My top goal as your Secretary of State is to save lives by

Hear now the words of Jesse White, who once declared: “My top goal as your Secretary of State is to save lives by reducing fatal traffic crashes. When I established the Teen Driver Safety Task Force, the goal was to improve Illinois' graduated driver licensing law and, even more importantly, to save lives.” These words, though they speak of roads and laws, carry the weight of ancient wisdom: that the true measure of leadership is not glory, nor riches, nor the praise of men, but the preservation of life itself.

In this proclamation, we hear the voice of one who understood the fragility of youth and the danger that rides upon the wheels of speed. For the road, like the battlefield, is a place where carelessness may turn to tragedy in an instant. By establishing the Teen Driver Safety Task Force, White set forth not to control, but to protect; not to bind, but to liberate through knowledge and discipline. The law was not fashioned as a chain, but as a shield, so that the young might learn to walk—or rather, to drive—with wisdom before boldness.

History, too, bears witness to the necessity of such foresight. Consider the tale of the Roman aqueducts. When first constructed, they were not simply monuments of engineering, but guardians of life. For by bringing pure water safely into the cities, Rome prevented the plagues and thirst that had once slain thousands. The builders did not pursue glory, though glory came; they pursued safety for their people, and from that safety rose strength. So too with White’s words: his aim was not prestige but the quiet, uncounted victories of lives not lost, parents not left in grief, and futures not cut short.

Let us not overlook the deeper meaning. When White spoke of his top goal being to save lives, he taught us that leadership must be measured by its service to the most vulnerable. Many in power speak of wealth, of conquest, of legacy carved in stone. But the wise leader speaks of people, of children spared, of mothers who do not weep. His words remind us that the worth of a law is not in its length or complexity, but in the life it protects.

To those who would understand, take heed: this is not merely about traffic or driving. It is about the eternal tension between freedom and responsibility. The youth long to be free, to drive upon the open road as if they were conquerors of the horizon. Yet freedom without guidance becomes peril, and power without discipline becomes ruin. White’s graduated driver licensing law was the embodiment of balance, a gradual passage from inexperience to mastery, from peril to safety. It was the teaching of patience in an age that craves speed.

Consider the story of Icarus, who in his youthful arrogance flew too near the sun. His wings, though crafted with care, melted because he lacked restraint. The tragedy was not in the flight itself, but in the absence of wisdom guiding freedom. The tale of Icarus is reborn in every young driver who grips the wheel with eagerness but without caution. White’s task force was, in truth, the hand of Daedalus extended to guide Icarus, to temper flight with wisdom so that wings might carry one safely, not to ruin.

The lesson for us all is clear: whether on the road, in the workplace, or in the choices of daily life, we must cherish safety over recklessness, wisdom over haste, and life over vanity. The actions we take must be weighed not only by what we desire, but by the unseen lives they may affect. For every decision has ripples, and the wise choose the ripples that bring peace, not sorrow.

So let the reader, or the listener, embrace this call: drive with care, live with caution, honor the gift of life. Support laws that preserve, uplift voices that protect, and never despise discipline, for it is the guardian of freedom. In doing so, you carry forward the spirit of Jesse White’s words—that the truest power is not found in domination, but in the quiet, steadfast act of saving lives.