[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 147 (Thursday, October 15, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H10920]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      EXAMPLE IS THE BEST PRECEPT

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, some have argued that private conduct does 
not matter. But as leaders we must set the example, guiding our Nation 
by our actions. Example is the best precept.
  Aesop, the learned storyteller, writes the following fable:
  One fine day two crabs came out of their home to take a stroll on the 
sand. ``Child,'' said the mother, ``you're walking very ungracefully. 
You should learn to walk straight forward without twisting from side to 
side.''
  ``Mother,'' said the young one, ``set the example yourself, and I 
will follow you.''
  Example is the best precept.
  President Franklin Roosevelt said the following: ``The presidency is 
not merely an administrative office. That's the least of it. It is 
preeminently a place of moral leadership.''
  Mr. Speaker, it is time for our leaders to lead, not just fiscally, 
not just politically but morally.
  Example is the best precept.

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