And this President wakes up every morning, looks out across

The words of Mitt Romney rise with the fervor of a call to arms, not in battle with sword and shield, but in the eternal struggle for vision and hope: “And this President wakes up every morning, looks out across America and is proud to announce, ‘It could be worse.’ It could be worse? Is that what it means to be an American? It could be worse? Of course not. What defines us as Americans is our unwavering conviction that we know it must be better.” Here is not only a rebuke of complacency, but a declaration of what it means to live with purpose. To accept “it could be worse” is to kneel before mediocrity. To demand “it must be better” is to rise toward destiny.

The meaning is plain and powerful: complacency is the enemy of greatness. A nation, a people, or even an individual who settles for survival without striving for growth condemns themselves to slow decay. The human spirit is not built merely to endure, but to aspire, to climb, to reach. Romney’s words remind us that to accept “good enough” is to betray the divine spark within us that cries for excellence. For what defines a people — and especially what he names as American identity — is not contentment with the present, but relentless pursuit of a brighter future.

History confirms this truth. When John F. Kennedy declared, “We choose to go to the moon,” it was not because remaining on Earth was unbearable. It was not because “it could be worse” without space exploration. It was because he, and the people he led, believed it must be better. That belief carried humanity beyond the limits of its own sky, placing footprints on the surface of the moon. The pursuit of “better” lifted mankind to the stars, proving that aspiration is the true essence of progress.

Likewise, in the darkest days of the Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt did not tell the American people, “Be glad it is not worse.” Instead, he called forth courage with his words: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” He demanded not acceptance of misery, but the forging of a new path through it. His leadership stirred a people nearly broken by poverty into action, reviving industries, restoring confidence, and proving that despair is conquered only by bold pursuit of renewal.

The origin of Romney’s words lies in political combat, in a moment of opposition against a sitting president. Yet their resonance transcends partisan lines. For every age has its temptation to settle, to say, “We have survived, and that is enough.” But survival without hope is no true life. The ancients knew this — the builders of the Pyramids, the architects of Rome, the thinkers of Athens — they did not create because the present was unbearable, but because they believed the future could be made greater than the past.

The lesson for us is timeless: in your own life, never settle for “it could be worse.” Do not measure your days by what you have avoided, but by what you have achieved. If your work is safe but empty, dare to dream of better. If your relationships are strained but not broken, dare to heal them into joy. If your community limps along in apathy, dare to call it to higher ground. To live with the creed of “must be better” is to live with purpose, and purpose is the fire that ignites civilizations.

So let us remember, as Romney’s words remind us, that greatness is not born in resignation, but in conviction. Whether you are a leader of nations or the steward of your own household, cast away the comfort of “it could be worse” and embrace the noble burden of “it must be better.” For this is the calling of every human heart — to rise, to strive, to labor, and to leave behind a world richer than the one we inherited. And in this eternal striving lies the true dignity of mankind.