[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 52 (Monday, January 3, 1994)]
[Pages 2638-2639]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the Death of Norman Vincent Peale

 December 25, 1993

    The name of Dr. Norman Vincent Peale will forever be associated with 
the wondrously American values of optimism and service. Dr. Peale was an 
optimist who believed that whatever the antagonisms and complexities of 
modern life brought us, that anyone could prevail by approaching life 
with a simple sense of faith. And he served us by instilling that 
optimism in every Christian and every other person who came in contact 
with his writings or his hopeful soul. In a productive and giving life 
that spanned the 20th century, Dr. Peale lifted the spirits of millions 
and millions of people who were nourished and sustained by his example, 
his teaching, and his giving. While the Clinton family and all Americans 
mourn his loss, there is some poetry in his passing on a day when the 
world celebrates the birth of Christ, an idea that was central to Dr. 
Peale's message and Dr. Peale's work. He will be missed.

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