George H.W. Bush penned an emotional, inspirational letter to incoming President Bill Clinton during his last hours in the White House.

Dated Jan. 20, 1993, Bush's note — handwritten at his desk in the Oval Office— reads:

"When I walked into this office just now I felt the same sense of wonder and respect that I felt four years ago. I know you will feel that, too. I wish you great happiness here.

"I never felt the loneness some presidents have described. There will be very tough times, made even more difficult by criticism you may not think is fair. I'm not a very good one to give advice; but just don't let the critics discourage you or push you off course.

"You will be our president when you read this note. I wish you well. I wish your family well. Your success now is our country's success. I am rooting hard for you. Good luck, George."

The letter is now housed at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, Texas, and went viral after a Yale post-graduate student tweeted about it, as a "magnanimous, bipartisan & dignified note," The Telegraph reports.