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I Once Told You That I Am Not A Saint, And I Hope Never To See The Day That I Cannot Admit Having Made A Mistake. So I Will Close With Another Confession. Frequently, Along The Tortuous Road Of Recent Months From This Chamber To The Presidents House, I Protested That I Was My Own Man. Now I Realize That I Was Wrong. I Am Your Man, For It Was Your Carefully Weighed Confirmation That Changed My Occupation. The Truth Is I Am The Peoples Man, For You Acted In Their Name, And I Accepted And Began My New And Solemn Trust With A Promise To Serve All The People And Do The Best That I Can For America.

-Gerald R. Ford

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I Once Told You

Gerald R. Ford

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I Once Told You That I Am Not A Saint, And I Hope Never To See The Day That I Cannot Admit Having Made A Mistake. So I Will Close With Another Confession. Frequently, Along The Tortuous Road Of Recent Months From This Chamber To The Presidents House, I Protested That I Was My Own Man. Now I Realize That I Was Wrong. I Am Your Man, For It Was Your Carefully Weighed Confirmation That Changed My Occupation. The Truth Is I Am The Peoples Man, For You Acted In Their Name, And I Accepted And Began My New And Solemn Trust With A Promise To Serve All The People And Do The Best That I Can For America.

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The Old Question Still Remains: Can A Free People Restrain Crime Without Sacrificing Fundamental Liberties And A Heritage Of Compassion?

Even Though This Is Late In An Election Year, There Is No Way We Can Go Forward Except Together And No Way Anybody Can Win Except By Serving The People's Urgent Needs. We Cannot Stand Still Or Slip Backwards. We Must Go Forward Now Together.

As A Man Of The Congress, Let Me Reaffirm My Conviction That The Collective Wisdom Of Our Two Great Legislative Bodies While Not Infallible Will In The End Serve The People Faithfully And Very, Very Well.

I Cannot Imagine Any Other Country In The World Where The Opposition Would Seek, And The Chief Executive Would Allow, The Dissemination Of His Most Private And Personal Conversations With His Staff, Which, To Be Honest, Do Not Exactly Confer Sainthood On Anyone Concerned.

I Just Don't Think We Should Go Hellfire Damnation Around The Globe Freeing People, Unless It Is Directly Related To Our Own National Security.

If I Went Back To College Again, I'd Concentrate On Learning To Write And To Speak Before An Audience . Nothing Is More Important Than The Abillity To Communicate Effectively.

To Know John Kennedy, As I Did, Was To Understand The True Meaning Of The Word. He Understood That Courage Is Not Something To Be Gauged In A Poll Or Located In A Focus Group. No Adviser Can Spin It. No Historian Can Backdate It. For, In The Age Old Contest Between Popularity And Principle, Only Those Willing To Lose For Their Convictions Are Deserving Of Posterity's Approval.

Let Us Put An End To Self-inflicted Wounds. Let Us Remember That Our National Unity Is A Most Priceless Asset. Let Us Deny Our Adversaries The Satisfaction Of Using Vietnam To Pit Americans Against Americans.

The Future Of Our Nation Depends On Providing Our Children With A Complete Education That Includes Music.

The Harder You Work, The Luckier You Are, And I Worked Like Hell.

The Declaration [of Independence] Was Not A Protest Against Government, But Against The Excess Of Government. It Prescribed The Proper Role Of Government, To Secure The Rights Of Individuals And To Effect Their Safety And Happiness. In Modern Society, No Individual Can Do This Alone. So Government Is Not A Necessary Evil But A Necessary Good.

Compromise Is The Oil That Makes Governments Go.

In The Age-old Contest Between Popularity And Principle, Only Those Willing To Lose For Their Convictions Are Deserving Of Posterity's Approval.

I Do Believe That The Buck Stops Here, That I Cannot Rely Upon Public Opinion Polls To Tell Me What Is Right.

I Have Always Felt That The Real Purpose Of Government Is To Enhance The Lives Of People And That A Leader Can Best Do That By Restraining Government In Most Cases Instead Of Enlarging It At Every Opportunity.

Speaker, With Mixed Emotions We Mark The 50th Anniversary Of The Turkish Genocide Of The Armenian People. In Taking Notice Of The Shocking Events In 1915, We Observe This Anniversary With Sorrow In Recalling The Massacres Of Armenians And With Pride In Saluting Those Brave Patriots Who Survived To Fight On The Side Of Freedom During World War I.

I Am The First To Admit That I Am No Great Orator Or No Person That Got Where I Have Gotten By Any William Jennings Bryan Technique.

The Communist Leaders In Moscow, Peking And Hanoi Must Fully Understand That The United States Considers The Freedom Of South Viet Nam Vital To Our Interests. And They Must Know That We Are Not Bluffing In Our Determination To Defend Those Interests.

Communist Leaders

I Know I Will Go To Hell, Because I Pardoned Richard Nixon.

I Am Committed To Furthering The Self-determination Of Indian Communities But Without Terminating The Special Relationship Between The Federal Government And The Indian People. I Am Strongly Opposed To Termination. Self-determination Means That You Can Decide The Nature Of Your Tribe's Relationship With The Federal Government Within The Framework Of The Self-determination Act, Which I Signed In January Of 1975.

An Impeachable Offense Is Whatever A Majority Of The House Of Representatives Considers It To Be At A Given Moment In History; Conviction Results From Whatever Offense Or Offenses Two-thirds Of The Other Body Considers To Be Sufficiently Serious To Require Removal Of The Accused From Office.

It's Discouraging How Hard It Is For A President To Slice Away Large Chunks Of A $305 Billion Budget.

Frankly, I've Never Felt Voting To Be All That Essential To The Process.

The Veto Is A President's Constitutional Right, Given To Him By The Drafters Of The Constitution Because They Wanted It As A Checkagainst Irresponsible Congressional Action. The Veto Forces Congress To Take Another Look At Legislation That Has Been Passed. I Think This Is A Responsible Tool For A President Of The United States, And I Have Sought To Use It Responsibly.

I Once Told You That I Am Not A Saint, And I Hope Never To See The Day That I Cannot Admit Having Made A Mistake. So I Will Close With Another Confession. Frequently, Along The Tortuous Road Of Recent Months From This Chamber To The Presidents House, I Protested That I Was My Own Man. Now I Realize That I Was Wrong. I Am Your Man, For It Was Your Carefully Weighed Confirmation That Changed My Occupation. The Truth Is I Am The Peoples Man, For You Acted In Their Name, And I Accepted And Began My New And Solemn Trust With A Promise To Serve All The People And Do The Best That I Can For America.

An Impeachable Offense Is Whatever A Majority Of The House Of Representatives Considers It To Be At A Given Moment In History.

I Believe That Prayer In Public Schools Should Be Voluntary. It Is Difficult For Me To See How Religious Exercises Can Be A Requirement In Public Schools, Given Our Constitutional Requirement Of Separation Of Church And State. I Feel That The Highly Desirable Goal Of Religious Education Must Be Principally The Responsibility Of Church And Home. I Do Not Believe That Public Education Should Show Any Hostility Toward Religion, And Neither Should It Inhibit Voluntary Participation, If It Does Not Interfere With The Educational Process.

We Have Too Long Treated The Natural World As An Adversary Rather Than As A Life-sustaining Gift From The Almighty. If Man Has The Genius To Build, Which He Has, He Must Also Have The Ability And The Responsibility To Preserve.

A Coalition Of Groups Is Waging A Massive Propaganda Campaign Against The President Of The United States. An All-out Attack. Their Aim Is Total Victory For Themselves And Total Defeat For Him.

All Of Us Who Served In One War Or Another Know Very Well That All Wars Are The Glory And The Agony Of The Young.

My Fellow Americans, Our Long National Nightmare Is Over. Our Constitution Works; Our Great Republic Is A Government Of Laws And Not Of Men. Here The People Rule. But There Is A Higher Power, By Whatever Name We Honor Him, Who Ordains Not Only Righteousness But Love, Not Only Justice But Mercy.

I Don't Know What The Future May Hold For Me-or For Any Of Us. But I Want You To Know That I Am A Man Who Likes Having Critics Who Are Not Enemies.

America Needed Recovery, Not Revenge. The Hate Had To Be Drained And The Healing Begun.

Too Often Critics Seem More Intent On Seeking New Ways To Alter Congress Than To Truly Learn How It Functions. They Might Well Profit From The Advice Of Thomas Huxley, Who Said A Century Ago: Sit Down Before Facts As A Little Child, Be Prepared To Give Up Every Preconceived Notionor You Shall Learn Nothing.

There Is No Soviet Domination Of Eastern Europe.

Presidential Debate

A Strong Defense Is The Surest Way To Peace. Strength Makes Detente Attainable. Weakness Invites War, As My Generation - My Generation - Knows From Four Very Bitter Experiences. Just As America's Will For Peace Is Second To None, So Will America's Strength Be Second To None. We Cannot Rely On The Forbearance Of Others To Protect This Nation. The Power And Diversity Of The Armed Forces, Active Guard And Reserve, The Resolve Of Our Fellow Citizens, The Flexibility In Our Command To Navigate International Waters That Remain Troubled Are All Essential To Our Security.

Truth Is The Glue That Holds Government Together.

This Is An Hour Of History That Troubles Our Minds And Hurts Our Hearts.

In The Firm Belief That The American Public Deserves A Better Explanation Than That Thus Far Given By The Air Force, I Strongly Recommend That There Be A Committee Investigation Of The Ufo Phenomena. I Think We Owe It To The People To Establish Credibility Regarding Ufos, And To Produce The Greatest Possible Enlightenment Of The Subject.

A Government Big Enough To Give You Everything You Want Is A Government Big Enough To Take From You Everything You Have.

I Hope Never To See The Day That I Cannot Admit Having Made A Mistake.

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.

My Golf Must Be Improving, I'm Not Hitting As Many Spectators.

If You Have Not Chosen Me By Secret Ballot, Neither Have I Gained Office By Any Secret Promises. I Have Not Campaigned Either For The Presidency Or The Vice Presidency. I Have Not Subscribed To Any Partisan Platform. I Am Indebted To No Man, And Only To One Womanmy Dear Wifeas I Begin This Very Difficult Job.

I Was Dumbfounded By The Stupidity Of The Watergate Break-in.

Without God There Could Be No American Form Of Government, Nor An American Way Of Life.

America Now Is Stumbling Through The Darkness Of Hatred And Divisiveness. Our Values, Our Principles, And Our Determination To Succeed As A Free And Democratic People Will Give Us A Torch To Light The Way. And We Will Survive And Become The Stronger - Not Only Because Of A Patriotism That Stands For Love Of Country, But A Patriotism That Stands For Love Of People.

I Strongly Support The Feeding Of Children.

Ronald Reagan Was An Excellent Leader Of Our Nation During Challenging Times At Home And Abroad.

We Are Bound Together By The Most Powerful Of All Ties, Our Fervent Love For Freedom And Independence, Which Knows No Homeland But The Human Heart.

Richard Nixon... Was Just Offered $2 Million By Schick To Do A Television Commercial - For Gillette.

Television Commercials

I Am A Ford, Not A Lincoln.

A Great Nation Cannot Abandon Its Responsibilities. Responsibilities Abandoned Today Return As More Acute Crises Tomorrow.

I Watch A Lot Of Baseball On The Radio.

Nothing In Life Is More Important Than The Ability To Communicate Effectively.

I Am Acutely Aware That You Have Not Elected Me As Your President By Your Ballots, So I Ask You To Confirm Me With Your Prayers.

The Constitution Is The Bedrock Of All Our Freedoms; Guard And Cherish It; Keep Honor And Order In Your Own House; And The Republic Will Endure.

As President, I Am Determined To Offer Leadership To Overcome Our Current Economic Problems. My Goal Is For Jobs For All Who Want To Work And Economic Opportunity For All Who Want To Achieve.

The Federal Role In Overcoming Barriers To Needed Health Care Should Emphasize Health Care Financing Programs-such As Medicare And Medicaid.

Medicare And Medicaid

I Couldn't Wait To Start The Day.

Ronald Regan Doesn't Dye His Hair - He's Just Prematurely Orange.

I Remain Convinced That Pardoning Nixon Was The Right Thing To Do.

It Is Good To Be Back In The Peoples House. But This Cannot Be A Real Homecoming. Under The Constitution, I Now Belong To The Executive Branch. The Supreme Court Has Even Ruled That I Am The Executive Branchhead, Heart, And Hand.

We . . . Declared Our Independence 200 Years Ago, And We Are Not About To Lose It Now To Paper Shufflers And Computers.

In Baseball When They Say You're Out, You're Out. It's The Same Way In Politics.

In All My Public And Private Acts As Your President, I Expect To Follow My Instincts Of Openness And Candor With Full Confidence That Honesty Is Always The Best Policy In The End.

The Length Of One's Days Matters Less Than The Love Of One's Family And Friends.

Family And Friends

We Have Come Tardily To The Tremendous Task Of Cleaning Up Our Environment. We Should Have Moved With Similar Zeal At Least A Decade Ago. But No Purpose Is Served By Post-mortems. With Visionary Zeal But The Greatest Realism, We Must Now Address Ourselves To The Vast Problems That Confront Us.

Conservatism Has Always Meant More To Me Than Simply Sticking Up For Private Property & Free Enterprise. It Has Also Meant Defending Our Heritage & Preserving Our Values.

I Love Sports. Whenever I Can, I Always Watch The Detroit Tigers On The Radio.

I Think They Ought To Be Treated Equally. Period.

I Know I Am Getting Better At Golf Because I Am Hitting Fewer Spectators.

There Is No Undertaking More Challenging, No Responsibility More Awesome, Than That Of Being A Mother.

The Earth Will Continue To Regenerate Its Life Sources Only As Long As We And All The Peoples Of The World Do Our Part To Conserve Its Natural Resources. It Is A Responsibility Which Every Human Being Shares. Through Voluntary Action, Each Of Us Can Join In Building A Productive Land In Harmony With Nature.

In A Democracy, The Public Has A Right To Know Not Only What The Government Decides, But Why And By What Process.

I Had A Lot Of Experience With People Smarter Than I Am.

I Had A Life-long Ambition To Be A Professional Baseball Player, But Nobody Would Sign Me.

The United States ... Has Been Proud Of Its Association With The State Of Israel. We Shall Continue To Stand With Israel. We Are Committed To Israel's Survival And Security. The United States For A Quarter Of A Century Has Had An Excellent Relationship With The State Of Israel. We Have Cooperated In Many, Many Fields - In Your Security, In The Well-being Of The Middle East, And In Leading What We All Hope Is A Lasting Peace Throughout The World.

Mr. President, Putting It Bluntly, Wouldn't We Just Be Continuing A Bloodbath That Already Exists In Cambodia If We Voted The 222 Million In Aid?

The Power And Diversity Of The Armed Forces, Active Guard And Reserve, The Resolve Of Our Fellow Citizens, The Flexibility In Our Command To Navigate International Waters That Remain Troubled Are All Essential To Our Security.

My Goal Is For A Cooperative World At Peace, Using Its Resources To Build, Not To Destroy.

The Pat On The Back, The Arm Around The Shoulder, The Praise For What Was Done Right And The Sympathetic Nod For What Wasn't Are As Much A Part Of Golf As Life Itself.

That, In Part, Is Why The Constitution's Framers Gave Justices Life Tenure ? To Enable Them To Rule Wherever The Law And The Constitution Led Them, Without Obligation Or Fear Of Political Reprisal. Former Republican President Gerald Ford Recently Paid Tribute To John Paul Stevens, His Only Appointee To The Supreme Court, Who Is Also Far More Liberal Than Republicans Expected. He Has Served His Nation Well, ... With Dignity, Intellect And Without Partisan Political Concerns.

Can A Free People Restrain Crime Without Sacrificing Fundamental Liberties And A Heritage Of Compassion?... Let Us Show That We Can Temper Together Those Opposite Elements Of Liberty And Restraint Into One Consistent Whole. Let Us Set An Example For The World Of A Law-abiding America Glorying In Its Freedom As Well As Its Respect For Law.

I Would Like To Deny All Allegations By Bob Hope That During My Last Game Of Golf, I Hit An Eagle, A Birdie, An Elk And A Moose.

We Came From Many Roots, And We Have Many Branches.

My Commitment To The Security And Future Of Israel Is Based Upon Basic Morality As Well As Enlightened Self-interest. Our Role In Supporting Israel Honors Our Own Heritage.

I Have Taken Special Interest In These Accounts [of Ufos].. I Think There May Be Substance To Some Of These Reports... I Think We Owe It To The People To Establish Credibility Regarding Ufos And To Produce The Greatest Possible Enlightenment On This Subject.

There Are No Adequate Substitutes For Father, Mother, And Children Bound Together In A Loving Commitment To Nurture And Protect. No Government, No Matter How Well-intentioned, Can Take The Place Of The Family In The Scheme Of Things.

Humor Can Help You To Disagree Without Being Disagreeable. The Key In Democracy Is Not Necessarily That We Agree, But That We Participate....despite All The Heavy Problems- Domestic And International- There Is Humor. Humor Transcends Partisanship.

I Can Assure You The National Federation Is An Organization Of Republican Women Whose Power, Prestige, Perception, And Purpose Will Never Be Underestimated By Anyone.

The Tough Decisions That A President Has To Make In The Oval Office Are In No Way Related To The Capability Of A Person To Do Well On Television. On The Other Hand, The Capability Of A Person To Project Favorably On Television Enhances That Person's Odds Of Being Elected So He Can Serve In The Oval Office. So You Can't Ignore The Talents, One, To Be Very Effective On Television, And On The Other Hand, To Be Very Effective As An Operating President.

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.

America's Leadership Is Essential. America's Resources Are Vast. America's Opportunities Are Unprecedented.

If Compassion And Mercy Are Not Compatible With Politics Then Something Is The Matter With Politics.

Today, America Can Regain The Sense Of Pride That Existed Before Vietnam... These Events, Tragic As They Are, Portend Neither The End Of The World Nor Of America's Leadership In The World.

Teddy Roosevelt... Once Said, 'speak Softly And Carry A Big Stick.' Jimmy Carter Wants To Speak Loudly And Carry A Fly Swatter.

I'm A Ford, Not A Lincoln. My Addresses Will Never Be As Eloquent As Mr. Lincoln's. But I Will Do My Very Best To Equal His Brevity And His Plain Speaking.

Now, Therefore, I, Gerald R. Ford, President Of The United States, Pursuant To The Pardon Power Conferred Upon Me By Article Ii, Section 2, Of The Constitution, Have Granted And By These Presents Do Grant A Full, Free, And Absolute Pardon Unto Richard Nixon For All Offenses Against The United States Which He, Richard Nixon, Has Committed Or May Have Committed Or Taken Part In During The Period From January 20, 1969 Through August 9, 1974.

Never Be Satisfied With Less Than Your Very Best Effort. If You Strive For The Top And Miss, You'll Still 'beat The Pack.'

It's The Quality Of The Ordinary, The Straight, The Square, That Accounts For The Great Stability And Success Of Our Nation. It's A Quality To Be Proud Of. But It's A Quality That Many People Seem To Have Neglected.

I Believe That Truth Is The Glue That Holds Government Together, Not Only Our Government, But Civilization Itself.

Obviously, It's A Great Privilege And Pleasure To Be Here At The Yale Law School Sesquicentennial Convocation. And I Defy Anyone To Say That And Chew Gum At The Same Time.

We Must Introduce A New Balance In The Relationship Between The Individual And The Government--a Balance That Favors Greater Individual Freedom And Self-reliance.

We Must Proceed With Our Own Energy Development. Exploitation Of Domestic Petroleum And Natural Gas Potentialities, Along With Nuclear, Solar, Geothermal, And Non-fossil Fuels Is Vital. We Will Never Again Permit Any Foreign Nation To Have Uncle Sam Over A Barrel Of Oil.

When A Man Is Asked To Make A Speech, The First Thing He Has To Decide Is What To Say.

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.

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.

The Three-martini Lunch Is The Epitome Of American Efficiency.

We Cannot Stand Still Or Slip Backwards. We Must Go Forward Now Together.

There Is An Old Saying, The Harder You Try The Luckier You Get. I Kind Of Like That Definition Of Luck.

Theirs Is An American Tragedy In Which We All Have Played A Part. It Could Go On And On, Or Someone Must Write "the End" To It. I Have Concluded That Only I Can Do That. And If I Can, I Must.

The Political Lesson Of Watergate Is This: Never Again Must America Allow An Arrogant, Elite Guard Of Political Adolescents To By-pass The Regular Party Organization And Dictate The Terms Of A National Election.

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.

For Millions Of Men And Women, The Church Has Been The Hospital For The Soul, The School For The Mind And The Safe Depository For Moral Ideas.

He Was One Of The Few Political Leaders I Have Ever Met Whose Public Speeches Revealed More Than His Private Conversations. [on Ronald Reagan]

I Recognize The Need For Technology That Enriches Life While Preserving Our Natural Environment. My Goal Is To Stimulate Productivity, But Use Technology To Redeem, Not To Destroy Our Environment.

The Spirit Of Seeking Understanding Through Personal Contact With People Of Other Nations And Other Cultures Deserves The Respect And Support Of All.

I Believe In Friendly Compromise. I Said Over In The Senate Hearings That Truth Is The Glue That Holds Government Together. Compromise Is The Oil That Makes Governments Go.

In A Political Sense, There Is One Problem That Currently Underlies All Of The Others. That Problem Is Making Government Sufficiently Responsive To The People. If We Don't Make Government Responsive To The People, We Don't Make It Believable. And We Must Make Government Believable If We Are To Have A Functioning Democracy.

If Lincoln Were Alive Today, He'd Be Turning Over In His Grave.

Sit Down Before Facts As A Little Child, Be Prepared To Give Up Every Preconceived Notion — Or You Shall Learn Nothing.

There Is No Soviet Domination Of Eastern Europe And There Never Will Be Under A Ford Administration.... The United States Does Notconcede That Those Countries Are Under The Domination Of The Soviet Union.

I Am Determined To Seek Self-sufficiency In Energy As An Urgent National Priority. My Goal Is To Make America Independent Of Foreign Energy Sources By 1985.

I Would Hope That Understanding And Reconciliation Are Not Limited To The 19th Hole Alone.

It's More Like It Is Now Than It Ever Has Been.

To Me, The Presidency And The Vice-presidency Were Not Prizes To Be Won, But A Duty To Be Done.

As I Rejected Amnesty, So I Reject Revenge. I Ask All Americans Who Ever Asked For Goodness And Mercy In Their Lives, Who Ever Sought Forgiveness For Their Trespasses, To Join In Rehabilitating All The Casualties Of The Tragic Conflict Of The Past.

My Fellow Americans, Our Long National Nightmare Is Over.

The Three-martini Lunch Is The Epitome Of American Efficiency. Where Else Can You Get An Earful, A Bellyful And A Snootful At The Same Time?

History And Experience Tell Us That Moral Progress Comes Not In Comfortable And Complacent Times, But Out Of Trial And Confusion.

Personal Excellence Can Be Achieved By A Visionary Goal, Through Planning, Dedicated Execution, And Total Follow-through.

Let Us Remember That Our National Unity Is A Most Priceless Asset.

It Feels Like Getting A Back Massage From The Grim Reaper: One Must Get Comfortable With The Most Horrifying Things In The World.

For Nearly Two Hundred Years, Our Nation Has Derived Its Strength From The Diversity Of Its People And Of Their Beliefs. That Strength Has Been Greatly Enhanced By [the Islamic] Religious Heritage.

Our Nation Has A Diverse And Extremely Rich Cultural Heritage. It Is A Source Of Pride And Strength To Millions Of Americans Who Look To The Arts For Inspiration, Communication And The Opportunity For Creative Self-expression.

I Believe That Truth Is The Glue That Holds Government Together, Not Only Our Government But Civilization Itself. That Bond, Though Strained, Is Unbroken At Home And Abroad. In All My Public And Private Acts As Your President, I Expect To Follow My Instincts Of Openness And Candor With Full Confidence That Honesty Is Always The Best Policy In The End. My Fellow Americans, Our Long National Nightmare Is Over.

Let America Symbolize Humanity's Struggle To Conquer Nature And Master Technology. The Time Has Now Come For Our Government To Facilitate The Individual's Control Over His Or Her Future - And Of The Future Of America.

Government Exists To Create And Preserve Conditions In Which People Can Translate Their Ideas Into Practical Reality. In The Best Of Times, Much Is Lost In Translation. But We Try.

So Much Of What Passes For Public Life Consists Of Little More Than Candidates Without Ideas, Hiring Consultants Without Conviction, To Stage Campaigns Without Content. The Result, Increasingly, Is Elections Without Voters.

I Know Well The Coequal Role Of The Congress In Our Constitutional Process. I Love The House Of Representatives. I Revere The Traditions Of The Senate Despite My Too-short Internship In That Great Body. As President, Within The Limits Of Basic Principles, My Motto Toward The Congress Is Communication, Conciliation, Compromise, And Cooperation.

There Is An American Tragedy In Which We All Have Played A Part.

One Of The Enduring Truths Of The Nation's Capital Is That Bureaucrats Survive.

During The Day On Monday, Washington Time, The Airport At Saigon Came Under Persistent Rocket As Well As Artillery Fire And Was Effectively Closed. The Military Situation In The Area Deteriorated Rapidly. I Therefore Ordered The Evacuation Of All American Personnel Remaining In South Vietnam.

Music Education Opens Doors That Help Children Pass From School Into The World Around Them - A World Of Work, Culture, Intellectual Activity, And Human Involvement. The Future Of Our Nation Depends On Providing Our Children With A Complete Education That Includes Music.

The American Dream Does Not Come To Those Who Fall Asleep.

Inspirational Life

I Think That Sports, Particularly Football, Gave Me An Opportunity To Be Out Front, To Be A Leader, Which Helped Me Later On, When I Got Into Politics.

I Had Pro Offers From The Detroit Lions And Green Bay Packers, Who Were Pretty Hard Up For Linemen In Those Days. If I Had Gone Into Professional Football The Name Jerry Ford Might Have Been A Household Word Today.

If It Is A Clichй To Say Athletics Build Character As Well As Muscle, Then I Subscribe To The Clich.

I Remember As A Ranger The First Time I Stood Alone On Inspiration Point Over At Canyon Station Looking Out Over This Beautiful Land. I Thought To Myself How Lucky I Was That My Parents' And Grandparents' Generation Had The Vision And The Determination To Save It For Us. Now It Is Our Turn To Make Our Own Gift Outright To Those Who Will Come After Us, 15 Years, 40 Years, 100 Years From Now. I Want To Be As Faithful To My Grandchildren's Generation As Old Faithful Has Been To Ours. What Better Way Can We Add A New Dimension To Our Third Century Of Freedom?

Our Great Republic Is A Government Of Laws And Not Of Men. Here, The People Rule.

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