Inaugural speeches share similar themes

They invoke history, quote famous men -- from fellow Nevada governors to American presidents -- and nearly always profess optimism in the face of tough times, and then predict better days ahead.

When Gov. Brian Sandoval delivered his inaugural address in Carson City on Jan. 5, the Republican mentioned optimism and opportunity two dozen times. He spoke proudly of Nevada's battle born beginnings in 1864 near the end of the Civil War. And he contrasted the state's hard-scrabble mining start to its modern, tourist-driven growth in the desert.

That's what leaders do. They express hope for the future, and then hope for the best. Time always tells.

Below are quotes from Nevada governors' inaugural addresses, including several culled from copies stored in the Nevada State Library and Archives. Paul Laxalt delivered the first true inaugural speech outside the Capitol in 1967.

"People say Nevada is at the top of all the bad lists and the bottom of all the good lists. This perception cannot -- and will not -- be our reality. ... I am optimistic that Nevada's best days are yet to come."

BRIAN SANDOVAL, Republican

2011

"In order to achieve real results for all Nevadans, I know I must reach across the aisle, and understand that the shared patriotism I have with each person here today does not create barriers but builds bridges."

JIM GIBBONS, Republican

2007

"The impact of 9/11 has given us new resolve toward our freedoms. It has also given us resolve here in Nevada to prepare for a more stable future, a future wherein the state can properly provide the services that our citizens expect and require."

KENNY GUINN, Republican

2003

"We have the fastest growing state in the nation and with that growth comes continued diversity. ... It is an economic diversity, and a diversity of people. And, just as in our past, it is a diversity that Nevadans must be willing and able to use to continue our legacy."

BOB MILLER, Democrat

1995

"Little has come easy for us in Nevada. There have never been long periods when Nevadans have not known hard times. Each generation has, however, faced its own challenges and has surmounted them."

RICHARD BRYAN, Democrat

1983

"Whether you are a first generation Nevadan -- or a fourth --you are all a part of our state and its traditions. And what it means to us today is this: there is no problem we cannot solve and no necessary burden we cannot bear. It is a matter of attitude."

ROBERT LIST, Republican

1979

"There is no reason to fear the future, but there is every reason to face it with sober concern. We cannot hide from economic troubles, nor can we fear to confront these problems in a cooperative venture which will bring about a more secure condition."

MIKE O'CALLAGHAN, Democrat

1975

"There are those who say we have come too far too fast. There are those who say the America dream of new horizons is no more. There are those who say we have lost something important in the process, that the will and the strength and the free voice of the American people are dying, that the nation has become complacent. I cannot hold all this to be true."

PAUL LAXALT, Republican

1967