“ My stars and my stripes are your dream and your labors. They are bright with cheer, brilliant with courage, firm with faith, because you have made them so out of your hearts. For you are the makers of the flag and it is well that you glory in the making. ”

“ I am but its shadow.
"I am whatever you make me, nothing more.
"I am your belief in yourself, your dream of what a People may become.
"I live a changing life, a life of moods and passions, of heart breaks and tired muscles.
"Sometimes I am strong with pride, when men do an honest work, fitting the rails together truly. ”

“ Yesterday we made a new law to prevent financial panics, and yesterday, maybe, a school teacher in Ohio taught his first letters to a boy who will one day write a song that will give cheer to the millions of our race. We are all making the flag. ”