Bill Clinton

“ During Small Business Week, we salute America's millions of small business owners; men and women of courage and initiative whose future is limited only by their imagination and whose success has created better lives for us all. ”

“ America's small business owners represent more than 99 percent of all employers, and they employ more than half of the private sector workforce. They create 80 percent of the new jobs in our economy, and last year they generated 51 percent of our Nation's gross national product—more than $16 trillion. Small business owners are leaders in innovation, creating a wellspring of new technology, new products, and more effective business processes. ”

“ The men and women who own and operate our Nation's 25 million small businesses have made, and continue to make, an indispensable contribution to America's economic strength and success. These entrepreneurs possess many of the characteristics that have always defined the American spirit: a fierce independence, an extraordinary work ethic, and an uncompromising commitment to building a better life. ”