Mitt Romney's acceptance speech

We had remarkably vibrant and diverse congregants from all walks of life and many who were new to America.

The soles of Neil Armstrong's boots on the moon made permanent impressions on OUR souls and in our national psyche.

But driving home late from that second job, or standing there watching the gas pump hit 50 dollars and still going, when the realtor told you that to sell your house you'd have to take a big loss, in those moments you knew that this just wasn't rig

Family income has fallen by $4,000, but health insurance premiums are higher, food prices are higher, utility bills are higher, and gasoline prices have doubled.

Freedom of religion.

I was born in the middle of the century in the middle of the country, a classic baby boomer.

It's when our son or daughter calls from college to talk about which job offer they should take....and you try not to choke up when you hear that the one they like is not far from home.

I love the way he lights up around his kids and how he's not embarrassed to show the world how much he loves his mom.

We were young and had never done this before and we almost didn't get off the ground.

He took office without the basic qualification that most Americans have and one that was essential to his task.

In our best days, we can feel the vibrancy of America's communities, large and small.

That America, that united America, will uphold the constellation of rights that were endowed by our Creator, and codified in our Constitution.

My dad never made it through college and apprenticed as a lath and plaster carpenter.

At a time when nobody thought we'd ever see a new steel mill built in America, we took a chance and built one in a corn field in Indiana.

It's the genius of the American free enterprise system – to harness the extraordinary creativity and talent and industry of the American people with a system that is dedicated to creating tomorrow's prosperity rather than trying to redistribute tod

We're still talking, and Iran's centrifuges are still spinning.

Every new college graduate thought they'd have a good job by now, a place of their own, and that they could start paying back some of their loans and build for the future.

At a time when nobody thought we'd ever see a new steel mill built in America, we took a chance and built one in a corn field in Indiana.

I had thought about asking my church's pension fund to invest, but I didn't.

But Paul, I still like the playlist on my iPod better than yours.

That America, that united America, will uphold the constellation of rights that were endowed by our Creator, and codified in our Constitution.

We are the children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the ones who wanted a better life, the driven ones, the ones who woke up at night hearing that voice telling them that life in that place called America could be better.

I accept your nomination for President of the United States of America.

I wanted to go someplace new and prove myself.

I accept your nomination for President of the United States of America.

And it means that we must rein in the skyrocketing cost of healthcare by repealing and replacing Obamacare.

Every small business wanted these to be their best years ever, when they could hire more, do more for those who had stuck with them through the hard times, open a new store or sponsor that Little League team.

Every American was relieved the day President Obama gave the order, and Seal Team Six took out Osama bin Laden.

We had remarkably vibrant and diverse congregants from all walks of life and many who were new to America.

The soles of Neil Armstrong's boots on the moon made permanent impressions on OUR souls and in our national psyche.

I love the way he lights up around his kids and how he's not embarrassed to show the world how much he loves his mom.

Every new college graduate thought they'd have a good job by now, a place of their own, and that they could start paying back some of their loans and build for the future.

Is it any wonder that someone who attacks success has led the worst economic recovery since the Great Depression?

His policies have not helped create jobs, they have depressed them.

I was born in the middle of the century in the middle of the country, a classic baby boomer.

The soles of Neil Armstrong's boots on the moon made permanent impressions on OUR souls and in our national psyche.

Fourth, to assure every entrepreneur and every job creator that their investments in America will not vanish as have those in Greece, we will cut the deficit and put America on track to a balanced budget.

When every new wave of immigrants looked up and saw the Statue of Liberty, or knelt down and kissed the shores of freedom just ninety miles from Castro's tyranny, these new Americans surely had many questions.

That America, that united America, can unleash an economy that will put Americans back to work, that will once again lead the world with innovation and productivity, and that will restore every father and mother's confidence that their children's f

My dad had been born in Mexico and his family had to leave during the Mexican revolution.

To put aside the divisiveness and the recriminations.

Is it any wonder that someone who attacks success has led the worst economic recovery since the Great Depression?

That is the bedrock of what makes America, America.

It's the genius of the American free enterprise system – to harness the extraordinary creativity and talent and industry of the American people with a system that is dedicated to creating tomorrow's prosperity rather than trying to redistribute tod

My mom and dad gave their kids the greatest gift of all – the gift of unconditional love.

I grew up with stories of his family being fed by the US Government as war refugees.

When every new wave of immigrants looked up and saw the Statue of Liberty, or knelt down and kissed the shores of freedom just ninety miles from Castro's tyranny, these new Americans surely had many questions.

It means simplifying and modernizing the regulations that hurt small business the most.

The America we all know has been a story of the many becoming one, uniting to preserve liberty, uniting to build the greatest economy in the world, uniting to save the world from unspeakable darkness.

My dad never made it through college and apprenticed as a lath and plaster carpenter.

He abandoned our friends in Poland by walking away from our missile defense commitments, but is eager to give Russia's President Putin the flexibility he desires, after the election.

We are the children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the ones who wanted a better life, the driven ones, the ones who woke up at night hearing that voice telling them that life in that place called America could be better.

Every American was relieved the day President Obama gave the order, and Seal Team Six took out Osama bin Laden.

That very optimism is uniquely American.

And yet the centerpiece of the President's entire re-election campaign is attacking success.

Four years ago, I know that many Americans felt a fresh excitement about the possibilities of a new president.

It's what Americans deserved.

But driving home late from that second job, or standing there watching the gas pump hit 50 dollars and still going, when the realtor told you that to sell your house you'd have to take a big loss, in those moments you knew that this just wasn't rig

We Americans have always felt a special kinship with the future.

And if you wondered what their secret was, you could have asked the local florist – because every day Dad gave Mom a rose, which he put on her bedside table.

At a time when nobody thought we'd ever see a new steel mill built in America, we took a chance and built one in a corn field in Indiana.

Every new college graduate thought they'd have a good job by now, a place of their own, and that they could start paying back some of their loans and build for the future.

We started an early childhood learning center called Bright Horizons that First Lady Michelle Obama rightly praised.

There is no mention of their race, their party affiliation, or what they did for a living.

The President hasn't disappointed you because he wanted to.

Every small business wanted these to be their best years ever, when they could hire more, do more for those who had stuck with them through the hard times, open a new store or sponsor that Little League team.

It's that good feeling when you have more time to volunteer to coach your kid's soccer team, or help out on school trips.

He abandoned our friends in Poland by walking away from our missile defense commitments, but is eager to give Russia's President Putin the flexibility he desires, after the election.

My dad never made it through college and apprenticed as a lath and plaster carpenter.

What is needed in our country today is not complicated or profound.

Every family in America wanted this to be a time when they could get ahead a little more, put aside a little more for college, do more for their elderly mom who's living alone now or give a little more to their church or charity.

Every family in America wanted this to be a time when they could get ahead a little more, put aside a little more for college, do more for their elderly mom who's living alone now or give a little more to their church or charity.

And it means that we must rein in the skyrocketing cost of healthcare by repealing and replacing Obamacare.

It means simplifying and modernizing the regulations that hurt small business the most.

Four years ago, I know that many Americans felt a fresh excitement about the possibilities of a new president.

But every mom knows that doesn't help get the homework done or the kids out the door to school.

I grew up with stories of his family being fed by the US Government as war refugees.

When President Kennedy challenged Americans to go to the moon, the question wasn't whether we'd get there, it was only when we'd get there.

And this I can tell you about where President Obama would take America: His plan to raise taxes on small business won't add jobs, it will eliminate them; His assault on coal and gas and oil will send energy and manufacturing jobs to China; His trillion

We are a nation of immigrants.

In the richest country in the history of the world, this Obama economy has crushed the middle class.

And this I can tell you about where President Obama would take America: His plan to raise taxes on small business won't add jobs, it will eliminate them; His assault on coal and gas and oil will send energy and manufacturing jobs to China; His trillion do

That America, that united America, will uphold the constellation of rights that were endowed by our Creator, and codified in our Constitution.

Tonight that American flag is still there on the moon.

That united America will care for the poor and the sick, will honor and respect the elderly, and will give a helping hand to those in need.

So some of us had this idea that if we really believed our advice was helping companies, we should invest in companies.

I accept your nomination for President of the United States of America.

That is why every president since the Great Depression who came before the American people asking for a second term could look back at the last four years and say with satisfaction: "you are better off today than you were four years ago."

We should bet on ourselves and on our advice.

But Paul, I still like the playlist on my iPod better than yours.

This is when our nation was supposed to start paying down the national debt and rolling back those massive deficits.

Many of you felt that way on Election Day four years ago.

But today, four years from the excitement of the last election, for the first time, the majority of Americans now doubt that our children will have a better future.

I was born in the middle of the century in the middle of the country, a classic baby boomer.

But no one ever is in the real world of business.

The soles of Neil Armstrong's boots on the moon made permanent impressions on OUR souls and in our national psyche.

No. Are its schools lagging behind the rest of the developed world?

He abandoned our friends in Poland by walking away from our missile defense commitments, but is eager to give Russia's President Putin the flexibility he desires, after the election.

Today Steel Dynamics is one of the largest steel producers in the United States.

And this I can tell you about where President Obama would take America: His plan to raise taxes on small business won't add jobs, it will eliminate them; His assault on coal and gas and oil will send energy and manufacturing jobs to China; His tril

No. Are its schools lagging behind the rest of the developed world?

When that hard fought election was over, when the yard signs came down and the television commercials finally came off the air, Americans were eager to go back to work, to live our lives the way Americans always have – optimistic and positive and c

Tonight I am asking you to join me to walk together to a better future.

Third, we will make trade work for America by forging new trade agreements.

That very optimism is uniquely American.

No. And does the America we want succumb to resentment and division?

It's the genius of the American free enterprise system – to harness the extraordinary creativity and talent and industry of the American people with a system that is dedicated to creating tomorrow's prosperity rather than trying to redistribute tod

When every new wave of immigrants looked up and saw the Statue of Liberty, or knelt down and kissed the shores of freedom just ninety miles from Castro's tyranny, these new Americans surely had many questions.

Except Jimmy Carter.

I love the way he lights up around his kids and how he's not embarrassed to show the world how much he loves his mom.

Every small business wanted these to be their best years ever, when they could hire more, do more for those who had stuck with them through the hard times, open a new store or sponsor that Little League team.

We were Mormons and growing up in Michigan; that might have seemed unusual or out of place but I really don't remember it that way.

I love the way he lights up around his kids and how he's not embarrassed to show the world how much he loves his mom.

Those weren't the easiest of days – too many long hours and weekends working, five young sons who seemed to have this need to re-enact a different world war every night.

It's the genius of the American free enterprise system – to harness the extraordinary creativity and talent and industry of the American people with a system that is dedicated to creating tomorrow's prosperity rather than trying to redistribute tod

Every American was relieved the day President Obama gave the order, and Seal Team Six took out Osama bin Laden.

We started an early childhood learning center called Bright Horizons that First Lady Michelle Obama rightly praised.

Another of my partners got the Episcopal Church pension fund to invest.

This is the bipartisan foreign policy legacy of Truman and Reagan.

We had remarkably vibrant and diverse congregants from all walks of life and many who were new to America.

Fourth, to assure every entrepreneur and every job creator that their investments in America will not vanish as have those in Greece, we will cut the deficit and put America on track to a balanced budget.

All the laws and legislation in the world will never heal this world like the loving hearts and arms of mothers and fathers.

Family income has fallen by $4,000, but health insurance premiums are higher, food prices are higher, utility bills are higher, and gasoline prices have doubled.

When my mom ran for the Senate, my dad was there for her every step of the way.

Every small business wanted these to be their best years ever, when they could hire more, do more for those who had stuck with them through the hard times, open a new store or sponsor that Little League team.

It's when we see that new business opening up downtown.

We are the children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the ones who wanted a better life, the driven ones, the ones who woke up at night hearing that voice telling them that life in that place called America could be better.

Governor, a woman chief of staff, half of my cabinet and senior officials were women, and in business, I mentored and supported great women leaders who went on to run great companies.

We are a nation of immigrants.

By my side, I have chosen a man with a big heart from a small town.

This is when our nation was supposed to start paying down the national debt and rolling back those massive deficits.

To the majority of Americans who now believe that the future will not be better than the past, I can guarantee you this: if Barack Obama is re-elected, you will be right.

It's what Americans deserved.

That America, that united America, will uphold the constellation of rights that were endowed by our Creator, and codified in our Constitution.

That is why every president since the Great Depression who came before the American people asking for a second term could look back at the last four years and say with satisfaction: "you are better off today than you were four years ago."

When we were new to the community it was welcoming and as the years went by, it was a joy to help others who had just moved to town or just joined our church.

That president was not the choice of our party but Americans always come together after elections.

Under my administration, our friends will see more loyalty, and Mr. Putin will see a little less flexibility and more backbone.

But for too many Americans, these good days are harder to come by.

He moved to Detroit, led a great automobile company and became Governor of the Great State of Michigan.

Tonight I am asking you to join me to walk together to a better future.

That America, that united America, can unleash an economy that will put Americans back to work, that will once again lead the world with innovation and productivity, and that will restore every father and mother's confidence that their children's f

I accept your nomination for President of the United States of America.

I grew up with stories of his family being fed by the US Government as war refugees.

Fourth, to assure every entrepreneur and every job creator that their investments in America will not vanish as have those in Greece, we will cut the deficit and put America on track to a balanced budget.

And this I can tell you about where President Obama would take America: His plan to raise taxes on small business won't add jobs, it will eliminate them; His assault on coal and gas and oil will send energy and manufacturing jobs to China; His trillion do

Freedom.

Or when you lost that job that paid $22.50 an hour with benefits, you took two jobs at 9 bucks an hour and fewer benefits.

Hug your kids a little longer; maybe spend a little more time praying that tomorrow would be a better day.

Every new college graduate thought they'd have a good job by now, a place of their own, and that they could start paying back some of their loans and build for the future.

That America, that united America, will uphold the constellation of rights that were endowed by our Creator, and codified in our Constitution.

Look around you.

Hug your kids a little longer; maybe spend a little more time praying that tomorrow would be a better day.

That America, that united America, will uphold the constellation of rights that were endowed by our Creator, and codified in our Constitution.

He took office without the basic qualification that most Americans have and one that was essential to his task.

I wish President Obama had succeeded because I want America to succeed.

I do so with humility, deeply moved by the trust you have placed in me.

Ann and I watched those steps together on her parent's sofa.

Another of my partners got the Episcopal Church pension fund to invest.

I will begin my presidency with a jobs tour.

Now is the time to restore the Promise of America.

To the majority of Americans who now believe that the future will not be better than the past, I can guarantee you this: if Barack Obama is re-elected, you will be right.

It's when our son or daughter calls from college to talk about which job offer they should take....and you try not to choke up when you hear that the one they like is not far from home.

Governor, a woman chief of staff, half of my cabinet and senior officials were women, and in business, I mentored and supported great women leaders who went on to run great companies.

That president was not the choice of our party but Americans always come together after elections.

An office supply company called Staples – where I'm pleased to see the Obama campaign has been shopping; The Sports Authority, which became a favorite of my sons.

But driving home late from that second job, or standing there watching the gas pump hit 50 dollars and still going, when the realtor told you that to sell your house you'd have to take a big loss, in those moments you knew that this just wasn't rig

But on another front, every American is less secure today because he has failed to slow Iran's nuclear threat.

And it means that we must rein in the skyrocketing cost of healthcare by repealing and replacing Obamacare.

Today Steel Dynamics is one of the largest steel producers in the United States.

You deserved it because when it cost more to fill up your car, you cut out movie nights and put in longer hours.

I had thought about asking my church's pension fund to invest, but I didn't.

In America, we celebrate success, we don't apologize for it.

When that hard fought election was over, when the yard signs came down and the television commercials finally came off the air, Americans were eager to go back to work, to live our lives the way Americans always have – optimistic and positive and c

It's the genius of the American free enterprise system – to harness the extraordinary creativity and talent and industry of the American people with a system that is dedicated to creating tomorrow's prosperity rather than trying to redistribute tod

Freedom to build a life.

America, he said, had dictated to other nations.

And yes, freedom to build a business.

And this I can tell you about where President Obama would take America: His plan to raise taxes on small business won't add jobs, it will eliminate them; His assault on coal and gas and oil will send energy and manufacturing jobs to China; His trillion do

I accept your nomination for President of the United States of America.

And I don't doubt for a second that Neil Armstrong's spirit is still with us: that unique blend of optimism, humility and the utter confidence that when the world needs someone to do the really big stuff, you need an American.

Every American was relieved the day President Obama gave the order, and Seal Team Six took out Osama bin Laden.

President Obama has thrown allies like Israel under the bus, even as he has relaxed sanctions on Castro's Cuba.

We were Mormons and growing up in Michigan; that might have seemed unusual or out of place but I really don't remember it that way.

But for too many Americans, these good days are harder to come by.

Every family in America wanted this to be a time when they could get ahead a little more, put aside a little more for college, do more for their elderly mom who's living alone now or give a little more to their church or charity.

Unconditional love is a gift that Ann and I have tried to pass on to our sons and now to our grandchildren.

My partners and I had been working for a company that was in the business of helping other businesses.

As president, I will protect the sanctity of life.

My dad never made it through college and apprenticed as a lath and plaster carpenter.

That's how I was brought up.

And it means that we must rein in the skyrocketing cost of healthcare by repealing and replacing Obamacare.

They came not just in pursuit of the riches of this world but for the richness of this life.

I had thought about asking my church's pension fund to invest, but I didn't.

But if you ask Ann and I what we'd give, to break up just one more fight between the boys, or wake up in the morning and discover a pile of kids asleep in our room.

Americans have supported this president in good faith.

And his trillion-dollar deficits will slow our economy, restrain employment, and cause wages to stall.

And under my presidency we will return to it once again.

Every new college graduate thought they'd have a good job by now, a place of their own, and that they could start paying back some of their loans and build for the future.

Mr. Chairman, delegates.

The America we all know has been a story of the many becoming one, uniting to preserve liberty, uniting to build the greatest economy in the world, uniting to save the world from unspeakable darkness.

He convinced my mom, a beautiful young actress, to give up Hollywood to marry him.

My mom and dad were true partners, a life lesson that shaped me by everyday example.

Third, we will make trade work for America by forging new trade agreements.

When every new wave of immigrants looked up and saw the Statue of Liberty, or knelt down and kissed the shores of freedom just ninety miles from Castro's tyranny, these new Americans surely had many questions.

We were young and had never done this before and we almost didn't get off the ground.

It's that good feeling when you have more time to volunteer to coach your kid's soccer team, or help out on school trips.

With your help we will do something.

Many Americans have given up on this president but they haven't ever thought about giving up.

I figured it was bad enough that I might lose my investors' money, but I didn't want to go to hell too.

Every family in America wanted this to be a time when they could get ahead a little more, put aside a little more for college, do more for their elderly mom who's living alone now or give a little more to their church or charity.

He moved to Detroit, led a great automobile company and became Governor of the Great State of Michigan.

Tonight I am asking you to join me to walk together to a better future.

Family income has fallen by $4,000, but health insurance premiums are higher, food prices are higher, utility bills are higher, and gasoline prices have doubled.

It's when we see that new business opening up downtown.

And when nations cheat in trade, there will be unmistakable consequences.

When President Kennedy challenged Americans to go to the moon, the question wasn't whether we'd get there, it was only when we'd get there.

Fourth, to assure every entrepreneur and every job creator that their investments in America will not vanish as have those in Greece, we will cut the deficit and put America on track to a balanced budget.

My mom and dad were true partners, a life lesson that shaped me by everyday example.

And it means that we must rein in the skyrocketing cost of healthcare by repealing and replacing Obamacare.

Tonight I am asking you to join me to walk together to a better future.

He moved to Detroit, led a great automobile company and became Governor of the Great State of Michigan.

To make that choice, you need to know more about me and about where I will lead our country.

And when nations cheat in trade, there will be unmistakable consequences.

No Mr. President, America has freed other nations from dictators.

My dad never made it through college and apprenticed as a lath and plaster carpenter.

When every new wave of immigrants looked up and saw the Statue of Liberty, or knelt down and kissed the shores of freedom just ninety miles from Castro's tyranny, these new Americans surely had many questions.

He abandoned our friends in Poland by walking away from our missile defense commitments, but is eager to give Russia's President Putin the flexibility he desires, after the election.

We are the children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the ones who wanted a better life, the driven ones, the ones who woke up at night hearing that voice telling them that life in that place called America could be better.

And it means that we must rein in the skyrocketing cost of healthcare by repealing and replacing Obamacare.

But last night America got to see what I saw in Paul Ryan – a strong and caring leader who is down to earth and confident in the challenge this moment demands.

If every child could drift to sleep feeling wrapped in the love of their family – and God's love — this world would be a far more gentle and better place.

Governor, a woman chief of staff, half of my cabinet and senior officials were women, and in business, I mentored and supported great women leaders who went on to run great companies.

I make my destiny.

This is the bipartisan foreign policy legacy of Truman and Reagan.

Usually, it doesn't work out exactly as you might have imagined.

This is the bipartisan foreign policy legacy of Truman and Reagan.

We had remarkably vibrant and diverse congregants from all walks of life and many who were new to America.

He abandoned our friends in Poland by walking away from our missile defense commitments, but is eager to give Russia's President Putin the flexibility he desires, after the election.

That president was not the choice of our party but Americans always come together after elections.

It is not what we were promised.

We are the children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the ones who wanted a better life, the driven ones, the ones who woke up at night hearing that voice telling them that life in that place called America could be better.

And if you wondered what their secret was, you could have asked the local florist – because every day Dad gave Mom a rose, which he put on her bedside table.

We're still talking, and Iran's centrifuges are still spinning.

But last night America got to see what I saw in Paul Ryan – a strong and caring leader who is down to earth and confident in the challenge this moment demands.

It's that good feeling when you have more time to volunteer to coach your kid's soccer team, or help out on school trips.

We're still talking, and Iran's centrifuges are still spinning.

Family income has fallen by $4,000, but health insurance premiums are higher, food prices are higher, utility bills are higher, and gasoline prices have doubled.

That is why every president since the Great Depression who came before the American people asking for a second term could look back at the last four years and say with satisfaction: "you are better off today than you were four years ago."

Every family in America wanted this to be a time when they could get ahead a little more, put aside a little more for college, do more for their elderly mom who's living alone now or give a little more to their church or charity.