Obama calls for humility, open mind

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WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- President Obama called for a more humble approach to leadership in an address Thursday at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington.

"In a democracy as big and as diverse as ours, we will encounter every opinion," Obama said in his address. "And our task as citizens -- whether we are leaders in government or business or spreading the word -- is to spend our days with open hearts and open minds; to seek out the truth that exists in an opposing view and to find the common ground that allows for us as a nation, as a people, to take real and meaningful action. And we have to do that humbly, for no one can know the full and encompassing mind of God. And we have to do it every day, not just at a prayer breakfast."

The bipartisan event, held at the Washington Hilton, was hosted by Sens. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., and Mark Pryor, D-Ark.

Obama called for attendees to "summon the common resolve that comes from our faith."

"Let us pray to God that we may be worthy of the many blessings He has bestowed upon our nation. Let us retain that humility not just during this hour but for every hour. And let me suggest that those of us with the most power and influence need to be the most humble. And let us promise Him and to each other, every day as the sun rises over America that it will rise over a people who are striving to make this a more perfect union."