My sentiment, coming from the heart, is the sentiment of the American people.

But one permanent common possession has remained, and that is the validity of sound thinking.

We are not the real makers of war and of peace.

These things are greater than we are.

The people of the United States were reluctant to take part in the war, not because they doubted the justice of the cause, but because it was the tradition of the American Republic to play no part in the politics of other continents.

May I not, therefore, again thank you for the honor you have conferred upon me, and take the privilege of greeting you affectionately as my fellow citizens?

There was a time when scholars, speaking in the beautiful language in which the last address was made, were the only international characters of the world.

I could have believed myself in an American city.

We think the same thoughts. We entertain the same purposes. We have the same ideals; and this war has done this inestimable service: It has brought nations into close vital contact.

It will always be a matter of pride with me to remember this association.

That is the price of liberty.

I feel almost as if it were the greeting of a people of whom I was indeed a fellow citizen.