Nebraska-born orator and politician William Jennings Bryan was a three-time nominee for President of the United States as a member of the populist wing of the Democratic Party. He served two terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives and was United States Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wilson.  With his deep, commanding voice and wide travels, he was perhaps the best-known orator and lecturer of the era, dubbed “The Great Commoner” because of his faith in the wisdom of the common people.

Nowhere is his penchant for cutting to the truth more profound than in his sense of what it takes to pursue one’s calling in life:

“Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved. “ William Jennings Bryan