"If you stop and think about our history, one of the reasons we had an American century and there is an American dream was because at key points in our history we made very bold decisions about making sure that there was very broad, universal access to quality education"

This quote by Ken Mehlman speaks to the importance of education in the success of the United States. He recommends that the factor the United States has had an "American century" and an "American dream" is due to the fact that of the strong decisions made in the past to guarantee that everyone had access to quality education. This implies that education is an essential factor in the success of a nation, which providing access to quality education is vital for a country to grow. Mehlman's quote highlights the importance of education in the success of the United States, and encourages us to continue to make vibrant decisions to make sure that everybody has access to quality education.