I didn't talk to anybody and say, "I'm going to do a speech, do you go some ideas?" This is something I did on my own because I care very deeply about the country.

I bathe in statistics.

Ok to appoint atheists or agnostics-no litmus test of faith.

Isn't it fitting that so many of those who have contempt for the private sector will soon find themselves back in it?

Massachusetts children cannot only lead the nation in test scores, they can be competitive with the best in the world. And the gap in achievement among races can virtually disappear.

That business we started with 10 people has now grown into a great American success story. Some of the companies we helped start are names you know. An office supply company called Staples – where I’m pleased to see the Obama campaign has been shopping; The Sports Authority, which became a favorite of my sons. We started an early childhood learning center called Bright Horizons that First Lady Michelle Obama rightly praised. At a time when nobody thought we’d ever see a new steel mill built in America, we took a chance and built one in a corn field in Indiana.

That said, your values will not always be the object of public admiration. In fact, the more you live by your beliefs, the more you will endure the censure of the world.