To me, the Presidency and the Vice-Presidency were not prizes to be won, but a duty to be done.

All my children have spoken for themselves since they first learned to speak, and not always with my advance approval, and I expect that to continue in the future.

In the two centuries that have passed since 1776, millions upon millions of Americans have worked and taken up arms when necessary to make that dream a reality. We can be extremely proud of what they have accomplished. Today, we are the world's oldest republic. We are at peace. Our Nation and our way of life endure. We are free.

I do believe that the buck stops here, that I cannot rely upon public opinion polls to tell me what is right.

It's more like it is now than it ever has been.

I do believe that the buck stops here, that I cannot rely upon public opinion polls to tell me what is right. I do believe that right makes might and that if I am wrong, 10 angels swearing I was right would make no difference. I do believe, with all my heart and mind and spirit, that I, not as President but as a humble servant of God, will receive justice without mercy if I fail to show mercy.

Real assistance is to help people to help themselves. We can't do everything for everybody, but there is room for all who try to make it.