a job skill, a free hour, a pair of strong arms. And that’s what I mean when I say that from now on, any definition of a successful life must include serving others.
… Barbara and I will soon be making our way back to Texas, and I’d like to leave you with one thought: If I could leave but one legacy to this country, it would not be found in policy papers or even in treaties signed or even wars won; it would be return to the moral compass that must guide America through the next century, the changeless values that can and must guide change. And I’m talking about a respect for the goodness that made this country great, a rekindling of that light lit from within to reveal America as it truly is, a country with strong families, a country of millions of Points of Light.
President Bush truly had a servant’s heart and never felt any task was too big or too small. I found this note from him on my desk one Monday morning (I should note that I tried to convince him many times not to answer the phones when he was in the office by himself on weekends. It was a losing battle):
April 16, 1995
Jean:
It’s Easter, and I am doing case work; for I answered the phone here in the office.
A Mr. Jesse Kirk, unemployed welder, called in. He wanted Barbara for he has a reading problem.
When queried, I told him “It is I.”
He then told me his problem. A good welder, he cannot find work because of his dyslexia and bad reading over all.
He is in construction and makes, sometimes, $15 per hour. Because of his reading failure he can’t get work now.
He hates welfare. He doesn’t want a handout.
I gave him the usual disclaimer “out of office, unemployed myself, call the Congressman.”
Can someone call him?3
Maybe BPB knows of an adult reading program. Just any call back might encourage the guy. Even if we said, “We’ve checked, and have no suggestions.”
Can we help Jesse?—GB
We did help Jesse. We helped get him enrolled in a Houston adult literacy program, and he learned to read.
President Bush did give some advice to his sons George W. and Jeb, one of whom was running for reelection as governor of Texas and one of whom was running for governor of Florida, both races they would win:
August 1, 1998
Dear George and Jeb,
… Your Mother tells me that both of you have mentioned to her your concerns about some of the political stories—the ones that seem to put me down and make me seem irrelevant—that contrast you favorably to a father who had no vision and who was but a place holder in the broader scheme of things.
I have been reluctant to pass along advice. Both of you are charting your own course, spelling out what direction you want to take your State, in George’s case running on a record of accomplishment.
But the advice is this. Do not worry when you see the stories that compare you favorably to a Dad for whom English was a second language and for whom the word destiny meant nothing.
First, I am content with how historians will judge my administration—even on the economy. I hope and think they will say we helped change the world in a positive sense…
It is inevitable that the new breed journalists will have to find a hook in stories, will have to write not only on your plans and your dreams but will have to compare those with what, in their view, I failed to accomplish.
That can be hurtful to a family that loves each other. That can hurt you boys who have been wonderful to me, you two of whom I am so very proud. But the advice is don’t worry about it. At some point both of you may want to say “Well, I don’t agree with my Dad on that point” or “Frankly I think Dad was wrong on that.” Do it. Chart your own course, not just on the issues but on defining yourselves. No one will ever question your love of family—your devotion to your parents. We have all lived long enough and lived in a way that demonstrates our closeness; so do not worry when the comparisons might be hurtful to your Dad for nothing can ever be written that will drive a wedge between us—nothing at all…
… So read my lips—no more worrying. Go on out there and, as they say in the oil fields, “Show ’em a clean one.”
This from your very proud and devoted,
Dad
President Bush’s former speechwriter and good friend author Christopher Buckley—or Christo, as 41 called him—occasionally asked President Bush to write an essay for his FYI magazine, a publication of Forbes. As Bill Clinton prepared to leave office after the 2000 election, President Bush wrote this essay for Chris, entitled “10 Rules for a Former President”:
1. Get out of Dodge—fast. You’re history on that cold January day. So be pleasant about it all. Smile a lot. Try not to wave to the huge inaugural crowd too much. They’re there to see the new guy…
2. As you fly back home on Air Force One look around. Take a shower… Grab a few napkins and some notepads and Lifesavers with the Presidential seal on them… Lie down on the bed in the President’s cabin because 34E on the commercial airlines is quite different…
3. When you get off Air Force One wave from the top of the steps. A TV camera from the local station will probably be there. “How does it feel to be home?” [the reporter] will ask. “Great to be back!” And you look ahead and you try not to think what it used to be like just four or five hours before. You’ll hurt a little but that will go away—sooner than you might think.
4. … Don’t try to shape history by writing op-ed pieces all the time or by criticizing your successor. If you really want to make news and get back on TV you’ll find the best way to do that is to criticize your successor… Don’t!… If you really feel strongly about something, drop your successor a line but don’t leak it to the press. The important thing is to quit worrying about your legacy. It’s up to others to decide that.
5. When you’re out walking your dog, try not to argue when you see the guy down the street who always insists on giving you his views on every issue. Oh, you’ve got to listen, but it is better to nod silently and not disagree when he says, “You should’ve invaded Cuba and gotten the CIA to knock off Saddam Hussein”… smile pleasantly and try to keep moving.
6. Play some golf but resist telling everyone what it was like to play with Jack [Nicklaus] or Arnie [Palmer] at the course near Camp David… And no one wants to know how many times you had the legends of sports to the White House. (They didn’t really love you. They just wanted to see the White House.)
7. Be nice to all autograph seekers and tourists and people who interrupt your dinner. After all, some of them probably voted for you, and those who didn’t will swear they now wish they did.
8. Remember the five “stay” rules:
a) Stay out of the way, out of Washington, out of the news, away from press conferences, off TV.
b) Stay away from bashing the national press, even those that knocked your socks off when you were President.
c) Stay away from most of those yellow pad think tank events—the ones where the conference proceedings are carefully written then printed, never to be read by anyone ever again. You might want to consider the occasional world peace seminar in Bermuda but be sure the organizers get you a tee time.
d) Stay away from saying “here’s the way I did it.” You had your chance…
e) Stay well. And when you get older, resist telling everyone about which body part hurts. Drink bulk stuff, exercise, stretch, keep younger people around you. Smile a lot. Feel young at heart.
9. Always count your blessings. Quietly remember the wonders of the White House. Never forget the many people that helped you get there or those that worked in your administration or the dedicated civil servants who treat the White House with such respect and dignity while making those who live there feel “at home.” Remember the majesty of the Oval Office. And as the years go by, give thanks to God for your family, your true friends, and for having given you the chance to be President of the greatest country on the face of the earth.
10. Hug your grandkids. If you don’t have any, get some. And if by chance you have a son or daughter who has a chance to be President of the USA ask yourself, “Might this really come true? Only in America!”
Remarks to the Arab American Cultural & Community Center Seventh Annual Unity and Friendship Gala in Houston on November 2, 2002:
Since leaving the Presidency, and especially since our son was elected President, I have tried to stay out of the public eye. I don’t do op-ed pieces or press conferences; and I darn sure stay out of the shouting matches that we see so often on TV these days.
… Every once in a while, I will speak out, but only when I feel something deep in my heart… I wanted to speak here to condemn intolerance, to condemn the stereotyping that has hurt so many American families, adults and children alike.
I reject the tendency to condemn Arabs in general or an entire religion in particular because of the extreme views of some extremists who smear the good name “Muslim.”
I am not here to single out one or two misguided critics of Islam but rather to say how offensive I find the relentless attacks on Arabs.
Some evangelical Christians in this country have made inflammatory statements about Islam. I am very glad that Jerry Falwell corrected the record and apologized for his remarks that caused so much grief, so much hurt in many Arab countries.
But to be fair here, I have seen terrible inflammatory statements made by some Mullahs about our country and about other religions.
I would say that it would be grossly unfair to judge Islam by the extreme rantings of some radical Mullahs, just as it would be grossly unfair to judge Christianity by some of its intolerant practitioners here and abroad.
The 9/11 attacks should not be used by any American to condemn all Muslims and certainly not to teach hatred towards Arabs.
Arab Americans condemn terrorism and yet often they get stereotyped right here in Houston, right here in America. This must not be.
Al Qaida extremists are evil. I hope we can all agree on that. They are our enemy. They have brought death and destruction to our society, killing the innocent to achieve their dishonorable goals.
What bothers me today is that, because all the 9/11 terrorists had Arab surnames, many Americans seem quick to condemn Arabs in general…
The 9/11 attacks should not be used by believers of any faith to condemn the prophet Muhammad or the peace-loving leaders of Islam today.
The President spoke to the nation about the need for tolerance yet his administration is attacked like this, thus proving that intolerance often begets intolerance; hatred begets hatred.
And insidious lies often go unchallenged.
… When Oklahoma City’s Federal building was blown up, many Americans hastened to the conclusion that this must have been the evil work of an “Arab terrorist.”
When the recent sniper attacks were going on,4 I literally prayed, “Please do not have these killers be of Arab descent, be Muslim extremists.” When John Muhammad’s name surfaced, some were quick to again condemn Arabs and Islam. This alleged killer probably knows less about Islam than my dog Sadie, but his actions bring prejudice down on the heads of many innocents because of the propensity out there to stereotype.
Listen to these words from a friend of mine,5 a dedicated Catholic seminarian: “What those terrorists did on September 11th a year ago had nothing to do with serving God. They may have called themselves Muslims but they have nothing in common with my Muslim friends, just as I have nothing in common with neo-Nazis who call themselves Christians and try to use the Bible to justify their violence and racism.”
My appeal is for tolerance and understanding, for avoiding polarizing rhetoric, for working as best we can for your goals of “peace and justice.”
I came here to say thanks for all you do for our community; to say I empathize with each and every one of you who may have felt the sting of prejudice right here in this land of the free and the brave.
… I can assure you that this President, like his Dad before him, certainly abhors war and the horrors it can bring to innocents… we must continue to fight against stereotyping as we fight and win the war against terror. No freedom-loving, patriotic American should ever be subjected to prejudice because of his looks or his religious preference.
We must be tolerant, and as the rallying cry of this organization says, we must stand for “Peace and Justice.”
In 2003, President Bush’s friend Henry O. Dormann, chairman and editor in chief of LEADERS magazine, asked him to write a piece answering this question: “What is the greatest challenge you have had to overcome in your life?”
Instead of talking about his greatest challenge, President Bush decided to give the readers some of his rare advice. His answer was classic George H. W. Bush—simple yet profound:
1. Don’t get down when your life takes a bad turn. Out of adversity comes challenge and often success.
2. Don’t blame others for your setbacks.
3. When things go well, always give credit to others.
4. Don’t talk all the time. Listen to your friends and mentors and learn from them.
5. Don’t brag about yourself. Let others point out your virtues, your strong points.
6. Give someone else a hand. When a friend is hurting, show that friend you care.
7. Nobody likes an overbearing big shot.
8. As you succeed, be kind to people. Thank those who help you along the way.
9. Don’t be afraid to shed a tear when your heart is broken because a friend is hurting.
10. Say your prayers!!
Commencement address, with President Bill Clinton, at Tulane University in New Orleans on May 13, 2006, nine months after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city:
… It is each of you assembled here today that has inspired me, our nation, and indeed the world.
… Each of you here has your own story to tell of the day the waters came, and the days of profound hardship that followed. Hurricane Katrina left in its wake a path of devastation biblical in proportion, and we struggled at first to come to terms with an unimaginable reality. How can you repair a shattered home if you cannot find the pieces? Where can you go when the sea swallows the land?
… The floodwaters may have breached the levees that surrounded this city; they may have destroyed home-after-home, on block-after-block; but today we also know they could not break the spirit of the people who call this remarkable, improbable city home.
… Everywhere President Clinton and I have gone, we hear stories just like that. It’s been said that adversity doesn’t test your character—it reveals it. If so, then here in the aftermath of Katrina, the world has seen the essence of the American spirit: courage, compassion, resourcefulness, determination.
… Billy Graham once said, “Time is the capital we’ve been given by God to invest wisely, so the question is, where do we invest it? God calls us to invest our time capital in the very lives of people—not in projects, not in possessions.”
So even as I stand here to congratulate you for reaching this proud moment of achievement in your lives, let me also encourage you to continue investing your time in your fellowman.
That means getting off the sidelines and staking a personal claim in your country, your state, your community. It doesn’t have to be running for office. It doesn’t have to involve politics in any way. But find a way to be of service to others.
I got more of a kick out of being one of the founders of the YMCA in Midland, Texas back in 1952 than almost anything I’ve done. We did something positive. We didn’t change the world—just a small corner of it. But we helped a lot of great kids by doing it.
A lot of people out there like to talk about the cynical times in which we live, but as I look around this room, make no mistake: I still believe there are people out there who care, who are willing to open their hearts to the pain and the need around them, and do the hard work that makes a positive difference in our world.
I still believe there are people out there who seek a higher purpose to serve with their lives during our time together on this earth. No, when I look at what happened all along the Gulf Coast, I still believe in heroes. When I look at our world, the good I see far outweighs the bad—which maybe explains why I am optimistic about our future, about your future.
Let me put it this way: Back during World War II, Navy pilots had a saying to describe a cloudless, perfect day for flying. That saying was “Ceiling and Visibility Unlimited,” or CAVU. That’s what you wanted to hear when you were climbing into your plane and preparing for the mission ahead—that the skies were clear.
Such is my wish for each of you. As you prepare to leave Tulane—to tackle the challenges of life ahead—I wish all your days will be blessed with “ceiling and visibility unlimited.” Lord knows, I’ll be pulling for you—so get out there and make us all proud.
Memorial Day speech in Kennebunkport, May 26, 2008:
As we gather in the heart of this wonderful community, and call to mind the countless sacrifices that a long line of American patriots have so selflessly made that we might live in freedom, my message to each of you today relates not to the fallen—to those who have given our Nation their last full measure of devotion.
As President Lincoln rightly observed at Gettysburg, there is little that those of us who remain can say to add to the glory and honor that the valor of the fallen has rightly earned them.
Rather, I have come here today to encourage the rest of us—the living, the able-bodied—to do everything we can to be worthy of such courage and sacrifice. To give Memorial Day the significance it deserves, it seems to me that this day should involve more than the act of remembering—as vitally important as that surely is.
If we were to encounter the patriots of Bunker Hill or the Battle of New Orleans, what could we tell them we do to help sustain the grand experiment in self-governance they sacrificed so much to set in motion? Could each of us say, for example, that we take the time to vote?
If we were to encounter the dead from Antietam—the bloodiest battle not only of the Civil War, but in all of American history—could we say that we have fully endeavored to treat every American born under our Declaration with equality and fairness?
If we were to talk today to those who served in World Wars I and II, or Korea, or Vietnam—or anywhere before or since—could we say that we have tried to give back to our own community as active citizens, as volunteers?
Ladies and gentlemen, the men and women we honor today—those who have served, those who have fallen—have done their part. And yet there is so much that each of us can do in our own way, in our own lives, to keep our Nation free, and strong.
So I join you today in honoring all who wear our Nation’s uniform, particularly at this time of war. I join you in honoring our military families, who bear a burden every bit as heavy as the soldier’s pack.
Most of all, I join you in asking the continued blessings, and mercy, of a loving God for our Nation, and all who take her noble cause upon their shoulders—be they on the front lines, or here on the home front…
God Bless America.
I would like to end this chapter by sharing some advice President Bush gave… well, himself. He wrote this in his diary the night he lost the election to Bill Clinton:
It’s 12:15 in the morning, November 4th. The election is over—it’s come and gone. It’s hard to describe the emotions of something like this… the job is not finished and that kills me…
Now into bed, prepared to face tomorrow:
Be strong, be kind, be generous of spirit, be understanding and let people know how grateful you are. Don’t get even. Comfort the ones I’ve hurt and let down. Say your prayers and ask for God’s understanding and strength. Finish with a smile and some gusto and do what’s right and finish strong.
1 The quote is attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi.
2 President of the AFL-CIO from 1979 to 1995.
3 I deleted Mr. Kirk’s phone number.
4 A shooter had killed ten and wounded three others over three weeks in October in the Washington, DC, area.
5 His adviser in this case was actually my little brother, a Catholic priest.