June 12, 1924- Birthdate of George Herbert Walker Bush If you don’t feel strongly about something, you’re not going to achieve. 41st President, 1989-1993-from Academy of Achievement interview, June 2, 1995. This unique non-profit foundation has sparked the imagination of students across America and around the globe by bringing them into direct personal contact with the preeminent leaders of our times. The Academy was founded by Brian Blaine Reynolds, an acclaimed photographer best known for his contributions to Life magazine and Sports Illustrated. Reynolds established the Academy of Achievement to bring aspiring young people together with real-life heroes -- the kind of achievers he met every week on assignment.(www.achievement.org)While not known as a great speaker, Mr. Bush had many accomplishments and achievements and displayed much wisdom. As part of this interview, Bush was asked How important passion is for achievement? His reply: "Passion is terribly important. You've got to feel something strongly. If you don't feel something strongly you're not going to achieve. You're not going to go the extra mile. Passion is important in relationships. It's important in a man/woman relationship. Letting the other person know that you really love her and that you care. And so, it's a powerful word, but without passion, without really believing something, it's hard to achieve." Other factors he spoke out about were preparation and courage: "Know what you're talking about. Get out there and do enough homework, have enough background, understand enough history so that you're prepared for what you face today, and prepared to achieve your objectives." and On courage: "Courage is a terribly important value. It means you don't run away when things are tough. It means you don't turn away from a friend when he or she is in trouble. It means standing up against the majority opinion. In a fundamental sense it means: are you willing to give your life so somebody else can save his or hers? Courage is terribly important. There's a lot of people who won't wear it on their sleeve, or display it through some heroic act. But courage is having the strength to do what's honorable and decent."