The George W. Bush Presidential Center discussed the American Promise – the idea that everyone has the opportunity to achieve the American dream and succeed through hard work – at our eighth annual Forum on Leadership this week.
Some of our favorite moments included comments on volunteerism by young people from former U.S. Secretary of Defense Dr. Robert M. Gates and the success stories of Daniel Lubetzky, founder of Builders Movement and KIND, and Salim Asrawi, Co-Founder and President of Texas de Brazil. We also learned about how challenges facing higher education and the media can get in the way of the American promise.
1. The American Promise
“At the Bush Center, we know we are on the right side of history, promoting economic opportunity, fiscal responsibility, social tolerance, strong domestic institutions, and knowing that the U.S., while not always getting it right, is still a force for good in the world.”
— Ken Hersh, President and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center
2. Volunteerism by young Americans
“What gives me hope? The fact that there are millions of people in this country doing things for each other that no one writes about or talks about. We’re the only country in the world – volunteerism is peculiar to our culture and to America. You don’t see anything like it anywhere else in the world. There are millions of people out there every day in food banks, churches, and so on. Trying to help people less fortunate, people who have been in natural disasters. They’re all out there helping each other. And no one is asking about their politics – they’re just saying ‘how can I help?’”
— Dr. Robert M. Gates, former U.S. Defense Secretary and Director of Central Intelligence, recipient of the 2025 George W. Bush Medal for Distinguished Leadership
3. Valuing others’ perspectives
“Strength truly lies in the ability to see value in someone else’s story or ideas, even if it challenges your own. My challenge today to you as you leave this room and you travel back home, talk to someone who comes from a different background, who might see the view just a little different than you…. Shake hands instead of pointing fingers. Let’s build bridges instead of walls. Let’s bring back unity, compassion, and patriotism not just in times of crisis but in everyday life.”
— Sandra Ambotaite, founder and CEO of the Complete Solution Group and immigrant from Lithuania
4. Dialogue is a 21st century skill
“We understand and believe that to engage, to listen, to dialogue, is a 21st century skill. It’s a skill as important as AI competency or being technologically engaged. I believe that dialogue at this time is necessary because we live in the most ambitious democratic experiment in the history of humanity.”
— Manu Meel, Co-Founder and CEO of BridgeUSA, recipient of the 2025 George W. Bush Institute Citation
5. Democracy on college campuses
“Should we as higher education leaders take the responsibility to ensure that democracy is taught? Absolutely.… It is our opportunity at that time to ensure they get everything. Not just the accounting or education degree, because we are training students to go back into the workplace to be wise, caring leaders.”
— Dr. Melva K. Wallace, President & CEO, Huston-Tillotson University
“The students have to see how civil discourse is really … still the basic human way to interact. Life is better, Iife is more enjoyable, and so on, if you respect each other and talk to each other rather than screaming and yelling at each other.”
— Dr. R. Gerald Turner, President of Southern Methodist University
6. Kindness keeps democracies running
“The oil that lubricates the machinery of democracy is the kindness and the respect that we have to each other. That’s what makes things work.”
— Daniel Lubetzky, founder of Builders Movement and KIND
“As a citizen, you have civic duties, and each one of us can make the world better by being kind, to start with that.”
— Salim Asrawi, Co-Founder and President, Texas de Brazil
7. How history will see us
“One hundred years from now, when you look back on this moment, I don’t think you’re going to talk much about the politics. I think you’re going to talk about the fact that we were the first people ever who went from parents and grandparents who all had lifelong work to kids and grandkids who are never going to have lifelong work in any one firm or any one sector again. We’re going to need to create a civilization of lifelong learners.”
— Dr. Ben Sasse, former U.S. Senator from Nebraska and former President of the University of Florida
8. Success as a shared journey
“Success is a shared journey by those wanting to do better, be better, and help others around them succeed.”
— William Ampofo, Senior Vice President, Parts & Distribution and Supply Chain, Boeing Global Services
9. On trust in the media
“The press has been the biggest advocate for free expression but it’s not just a right for the press, it’s a right for everyone – it’s a right for businesses to be able to advocate for the policies that they actually believe in.”
— Marty Baron, former Executive Editor of The Washington Post
“Trust [in media] is shifting from institutions to individuals.”
— Jessica Yellin, founder of News Not Noise
10. Creating lasting change
“I can impress you with my success, but I can impact you by sharing my scars. And I’ll share my scars.”
— Emmanuel Acho, former NFL player, #1 New York Times bestselling author, sports analyst, and thought leader
