Political Quotes

“I rise today to join my colleague from Maine in paying tribute to one of our Nation's finest institutions of higher learning, not to mention my and Senator Mitchell's alma mater: Bowdoin College. Bowdoin College was established in 1794, the first college in what was then the District of Maine, some 26 years before Maine attained statehood. Since 1802, it has been educating students from Maine, the Nation, and around the world on a principle known as the common good. This year marks the bicentennial of Bowdoin and the school has been honoring throughout the year its many famous alumni. I wish to take a moment to describe what Bowdoin has meant to me and to the people of Maine. Several years ago a national survey was taken of college students. Three-fourths of those surveyed revealed that their principal reason for pursuing a college education was to achieve financial success rather than to develop a philosophy of life. I find that extremely disturbing. While I recognize the desire or need to acquire financial security, the aim of an education must always remain moral and not material. A society that measures a person's value by the size of a bank account or possessions is a society that ultimately will decline and fall. But Bowdoin College is a place where self-interest and mindless greed have never found a home.”