 And instead, you're defined by an idea. The idea of maximum absence, of course, and the idea that in America, if you work and you're willing to put your best foot forward, you can make it. You can go from a know-nothing in some small town nobody's ever heard of in Ohio to Yale University and finally the vice president, a sitting senator, and then the vice president of the United States. That can happen for you if you're willing to put the work and the time in.