In conclusion, I feel that I cannot do better than to repeat the call to action by Secretary Marshall in his opening statement to this Assembly:

"Let this third regular session of the General Assembly approve by an overwhelming majority the Declaration of Human Rights as a standard conduct for all; and let us, as Members of the United Nations, conscious of our short-comings and imperfections, join our effort in good faith to live up to this high standard. (59)

Eleanor Roosevelt quotes Secretary of State George Marshall at the end of "On the Adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights" not because she's tired and hates writing conclusions but because he had made such an excellent point.

In order for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to be as successful as the delegation intended, they needed to not only approve it but approve it by a large majority. Largely because it wasn't international law, the declaration needed lots of support, and those who gave it the go-ahead had to be prepared to live up to that standard.

Of course, both Secretary Marshall and Roosevelt recognized that human beings are filled with imperfections so, of course, everything wasn't going to be hunky-dory as soon as the declaration was adopted. But it was the thought that counted—everyone had the responsibility to do their best to observe the articles and guarantee these basic rights to all people.