(Reuters) - Joe Biden accepted the Democratic nomination to challenge President Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 U.S. election on Thursday and outlined plans to bring relief and solace to a country and an economy battered by the coronavirus pandemic.

Quotes from the last day of the virtual four-day convention are below:

 

JOE BIDEN, 2020 DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE:

"This is a life-changing election. This will determine what America is going to look like for a long, long time. Character's on the ballot, compassion is on the ballot. Decency, science, democracy - they're all on the ballot. Who we are as a nation, what we stand for, most importantly, who we want to be - that's all on the ballot."

"The current president has cloaked America in darkness for much too long. Too much anger. Too much fear. Too much division. Here and now, I give you my word, if you entrust me with the presidency, I will draw on the best of us, not the worst. ... And make no mistake, united we can and will overcome this season of darkness in America."

"And while I'll be a Democratic candidate, I will be an American president. I'll work hard for those who didn't support me, as hard for them as I did for those who did vote for me."

On the coronavirus:

"We will never get our economy back on track, we will never get our kids safely back in schools, we will never have our lives back until we deal with this virus. ... No miracle is coming."

​ "The president still does not have a plan. Well, I do."

“We’ll have a national mandate to wear a mask, not as a burden but as a patriotic duty to protect one another. In short, we’ll do what we should have done from the very beginning.”

On foreign policy:

"The days of cozying up to dictators is over. Under President Biden, America will not turn a blind eye to Russian bounties on the heads of American soldiers. Nor will I put up with foreign interference in our most sacred democratic exercise, voting."

On racism:

“Will we be the generation that finally wipes out the stain of racism from our national character? I believe we’re up to it. I believe we’re ready.”

In conclusion:

"This is our moment. This is our mission. And history will be able to say, that the end of this chapter of American darkness began here, tonight, as love and hope and light join in the battle for the soul of the nation. And this is a battle we will win and we'll do it together. I promise you."

 

FORMER PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL AND FORMER NEW YORK MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG:

"I'm not asking you to vote against Donald Trump because he's a bad guy. I'm urging you to vote against him because he's done a bad job."

"So let's put an end to this whole sorry chapter in American history, and elect leaders who will bring integrity and stability, sanity and competence back to the White House. Joe and Kamala, go get him. For all of us."

 

ATLANTA MAYOR KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS:

“People often think they can't make a difference like our civil rights icons, but every person in the movement mattered —those who made the sandwiches, swept the church floors, stuffed the envelopes. They, too, changed America and so can we.”

“We have cried out for justice, we have gathered in our streets to demand change, and now, we must pass on the gift (the late civil rights activist and congressman) John Lewis sacrificed to give us, we must register and we must vote.”

 

FORMER PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL U.S. SENATOR CORY BOOKER:"We’ll stand for those who cook and serve and clean; who plant and harvest; who pack and always deliver, whose hands are thick with calluses, like my granddad’s who held mine when I was a boy."

"Joe Biden and Kamala Harris know the dignity of all working Americans. They know the urgency and the demand of our dream. But working people are under attack."

 

U.S. SENATOR TAMMY DUCKWORTH OF ILLINOIS:

"Joe Biden would stand up for what's right. Stand tall for our truth and stand strong against our enemies, because, unlike Trump, Joe Biden has common decency. He has common sense. He can command from experience, and from strength. Donald Trump doesn't deserve to call himself commander in chief for another four minutes, let alone another four years. Our troops deserve better. Our country deserves better."

 

FORMER PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL AND FORMER SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG:

“Just over 10 years ago, I joined a military where firing me because of who I am wasn’t just possible — it was policy. Now in 2020, it is unlawful in America to fire anyone because of who they are or who they love. The very ring on my finger ... reflects how this country can change.”

 

FORMER PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL ANDREW YANG:

“I have gotten to know both Joe and Kamala on the trail over the past year — the way you really get to know a person when the cameras are off, the crowds are gone, and it’s just you and them. They're real people. They understand the problems we face. They are parents and patriots who want the best for our country. And if we give them the chance, they will fight for us and our families every single day.”

 

JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS, ACTRESS AND STAR OF "VEEP":

"Just remember, Joe Biden goes to church so regularly that he doesn’t even need tear gas and a bunch of federalized troops to help him get there."

 

FROM "GLORY", SUNG BY COMMON AND JOHN LEGEND:

"The biggest weapon is to stay peaceful; We sing, our music is the cuts that we bleed through; Somewhere in the dream we had an epiphany; Now we right the wrongs in history; No one can win the war individually; It takes the wisdom of the elders and young people's energy."

 

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu, Trevor Hunnicutt and Joseph Ax; Compiled by Sonya Hepinstall; Editing by Howard Goller and Peter Cooney)