1. We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things.
2. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
3. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
4. Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life.
5. For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sanh.
6. In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less.
7. I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.
8. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
9. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.
10. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.
11. For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
12. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered.
13. These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics.
14. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
15. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace.
16. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
17. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
18. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed.
19. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
20. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth.
21. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms.
22. On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
