I Couldn't Wait To Start The Day.

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.

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 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.

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.

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