Common touch

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings—nor lose the common touch; . . . Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it

The crowd roared its approval and gave a standing ovation to the new President of Africa's most populous nation. That common touch has served Babangida well.

The admiral is the first enlisted man to lead the Navy, and Navy aides are busy cultivating his image as a four-star officer with a common touch.

From the first moments of his papacy it has been evident that Francis is a “people person,” with a gentle common touch and a gift for pastoral outreach.