Bill Clinton: “Oh, why didn't I give up on my goal of being President? Is that what you're asking? That's a very good question. There…”

“Oh, why didn't I give up on my goal of being President? Is that what you're asking? That's a very good question. There are some days when I still ask myself that. [Laughter] That's a very good question. Well, when I started running for President and I started having the elections, you know, to run--because you have to go and run in a lot of different States to get the nomination of your party, and then you run in the general election--there were a lot of times when I got discouraged, and a lot of difficult things happened. But I was able to hold on to the goal by always remembering why I wanted to be President, that I wanted to help people like you have a better future. I wanted to help your parents have more jobs and better opportunities. I wanted to help our country solve its problems and take advantage of all the wonderful opportunities that are out there for us. So whenever I would get really discouraged and really down, I would always remember why I was doing the work. And you should remember that, because if you set a goal for yourself, particularly if it's a high goal and especially if you can't do it tomorrow, if it takes next week or next month or next year or years ahead, a lot of things will happen in life to discourage you. People will criticize you. You will honestly make mistakes. There will be times when you wonder whether you're smart enough or strong enough or sometimes even whether you're good enough to achieve your goal. And you just have to keep remembering in your mind and in your heart a good thing you want to do--why do you want to achieve this goal?--and keep that deep inside. And if you do that, then you won't be discouraged. You can take all the disappointments and just keep right on going. Okay? That's a very good question. Is there a third-grader with a question? Go ahead.”