Excerpts from Remarks by the President at Concord Middle School, Concord, North Carolina

And, finally, I think I'm making pretty good progress -- I hope I am -- on convincing people that it's not only important to educate our children, it's important to welcome faith-based and community-based programs, and to stay-after-school programs, so that children understand that somebody loves them and somebody cares. That is so important.

I think we're making pretty good progress on the so-called faith-based initiative, that makes it clear that government is limited. I mean, government can't make people love one another. If it could, I'm sure that Senator Edwards would sponsor it and I would sign it, if we could figure out how to do that.

But the role of government is limited. Oh, sure, we can fund and we can tax, and maybe not tax so much. And, of course, we can keep the peace. But what government cannot do is cause people to love one another. What government cannot do is to understand the great power of faith and concern and love. We can rally faith and concern and love, we can encourage programs based upon faith, concern and love, and we must.

But we can't make people love one another. That comes from institutions that rely upon a greater power, that comes from churches and synagogues and mosques. It comes from mentoring programs based upon the idea of some soul, some good, decent American saying, what can I do to help make my society a better place.

I love coming outside the nation's capital, because it gives me a chance to see Americans line the road, saluting the institution of the presidency as I drive by. And it reminds me every time, every trip, that the strength of this country lies not in the halls of our government; the strength of this country lies in the hearts and souls of the citizens of the greatest land on the face of the earth.

I think we're making progress. We understand where the power of this country lay. It lays in the hearts and souls of Americans. It must lay in our pocketbooks. It lays in the willingness for people to work hard. But as importantly, it lays in the fact that we've got citizens from all walks of life, all political parties, that are willing to say, I want to love my neighbor. I want to make somebody's life just a little bit better. And for those of you who are doing that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

And thank you for your warm welcome, and God bless.