Remembering
Beau Biden

Beau Biden lived a life of service. He put his duty to his children, his wife, his family, his fellow service-members, and his country first.

The Obama White House
3 min readJun 2, 2015

On Saturday, May 30, the country lost a good man and a great example of how to spend each day you’re given to better the lives of others.

Read a few words of wisdom that Beau Biden shared during his 46 years of life. They reveal much about the most beloved man we mourn — and the incredible legacy he leaves behind.

“We must strive to recognize that moral codes matter. That we are interdependent. That the means of our conduct must be driven by our conscience, our values, our knowledge and, above all, by our laws. And that our conduct cannot not be blinded by even the most laudable ends.”

“If I’m half as good a dad to my two kids as my dad’s been to me and my brother, my kids will be in good shape. I’ve got a dad who I think is one of the finest vice presidents our country’s seen, but he’s even a better father.”

“There should be no debate about our shared commitment to take care of our veterans.”

“It becomes increasingly easy to rationalize our actions in the name of expediency when facing difficult decisions — to choose a path where the ends justify the means. I want to ask you to challenge Machiavelli’s philosophy. I want to humbly suggest that you be the guardians of a more complicated truth: that the means are as important — and sometimes even more important — than the ends.”

“Just because you think the path that’s right for you might be lonelier, longer or less destined for traditional success than paths taken by others, don’t be afraid to take it. If you choose your means well you will end up in the right place.”

“Sometimes it’s not good to look too far down the road … Having long-term dreams is a good thing … but having a plan has never worked for me, because life always intervenes.”

Please offer your thoughts and prayers with the Biden family: https://www.whitehouse.gov/webform/memory-beau-biden

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