My fellow citizens : I stand here today humbled by the task before us , grateful for the trust you have bestowed , mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors . I thank President Bush for his service to our nation , as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition .

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath . The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace . Yet , every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms . At these moments , America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office , but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers , and true to our founding documents .

So it has been . So it must be with this generation of Americans .

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood . Our nation is at war , against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred . Our economy is badly weakened , a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some , but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age . Homes have been lost ; jobs shed ; businesses shuttered . Our health care is too costly ; our schools fail too many ; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet .

These are the indicators of crisis , subject to data and statistics . Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America 's decline is inevitable , and that the next generation must lower its sights .

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real . They are serious and they are many .

They will not be met easily or in a short span of time . But know this , America - they will be met . On this day , we gather because we have chosen hope over fear , unity of purpose over conflict and discord .

On this day , we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises , the recriminations and worn out dogmas , that for far too long have strangled our politics .

We remain a young nation , but in the words of Scripture , the time has come to set aside childish things . The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit ; to choose our better history ; to carry forward that precious gift , that noble idea , passed on from generation to generation : the God-given promise that all are equal , all are free , and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness .

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation , we understand that greatness is never a given . It must be earned . Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less . It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work , or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame . Rather , it has been the risk-takers , the doers , the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor , who have carried us up the long , rugged path towards prosperity and freedom .

For us , they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life .

For us , they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West ; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth .

For us , they fought and died , in places like Concord and Gettysburg ; Normandy and Khe Sahn . Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life . They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions ; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction .

This is the journey we continue today . We remain the most prosperous , powerful nation on Earth . Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began . Our minds are no less inventive , our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year . Our capacity remains undiminished . But our time of standing pat , of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed . Starting today , we must pick ourselves up , dust ourselves off , and begin again the work of remaking America .

For everywhere we look , there is work to be done . The state of the economy calls for action , bold and swift , and we will act - not only to create new jobs , but to lay a new foundation for growth . We will build the roads and bridges , the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together . We will restore science to its rightful place , and wield technology 's wonders to raise health care 's quality and lower its cost . We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories . And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age . All this we can do . And all this we will do .

Now , there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system can not tolerate too many big plans . Their memories are short . For they have forgotten what this country has already done ; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose , and necessity to courage .

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply . The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small , but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage , care they can afford , a retirement that is dignified . Where the answer is yes , we intend to move forward . Where the answer is no , programs will end . And those of us who manage the public 's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely , reform bad habits , and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government .

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill . Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched , but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye , the market can spin out of control - and that a nation can not prosper long when it favors only the prosperous . The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product , but on the reach of our prosperity ; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity , but because it is the surest route to our common good .

As for our common defense , we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals . Our Founding Fathers , faced with perils we can scarcely imagine , drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man , a charter expanded by the blood of generations . Those ideals still light the world , and we will not give them up for expedience 's sake . And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today , from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born : know that America is a friend of each nation and every man , woman , and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity , and that we are ready to lead once more .

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks , but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions . They understood that our power alone can not protect us , nor does it entitle us to do as we please . Instead , they knew that our power grows through its prudent use ; our security emanates from the justness of our cause , the force of our example , the tempering qualities of humility and restraint .

We are the keepers of this legacy . Guided by these principles once more , we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations . We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people , and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan . With old friends and former foes , we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat , and roll back the specter of a warming planet . We will not apologize for our way of life , nor will we waver in its defense , and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents , we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and can not be broken ; you can not outlast us , and we will defeat you .

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength , not a weakness . We are a nation of Christians and Muslims , Jews and Hindus - and non-believers . We are shaped by every language and culture , drawn from every end of this Earth ; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation , and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united , we can not help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass ; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve ; that as the world grows smaller , our common humanity shall reveal itself ; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace .

To the Muslim world , we seek a new way forward , based on mutual interest and mutual respect .

To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict , or blame their society 's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build , not what you destroy . To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent , know that you are on the wrong side of history ; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist .

To the people of poor nations , we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow ; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds . And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty , we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders ; nor can we consume the world 's resources without regard to effect . For the world has changed , and we must change with it .

As we consider the road that unfolds before us , we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who , at this very hour , patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains . They have something to tell us today , just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages .

We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty , but because they embody the spirit of service ; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves . And yet , at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all .

For as much as government can do and must do , it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies . It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break , the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours . It is the firefighter 's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke , but also a parent 's willingness to nurture a child , that finally decides our fate .

Our challenges may be new . The instruments with which we meet them may be new . But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty , courage and fair play , tolerance and curiosity , loyalty and patriotism - these things are old . These things are true . They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history . What is demanded then is a return to these truths . what is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition , on the part of every American , that we have duties to ourselves , our nation , and the world , duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly , firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit , so defining of our character , than giving our all to a difficult task .

This is the price and the promise of citizenship .

This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny .

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall , and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath .

So let us mark this day with remembrance , of who we are and how far we have traveled . In the year of America 's birth , in the coldest of months , a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river . The capital was abandoned . The enemy was advancing . The snow was stained with blood . At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt , the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people :

" Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter , when nothing but hope and virtue could survive ... that the city and the country , alarmed at one common danger , came forth to meet [ it ] . "

America . In the face of our common dangers , in this winter of our hardship , let us remember these timeless words . With hope and virtue , let us brave once more the icy currents , and endure what storms may come . Let it be said by our children 's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end , that we did not turn back nor did we falter ; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God 's grace upon us , we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations .