Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal.

Great crises produce great men, and great deeds of courage.

There is nothing more certain and unchanging than uncertainty and change.

The basis of effective government is public confidence.

For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed.

Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans - born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace.

While they came from a variety of religious backgrounds and held a wide variety of religious beliefs, each of our presidents in his own way has placed a special trust in God.