“My mother has an expression. Clean as a whistle, sharp as a tack.” – Joe Biden
“My father had an expression. He said, ‘The only conflict that is worse than one that is intended is one that is unintended.’” – Joe Biden
“My mother used to say, ‘Courage lies in every heart.’” – Joe Biden
“My dad used to say, ‘Don’t tell me what you value. Show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.’” – Joe Biden
Scranton, Pennsylvania, 1951
Joe Biden, nine years old, sits at the breakfast table with his mother and father.
JOE: Daddy, can I come to work with you today?
MR. BIDEN: Son, a man’s work is his legacy.
JOE: Oh. Ok.
JOE: Mom, can I have some more eggs?
MRS. BIDEN: The truest food is the food you feed your mind, Joey, the food you feed your soul.
JOE: Um, ok.
MR. BIDEN: Joey, did you do all your homework last night?
JOE: Yeah, I did.
MR. BIDEN: Don’t take a lie out for a walk in the rain when the truth has been stuck inside all day.
JOE: I didn’t do all of it, Daddy.
MRS. BIDEN: It’s never too late to finish the work God has started.
JOE: Can I play football with my friends after school today?
MR. BIDEN: Sport enriches a boy’s spirit even though it may sully his trousers.
JOE: Is that a yes, or…
MRS. BIDEN: Lost in the games boys play are the lessons they learn.
JOE: So I can play then, or…
MR. BIDEN: Show me a boy playing a game, and I‘ll show you a general leading the frightened eyes of his troops into battle.
JOE: I guess I don’t really have to play…
MRS. BIDEN: Giving up on yourself is equal to giving up on others.
JOE: I don’t know if there’s even a game today, so…
MR. BIDEN: The only thing you can truly know is what you do not know.
JOE: …
MRS. BIDEN: Knock on wood but know that the wood might knock you right back.
MR. BIDEN: It doesn’t make matters worse to make matters better.
MRS. BIDEN: Heart first, Joey. Mind second.
MR. BIDEN: The hat a man wears may be disguising the shoes he’s never felt.
JOE: I’ll probably have homework to do anyway, so…
MRS. BIDEN: A man’s work is his legacy.
JOE: I think Dad already did that one.
MR. BIDEN: Legacies are made not in the workplace but in the dust we’ve left behind.
JOE: May I be excused?
MR. BIDEN: The only excuse is that you died trying.
JOE: I’m moving to Delaware.
MRS. BIDEN: The feet may move but the memories remain in place.
JOE: I’m going to be living far away from you in Delaware.