Know thyself. Remain steadfast. Follow your dreams. These are great directives and perfectly fitting for graduates. But reality is that achieving dreams takes a solid education - education that remains elusive for too many Americans. Dorothy Bush Koch More Quotes by Dorothy Bush Koch More Quotes From Dorothy Bush Koch I was so fortunate to be raised in a household filled with books and - as you might imagine to be the case in the Bush home - plenty of conversation. Dorothy Bush Koch you imagine home conversation Most people understand that the more words children are exposed to, the stronger their vocabularies will be. But fewer people are aware that the quality of the words also significantly affects brain development. Dorothy Bush Koch quality brain children people Reading to babies creates such a special parent-child bond and so strongly influences a child's language skills that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that doctors and nurses routinely discuss it with parents during pediatric visits. Dorothy Bush Koch bond parents child reading Both the quantity and quality of the words children hear during their first three years of life make an enormous difference in how prepared they are to start school, and ultimately, their long-term achievement. Dorothy Bush Koch achievement quality life children For me, politics is personal because it's my family, and just being aware of my thoughts - are my thoughts productive? Dorothy Bush Koch thoughts me family politics When I heard Jeb was running, I first thought, 'Wow, I'm not sure I could go through another campaign,' but Jeb is so smart. Dorothy Bush Koch through thought go smart It's easy to be popular when you don't make the decisions a president makes. And it's easy to be unpopular when you're the president because you're making decisions that at the time might seem unpopular; but when historians sort it out, it changes. Dorothy Bush Koch decisions you easy time What Dad's taught me is that life doesn't end when you get to be in your 70s and your 80s, and he has a philosophy of life that just - 'What more can I do? How can I help?' Dorothy Bush Koch me you dad life I think my dad's done a great job of letting others have their turn when his term was over and not being out there grandstanding and trying to say, 'Well, this is what I think, and I need to get the news and be on the news and' - he's not like that. Dorothy Bush Koch job great think dad I just didn't have the desire to run for political office. There are other things that I like to do, and it just wasn't my choice. But if it had been my choice, I certainly would have done it. Dorothy Bush Koch choice political done desire The traditional path to making a name for yourself in our family is running for elective office, and I couldn't do that because, for one thing, all the really good offices were taken. Dorothy Bush Koch yourself good family path Access to a quality education in our country is a civil right for all Americans young and old. But to ensure it for scores of our fellow Americans, we must rethink education. Dorothy Bush Koch old quality education country Dad's astute knowledge of foreign policy impressed Gorbachev during the time of the Berlin Wall when Dad refused to gloat during the reunification of Germany. Dorothy Bush Koch foreign-policy dad time knowledge My father has lived a remarkable life and has lived it with great humility. Dorothy Bush Koch great humility life father One of the greatest honors in my life is serving as the sponsor of the new aircraft carrier bearing Dad's name. Dorothy Bush Koch name my-life dad life Life after the White House found Dad enjoying having his grandchildren around and letting go of all the enormous burden he shouldered throughout his public life. Dorothy Bush Koch dad white house life Our father never had to yell at us much when we were growing up. No one ever wanted to let Dad down. Dorothy Bush Koch down never dad father As more time passes, people see my father for what he is - one of the last of a generation who went into government to answer a call to public service rather than to pursue a career in politics. Dorothy Bush Koch service politics time father Doing what you thought was right for the country, rather than what was politically expedient, seems almost as quaint now as having civil disagreements with those whose viewpoints differ from your own. Dorothy Bush Koch doing thought you country Politics lasts only so long - though today it's getting harder to tell where the campaigning stops and the governing begins. Dorothy Bush Koch tell politics today long
