50 Powerful Quotes by Barack Obama

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”

– Barack Obama, An American Story: The Speeches of Barack Obama : a Primer (ed. Independent Publishing Group, 2008) – ISBN: 9781550228649

“There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Democratic National Convention speech (July 2004)

“There is not a liberal America and a conservative America — there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America — there’s the United States of America.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Democratic National Convention speech (July 2004)

“Given our interdependence, any world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will inevitably fail. So whatever we think of the past, we must not be prisoners to it. Our problems must be dealt with through partnership; progress must be shared.”

– BARACK OBAMA, A New Beginning (June 2009)

“When people are judged by merit, not connections, then the best and brightest can lead the country, people will work hard, and the entire economy will grow – everyone will benefit and more resources will be available for all, not just select groups.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Speeches on the Road to the White House (ed. 2009) – ISBN: 9781880780305

“If we hope to give our children a chance, it’s time we start giving our teachers a chance.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Speeches on the Road to the White House (ed. 2009) – ISBN: 9781880780305

“While we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: yes we can.”

– BARACK OBAMA, speech on winning the Presidency, Chicago, 4 November 2008

“We flood communities with so many guns that it is easier for a teenager to buy a Glock than get his hands on a computer or even a book.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Remarks by the President at Memorial Service for Fallen Dallas Police Officers (12 July 2016)

“Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington — it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston….This is your victory.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Change We Can Believe In (ed. Canongate Books, 2008) – ISBN: 9781847674548

“The nature of not only politics but, I think, social change of any sort is that it doesn’t move in a straight line, and that those who are most successful typically are tacking like a sailor toward a particular direction.”

– BARACK OBAMA, The New Yorker (Jan. 27, 2014)

“Throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality.”

– BARACK OBAMA, A New Beginning (June 2009)

“And I’ve always believed in what Martin Luther King, Jr. called the fierce urgency of now — we should not fear change, we should embrace it.”

– BARACK OBAMA, 2016 – Remarks to the People of Cuba (March 2016)

“If the people cannot trust their government to do the job for which it exists – to protect them and to promote their common welfare – all else is lost.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Speeches on the Road to the White House (ed. 2009) – ISBN: 9781880780305

“I don’t oppose all wars. And I know that in this crowd today, there is no shortage of patriots, or of patriotism. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Speech to anti-war rally in Chicago [October 2, 2002]

“They call it Armageddon, the end of freedom as we know it. After I signed the bill, I looked around to see if there were any asteroids falling, some cracks opening up in the earth. Turned out it was a nice day.”

– BARACK OBAMA, At a speech at the University of Iowa after signing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (25 March 2010)

“Nobody represents America’s values better than the American people, and I believe this contact will ultimately do more to empower the Cuban people.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Statement on Cuban policy (December 2014)

“Throughout American history, there have been moments that call on us to meet the challenges of an uncertain world, and pay whatever price is required to secure our freedom.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Speeches on the Road to the White House (ed. 2009) – ISBN: 9781880780305

“Whether we like it or not, we remain a dominant military superpower…”

– BARACK OBAMA, America a Superpower ‘Whether We Like It or Not’, FoxNews.com (15 April 2010)

“But I come here today, Berlin, to say complacency is not the character of great nations.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Brandenburg Gate Speech (June 2013)

“No process of reform will succeed without national reconciliation. […] National reconciliation will take time, but for the sake of our common humanity, and for the sake of this country’s future, it is necessary to stop incitement and to stop violence.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Yangon University Speech (November 2012)

“Stronger families. Stronger communities. A stronger America. It is this kind of prosperity — broad, shared, built on a thriving middle class — that has always been the source of our progress at home. It’s also the foundation of our power and influence throughout the world.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Fifth State of the Union Address (February 2013)

“If you have health care, my plan will lower your premiums. If you don’t, you’ll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Speeches on the Road to the White House (ed. 2009) – ISBN: 9781880780305

“When I was a kid, I inhaled. Frequently. That was the point.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Meeting of the American Society of Magazine Editors (Oct. 2006) — “10 politicians puffing about pot” by M. J. Lee, POLITICO (19 March 2012)

“The criminal justice system is not colorblind. It does not work for all people equally, and that is why it’s critical to have a president who sends a signal that we are going to have a system of justice that is not just us, but is everybody.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Third presidential Democratic primary debate, Howard University, Washington, D.C. (June 28, 2007)

“But you see, a rich country like America can perhaps afford to be stupid.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Dreams From My Father (ed. Canongate Books, 2007) – ISBN: 9781847673527

“War, no matter what our intentions may be, brings suffering and tragedy.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Obama raises human rights in Vietnam, calls for ‘peaceful resolution’ of South China Sea   disputes, CNN (24 May 2016)

“If the world acts together, we can make sure that all of our children enjoy lives of opportunity and dignity.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Address to the United Nations (September 2014)

“Treat people with respect, whoever they are, and expect your governments to treat everybody with respect. And if you do that, then you’re going to be okay.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Town Hall (April 2014)

“This doesn’t mean abandoning our values and ideals; wherever we can, it’s in our interest to help foster democracy through the diplomatic and economic resources at our disposal.”

– BARACK OBAMA, An American Story: The Speeches of Barack Obama : a Primer (ed. Independent Publishing Group, 2008) – ISBN: 9781550228649

“Unless we free ourselves from a dependence on these fossil fuels… we are condemning future generations to global catastrophe”

– BARACK OBAMA, An American Story: The Speeches of Barack Obama : a Primer (ed. Independent Publishing Group, 2008) – ISBN: 9781550228649

“Our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom. And we must be a source of hope to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Second Inaugural Address (ed. Barack Obama, 2016) – ISBN: 9788822836700

“But history tells us that true progress is only possible where governments exist to serve their people, and not the other way around.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Cape Town University Address (June 2013)

“Human trafficking is not a business model, it is a crime, and we are going to stop it.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Remarks at Clinton Global Initiative (September 2012)

“I do think at a certain point you’ve made enough money.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Remarks by the President on Wall Street Reform in Quincy, Illinois (28 April 2010)

“Pot had helped, and booze, maybe a little blow when you could afford it.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance (ed. Broadway Books, 2007) – ISBN: 9780307394125

“John Kerry believes in an America where hard work is rewarded.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Democratic National Convention speech (July 2004)

“The Middle East is obviously an issue that has plagued the region for centuries.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Remarks by the President and the Vice President at Town Hall Meeting in Tampa, Florida (28 January 2010)

“By the way, I’ve been called worse on the basketball court. Its not a big deal.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Response to remarks by Alaska governor Sarah Palin (4 September)

“We are a strong, tight-knit family who has made it through some very, very hard times.”

– BARACK OBAMA, State of the Union Address (January 2015)

“The arc of the moral universe may bend towards justice, but it doesn’t bend on its own.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Speech on 50th anniversary of the March on Washington (August 28, 2013)

“I am not recommending for every future president that they take a shellacking like I did last night.”

– BARACK OBAMA, news conference, Washington, 3 November 2010, in Times 4 November 2010

“Gabby called it “Congress on Your Corner” — just an updated version of government of and by and for the people.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Tucson Memorial Address (January 2011)

“And the ability of citizens to organize and advocate for change — that’s the oxygen upon which democracy depends.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Remarks to the Kenyan People (July 2015)

“If you like the plan you have, you can keep it. If you like the doctor you have, you can keep your doctor, too.”

– BARACK OBAMA, President’s weekly address (6 June 2009)

“Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Speech at AIPAC Policy Conference (4 June 2008)

“What we can be scientifically certain of is that our continued use of fossil fuels is pushing us to a point of no return”

– BARACK OBAMA, An American Story: The Speeches of Barack Obama: A Primer (ed. Independent Publishing Group, 2008) – ISBN: 9781550228649

“Let me make one final point about the use of force. Even as we make difficult decisions about going to war, we must also think clearly about how we fight it.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Nobel Prize acceptance speech (December 2009)

“Reading is the gateway skill that makes all other learning possible”

– BARACK OBAMA, An American Story: The Speeches of Barack Obama : a Primer (ed. Independent Publishing Group, 2008) – ISBN: 9781550228649

“Societies evolve based on new understandings and new science and new appreciation of who we are.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Young African Leaders Initiative Presidential Summit Town Hall speech (August 2015)

“Big nations should not bully smaller ones. Disputes should be resolved peacefully.”

– BARACK OBAMA, Obama raises human rights in Vietnam, calls for ‘peaceful resolution’ of South China Sea disputes, CNN (24 May 2016)