I want you to hear something interesting. I'm the first former president to be able to share the post-presidency with both my parents.

And those who served in my cabinet, some of whom honored me by flying down on the airplane today, Margaret Spellings, Secretary of Education, Alberto Gonzales, Attorney General. I wanna thank a fabulous staff of people. I was truly blessed to have people, uhh, work with me, people who came to Washington, D.C., not to serve George Bush, not to serve a political party, but they came because they wanted to serve the United States of America, and they did a fabulous job, and I be — will be forever grateful.

No matter whether you not or you agreed with my decisions or not, one thing they have to agree with, is that we have not been attacked in the last seven years.

One of the things I did was spend time meeting with the families of the fallen. I want you to know that the Comforter-in-Chief was always the person who got comforted in those meetings.

That is an — part of — a, part of the story I have seen. We are a fabulous country. We are a great nation, because the people of this country are caring, and decent, and courageous, and strong, and compassionate.

Self-government relies, in the end, on the governing of the self. That edifice of character is built in families, supported by communities with standards, and sustained in our national life by the truths of Sinai, the Sermon on the Mount, the words of the Koran, and the varied faiths of our people.

For a half century, America defended our own freedom by standing watch on distant borders. ...There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment, and expose the pretensions of tyrants, and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant, and that is the force of human freedom. ...The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world. ...Freedom, by its nature, must be chosen, and defended by citizens. ...America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom, and make their own way. ...America's influence is considerable, and we will use it confidently in freedom's cause. ... We will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every nation, the moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom, which is eternally right. ...In the long run, there is no justice without freedom. ... Some, I know, have questioned the global appeal of liberty, though this time in history, four decades defined by the swiftest advance of freedom ever seen, is an odd time for doubt. ...Eventually, the call of freedom comes to every mind and every soul. ...Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves. ...Division among free nations is a primary goal of freedom's enemies. ...Yet because we have acted in the great liberating tradition of this nation, tens of millions have achieved their freedom. ...One day this untamed fire of freedom will reach the darkest corners of our world. ... America has need of idealism and courage, because we have essential work at home, the unfinished work of American freedom. ... In America's ideal of freedom, citizens find the dignity and security of economic independence, instead of laboring on the edge of subsistence. ... In America's ideal of freedom, the public interest depends on private character ... In America's ideal of freedom, the exercise of rights is ennobled by service. ...We cannot carry the message of freedom and the baggage of bigotry at the same time. ...Did our generation advance the cause of freedom? ...Americans by choice and by birth, are bound to one another in the cause of freedom. ...We felt the unity and fellowship of our nation when freedom came under attack. ... We go forward with complete confidence in the eventual triumph of freedom. ...We have confidence because freedom is the permanent hope of mankind ...When citizens marched in peaceful outrage under the banner "Freedom Now", they were acting on an ancient hope that is meant to be fulfilled. ...Renewed in our strength, tested but not weary, we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom.

The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. ...There can be no human rights without human liberty. ...Some, I know, have questioned the global appeal of liberty. ...Liberty will come to those who love it. ...When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you. ...In a world moving toward liberty, we are determined to show the meaning and promise of liberty. ...This is the broader definition of liberty that motivated the Homestead Act. ...Liberty for all does not mean independence from one another. ...Soldiers died in wave upon wave for a union based on liberty. ...History also has a visible direction, set by liberty and the author of liberty. ...America, in this young century, proclaims liberty throughout all the world, and to all the inhabitants thereof.

I'm really proud of Dick Cheney, my Vice President. He is a fabulous man, a man of sound judgment and great character, and I'm honored to serve with you, Dick.

This government of yours must welcome faith, not discriminate faith, as we deal with the future of this great country.