Coles, Robert, Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1998
Ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
"I would suggest that at the end of this 20th century we as a nation yet again claim to offer all of our citizens "life, liberty, and [the right to pursue] the pursuit of happiness'--that is, a kind of 'life', a standard of living, that enables 'life', and protects against life-taking illnesses, and of course the 'liberty' that a democracy such as ours enables for its citizens, and too, of the right to 'pursue' happiness--meaning the right to affirm one's particular nature and values, one's ideas and ideals--such a pursuit a way to the self-fulfillment and self-expression that is, in essence, what makes for a 'happiness' that is realized."
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