Some people have greatness thrust upon them. Very few have excellence thrust upon them.

More and more Americans feel threatened by runaway technology, by large-scale organization, by overcrowding. More and more Americans are appalled by the ravages of industrial progress, by the defacement of nature, by man-made ugliness. If our society continues at its present rate to become less livable as it becomes more affluent, we promise all to end up in sumptuous misery.

We cannot have islands of excellence in a sea of slovenly indifference to standards.

Excellence is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.

Excellence implies striving for the highest standards in every phase of life.

But if we believe what we profess concerning the worth of the individual, then the idea of individual development within a framework of ethical purpose must become our deepest concern, our national preoccupation, our passion, our obsession. We must think of education as relevant for everyone everywhere - at all ages and in all conditions of life.

The cynic says, "One man can't do anything". I say, "Only one man can do anything."