Character: The Cornerstone of our Nation Ladies and gentlemen, faculty, and fellow 2001 graduates, welcome and thank you for being here. We are about to step foot in a world that revolves around material possessions and personal pleasures, where character often plays a diminished role. One of the most important changes that our generation could make would be to build character among ourselves and future generations. True character comes from within and is not defined by …showed first 75 words of 551 total…

…showed last 75 words of 551 total…attempt to attain lasting success, therefore denying themselves the very treasure that they seek. In the words of James Martinlaw, “ High art, high morals, high faith, are impossible among those who do not believe their own inspirations, but only court them for pleasure or profit.” Today our challenge is to keep the language of human values- the vocabulary of ethics and character- from being overwhelmed in the superficial society in which we live. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**