Barack Obama was the 44th president of the United States, elected in November 2008 and holding office for two terms. He is the author of two previous New York Times bestselling books, Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope, and the recipient of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Michelle. They have two daughters, Malia and Sasha.

Barack Obama Quotes

1. “Yes We Can!”
— Barack Obama

2. “Never give up on your dreams.”
— Barack Obama

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

4. “There is no excuse for not trying.”
— Barack Obama

5. “Change is never easy, but always possible.”
— Barack Obama

6. “Excuses are tools of the incompetent used to build bridges to nowhere and monuments of nothingness.”
— Barack Obama

7. “The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.”
— Barack Obama

8. “If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.”
— Barack Obama

9. “We did not come to fear the future. We came here to shape it.”
— Barack Obama

10. “Keep exploring. Keep dreaming. Keep asking why. Don’t settle for what you already know. Never stop believing in the power of your ideas, your imagination, your hard work to change the world.”
— Barack Obama

11. “Empathy is a quality of character that can change the world.”
— Barack Obama

12. “Literacy is the most basic currency of the knowledge economy.”
— Barack Obama

13. “Your voice can change the world.”
— Barack Obama

14. “Reading is the gateway skill that makes all other learning possible.”
— Barack Obama

15. “For the world has changed, and we must change with it.”
— Barack Obama

16. “We are running out of time.”
— Barack Obama

17. “Our stories may be singular, but our destination is shared.”
— Barack Obama

18. “We remember, we rebuild, we come back stronger.”
— Barack Obama

19. “Hope – Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope!”
— Barack Obama

20. “Nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.”
— Barack Obama

21. “The future belongs to young people with an education and the imagination to create.”
— Barack Obama

22. “Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential.”
— Barack Obama

23. “Reading is important. If you know how to read then the whole world opens up to you.”
— Barack Obama

24. “Our destiny is not written for us, but by us.”
— Barack Obama

25. “The future is ours to win. But to get there we can’t just stand still…”
— Barack Obama

26. “I wish the country had fewer lawyers and more engineers.”
— Barack Obama

27. “Nothing in life that’s worth anything is easy.”
— Barack Obama

28. “We don’t have time for a meeting of the Flat Earth Society.”
— Barack Obama

29. “Learning to stand in somebody else’s shoes, to see through their eyes, that’s how peace begins. And it’s up to you to make that happen. Empathy is a quality of character that can change the world.”
— Barack Obama

30. “We don’t ask you to believe in our ability to bring change, rather, we ask you to believe in yours.”
— Barack Obama

31. “A budget is more than just a series of numbers on a page; it is an embodiment of our values.”
— Barack Obama

32. “Yes, we can. Yes, we can change. Yes, we can.”
— Barack Obama

33. “The future rewards those who press on. I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I don’t have time to complain. I’m going to press on.”
— Barack Obama

34. “My identity might begin with the fact of my race, but it didn’t, couldn’t end there. At least that’s what I would choose to believe.”
— Barack Obama

35. “We don’t turn back. We leave no one behind. We pull each other up.”
— Barack Obama

36. “Don’t just consume things, create things.”
— Barack Obama

37. “In the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.”
— Barack Obama

38. “When times get tough, we don’t give up. We get up.”
— Barack Obama

39. “Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up.”
— Barack Obama

40. “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

41. “Don’t just get involved. Fight for your seat at the table. Better yet, fight for a seat at the head of the table.”
— Barack Obama

42. “A change is brought about because ordinary people do extraordinary things.”
— Barack Obama

43. “There’s not a liberal America and a conservative America – there’s the United States of America.”
— Barack Obama

44. “You can’t let your failures define you. You have to let your failures teach you.”
— Barack Obama

45. “Persevere. Nothing worthwhile is easy.”
— Barack Obama

46. “The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something.”
— Barack Obama

47. “What Washington needs is adult supervision.”
— Barack Obama

48. “We have a choice. We can shape our future, or let events shape it for us. And if we want to succeed, we can’t fall back on the stale debates and old divides that won’t move us forward.”
— Barack Obama

49. “One voice can change a room, and if one voice can change a room, then it can change a city, and if it can change a city, it can change a state, and if it change a state, it can change a nation, and if it can change a nation, it can change the world. Your voice can change the world.”
— Barack Obama

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

51. “Be conscious of God and speak always the truth.”
— Barack Obama

52. “If you run you stand a chance of losing, but if you don’t run you’ve already lost.”
— Barack Obama

53. “Every life must be given the chance to realize its full potential – that every life matters.”
— Barack Obama

54. “Together, we’re going to finish the job we started.”
— Barack Obama

55. “When ignorant folks want to advertise their ignorance, you don’t really have to do anything, you just let them talk.”
— Barack Obama

56. “No one in America should ever be afraid to walk down the street holding the hand of the person they love.”
— Barack Obama

57. “All people should be treated equally, regardless of who they are or who they love.”
— Barack Obama

58. “I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.”
— Barack Obama

59. “It’s not just enough to change the players. We’ve gotta change the game.”
— Barack Obama

60. “The only people who don’t want to disclose the truth are the people with something to hide.”
— Barack Obama

61. “The easiest way to save money is to waste less energy.”
— Barack Obama

62. “We rise and fall as one people, one nation.”
— Barack Obama

63. “Religious freedom doesn’t mean you can force others to live by your own beliefs.”
— Barack Obama

64. “Reading makes all other learning possible. We have to get books into our children’s hands early and often.”
— Barack Obama

65. “You have to exercise, or at some point you’ll just break down.”
— Barack Obama

66. “Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance.”
— Barack Obama

67. “Any fool can have a child. That doesn’t make you a father. It’s the courage to raise a child that makes you a father.”
— Barack Obama

68. “The flame of the diya, or lamp, reminds us that light will ultimately triumph over darkness.”
— Barack Obama

69. “Love and hope can conquer hate.”
— Barack Obama

70. “If you’re a strong man, you should not feel threatened by strong women.”
— Barack Obama

71. “No challenge poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change.”
— Barack Obama

72. “We are not entitled to success we have to earn it.”
— Barack Obama

73. “One of the best investments we can make in a child’s life is high-quality early education.”
— Barack Obama

74. “We have to acknowledge the progress we made, but understand that we still have a long way to go. That things are better, but still not good enough.”
— Barack Obama

75. “In the face of impossible odds, people who love this country can change it.”
— Barack Obama

76. “The Holy Koran tells us, ‘O mankind! We have created you male and a female; and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another.’”
— Barack Obama

77. “We are reminded that in the fleeting time we have on this Earth, what matters is not wealth or status or power or fame, but rather how well we have Loved and what small part we have played in making the lives of other people better.”
— Barack Obama

78. “The arts are what makes life worth living. You’ve got food, you’ve got shelter, yeah. But the things that make you laugh, make you cry, make you connect – make you love are communicated through the arts. They aren’t extras.”
— Barack Obama

79. “So don’t get cynical. Cynicism didn’t put a man on the moon. Cynicism has never won a war, or cured a disease, or built a business, or fed a young mind. Cynicism is a choice. And hope will always be a better choice.”
— Barack Obama

80. “Sticking your head in the sand might make you feel safer, but it’s not going to protect you from the coming storm.”
— Barack Obama

81. “We may have different backgrounds, but we believe in the same dream that says this is a country where anything’s possible. No matter who you are. No matter where you come from.”
— Barack Obama

82. “We have got to dispel this myth that bullying is just a normal rite of passage.”
— Barack Obama

83. “We have to uphold a free press and freedom of speech – because, in the end, lies and misinformation are no match for the truth.”
— Barack Obama

84. “You can put lipstick on a pig. It’s still a pig.”
— Barack Obama

85. “While we breathe, we will hope.”
— Barack Obama

86. “Libraries remind us that truth isn’t about who yells the loudest but who has the right information.”
— Barack Obama

87. “So on this Human Rights Day, let us rededicate ourselves to the advancement of human rights and freedoms for all, and pledge always to live by the ideals we promote to the world.”
— Barack Obama

88. “Nobody cares how tough your upbringing was. Nobody cares if you suffered some discrimination.”
— Barack Obama

89. “Above all, children need our unconditional love, whether they succeed or make mistakes; when life is easy and when life is tough.”
— Barack Obama

90. “We have proved that the true strength of our nation comes not from the scale of our wealth but from the power of our ideals – opportunity, democracy, liberty and hope.”
— Barack Obama

91. “The Muslim call to prayer is one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset.”
— Barack Obama

92. “We are an American family and we rise and fall together as one nation.”
— Barack Obama

93. “The best anti-poverty program is a world-class education.”
— Barack Obama

94. “No religion is responsible for terrorism. People are responsible for violence and terrorism.”
— Barack Obama

95. “My fellow Americans, we are and always will be a nation of immigrants. We were strangers once, too.”
— Barack Obama

96. “The role of citizen in our democracy does not end with your vote.”
— Barack Obama

97. “When times change, so must we.”
— Barack Obama

98. “Young men need to show women the respect they deserve and recognize sexual assault and to do their part to stop it.”
— Barack Obama

99. “Every single American – gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual, transgender – every single American deserves to be treated equally in the eyes of the law and in the eyes of our society. It’s a pretty simple proposition.”
— Barack Obama

100. “Peace depends upon compromise among peoples who must live together long after our speeches are over, and our votes have been counted.”
— Barack Obama

101. “No matter how much you’ve done, or how successful you’ve been, there’s always more to do, more to learn, more to achieve.”
— Barack Obama

102. “Life takes its own turns, makes its own demands, writes its own story, and along the way, we start to realize we are not the author.”
— Barack Obama

103. “Higher education cannot be a luxury reserved just for a privileged few. It is an economic necessity for every family. And every family should be able to afford it.”
— Barack Obama

104. “Why can’t I just eat my waffle?”
— Barack Obama

105. “Our nation owes a debt to its fallen heroes that we can never fully repay, but we can honor their sacrifice.”
— Barack Obama

106. “Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation.”
— Barack Obama

107. “Slowly, but surely, we are moving in the right direction. We’re on the right track. The economy is getting stronger.”
— Barack Obama

108. “We are the change we have been waiting for.”
— Barack Obama

109. “I accept that people are going to call me awful things every day, and I will always defend their right to do so.”
— Barack Obama

110. “No party has a monopoly on wisdom. No democracy works without compromise.”
— Barack Obama

111. “At the moment that we persuade a child, any child, to cross that threshold, that magic threshold into a library, we change their lives forever, for the better.”
— Barack Obama

112. “The sweetest sound I know is the Muslim call to prayer.”
— Barack Obama

113. “I think that leadership more than anything is about setting a course and describing a vision for people.”
— Barack Obama

114. “We may come from different places and have different stories, but we share common hopes, and one very American dream.”
— Barack Obama

115. “I face the world as it is and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people. For make no mistake, evil does exist in the world.”
— Barack Obama

116. “But what we can do, as flawed as we are, is still see God in other people, and do our best to help them find their own grace. That’s what I strive to do, that’s what I pray to do every day.”
— Barack Obama

117. “Weapons of war have no place on our streets.”
— Barack Obama

118. “If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our Democracy; Tonight is your answer.”
— Barack Obama

119. “I’m convinced that a world in which girls are educated is a safer, more stable, more prosperous place.”
— Barack Obama

120. “We long for unity, but are unwilling to pay the price. But of course, true unity cannot be so easily won. It starts with a change in attitudes – a broadening of our minds, and a broadening of our hearts.”
— Barack Obama

121. “Empowering women isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s the smart thing to do.”
— Barack Obama

122. “Money is not the only answer, but it makes a difference.”
— Barack Obama

123. “We don’t quit. I don’t quit. Let’s seize this moment.”
— Barack Obama

124. “Unless you’re one of the first Americans, a Native American, you came from someplace else. Somebody brought you.”
— Barack Obama

125. “We will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over the centuries to shape the world – including in my own country.”
— Barack Obama

126. “In our household, the Bible, the Koran and the Bhagavad Gita sat on the shelf alongside books of Greek and Norse and African mythology.”
— Barack Obama

127. “For the sake of our children and our future, we must do more to combat climate change.”
— Barack Obama

128. “Turns out I’m really good at killing people. Didn’t know that was gonna be a strong suit of mine.”
— Barack Obama

129. “That is why we fight – in hopes of a day when we no longer need to.”
— Barack Obama

130. “I’m always suspicious of politics dividing people instead of bringing them together.”
— Barack Obama

131. “My relationship with Silicon Valley and the tech community historically has been really good. Many of these folks are my friends.”
— Barack Obama

132. “Greatness is never free; it must be earned.”
— Barack Obama

133. “The future must not belong to those who bully women. It must be shaped by girls who go to school and those who stand for a world where our daughters can live their dreams just like our sons.”
— Barack Obama

134. “To keep Nigeria ONE, is a task that must be DONE…”
— Barack Obama

135. “Of all the rocks upon which we build our lives, we are reminded today that family is the most important.”
— Barack Obama

136. “America’s nurses are the beating heart of our medical system.”
— Barack Obama

137. “On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.”
— Barack Obama

138. “Each of us deserves the freedom to pursue our own version of happiness. No one deserves to be bullied.”
— Barack Obama

139. “A low-carbon, clean energy economy can be an engine of growth for decades to come.”
— Barack Obama

140. “When we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together.”
— Barack Obama

141. “We remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are and forever will be the United States of America.”
— Barack Obama

142. “The terms of peace may be negotiated by political leaders, but the fate of peace is up to each of us.”
— Barack Obama

143. “We need to internalize this idea of excellence. Not many folks spend a lot of time trying to be excellent.”
— Barack Obama

144. “No discrimination, that’s what we’re about as a country.”
— Barack Obama

145. “You Can’t Rest on Your Laurels. Your Own Body of Work Is Yet to Come.”
— Barack Obama

146. “I’m inspired by my own children, how full they make my heart. They make me want to work to make the world a little bit better. And they make me want to be a better man.”
— Barack Obama

147. “I believe that this country succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot, when everyone does their fair share, when everyone plays by the same rules.”
— Barack Obama

148. “We know that education is everything to our children’s future. We know that they will no longer just compete for good jobs with children from Indiana, but children from India and China and all over the world.”
— Barack Obama

149. “We honor those who walked so we could run. We must run so our children soar. And we will not grow weary.”
— Barack Obama

150. “The journey will be difficult. The road will be long. I face this challenge with profound humility, and knowledge of my own limitations. But I also face it with limitless faith in the capacity of the American people.”
— Barack Obama

151. “Just because we have the best hammer does not mean that every problem is a nail.”
— Barack Obama

152. “Change doesn’t come from Washington. Change comes to Washington.”
— Barack Obama

153. “The surest path to success is to surround yourself with brilliant women.”
— Barack Obama

154. “We must carry forward the work of the women who came before us and ensure out daughters have no limits on their dreams, no obstacles to their achievements and no remaining ceilings to shatter.”
— Barack Obama

155. “Don’t just buy a new video game. Make one.”
— Barack Obama

156. “We are at a time in our country’s history that inclusive language is better than exclusive language.”
— Barack Obama

157. “The biggest deficit that we have in our society and in the world right now is an empathy deficit. We are in great need of people being able to stand in somebody else’s shoes and see the world through their eyes.”
— Barack Obama

158. “Do something, Congress. Do anything.”
— Barack Obama

159. “If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life.”
— Barack Obama

160. “Let me tell your something. I’m from Chicago. I don’t break.”
— Barack Obama

161. “Contrary to the rumors you have heard, I was not born in a manger. I was actually born on Krypton and sent here by my father, Jor-El, to save the planet Earth.”
— Barack Obama

162. “Through words he gave voice to the voiceless. Through deeds he gave courage to the faint of heart.”
— Barack Obama

163. “The best education I received was working with people in the community on a grassroots basis. Because what it taught me was that ordinary people, when they are working together can do extraordinary things.”
— Barack Obama

164. “In this new, hyper competitive age, none of us, none of us can afford to be complacent.”
— Barack Obama

165. “Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.”
— Barack Obama

166. “A nation that can’t control its energy sources can’t control its future.”
— Barack Obama

167. “To restore America’s competitiveness, we must recruit a new generation of science and technology leaders by investing in diversity.”
— Barack Obama

168. “The window is closing.”
— Barack Obama

169. “We may not be able to stop evil in the world, but how we treat one another is entirely up to us.”
— Barack Obama

170. “No one is exempt from the call to find common ground.”
— Barack Obama

171. “We live in a culture that discourages empathy. A culture that too often tells us our principle goal in life is to be rich, thin, young, famous, safe, and entertained.”
— Barack Obama

172. “We’re all in this together. That’s how we campaigned, and that’s who we are. This happened because of you. Thank you.”
— Barack Obama

173. “Democracy cannot be imposed on any nation from the outside. Each society must search for its own path, and no path is perfect.”
— Barack Obama

174. “Global warming is not just the greatest environmental challenge facing our planet – it is one of our greatest challenges of any kind.”
— Barack Obama

175. “Women deserve equal pay for equal work.”
— Barack Obama

176. “Hope is the bedrock of this nation. The belief that our destiny will not be written for us, but by us, by all those men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is, who have the courage to remake the world as it should be.”
— Barack Obama

177. “Libraries have a special role to play in our knowledge economy. Your institutions have been and should be a place where parents and children come to read together and learn together. We should take our kids there more.”
— Barack Obama

178. “Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values.”
— Barack Obama

179. “Africa is on the move; a new Africa is emerging!”
— Barack Obama

180. “Lord Bendtner is the best player of all times.”
— Barack Obama

181. “Generally, the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties, says what the states can’t do to you. Says what the federal government can’t do to you. But it doesn’t say what the state or federal government must do on your behalf.”
— Barack Obama

182. “I try never to get too high when things are going well. I try never to get too low when things are going poorly. I try to keep an even keel.”
— Barack Obama

183. “We are a nation of laws.”
— Barack Obama

184. “There’s no straight line to progress.”
— Barack Obama

185. “In a global economy where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity – it is a prerequisite.”
— Barack Obama

186. “My second piece of advice is to stay global. As the world continues to change and we become more connected to each other, globalization will bring both benefits and disruptions to our lives. But either way, it’s here, and it’s not going away.”
— Barack Obama

187. “We are defined not by our borders but by our bonds.”
— Barack Obama

188. “And Joe Biden, thank you for being the best Vice President I could ever hope for.”
— Barack Obama

189. “While freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by his people here on earth.”
— Barack Obama

190. “The biggest challenge, I think, is always maintaining your moral compass.”
— Barack Obama

191. “Never read Who Moved My Cheese in the workplace when you can read The Joy of Not Working.”
— Barack Obama

192. “The elevation of appearance over substance, of celebrity over character, of short term gains over lasting achievement displays a poverty of ambition. It distracts you from what’s truly important.”
— Barack Obama

193. “You can’t always come up with the optimal solution, but you can usually come up with a better solution.”
— Barack Obama

194. “A child’s course in life should be determined not by the zip code she’s born in, but by the strength of her work ethic and the scope of her dreams.”
— Barack Obama

195. “Don’t shortchange the future, because of fear in the present.”

— Barack Obama

196. “We can’t expect to solve problems if all we do is tear each other down. You can disagree with a certain policy without demonizing the person who espouses it.”
— Barack Obama

197. “Change we need.”
— Barack Obama

198. “Don’t ever let anybody tell you that your efforts don’t matter or that your voice doesn’t count. Don’t ever believe that you can’t make a difference. You have.”
— Barack Obama

199. “My first job is to say thank you to those who voted me. Those who didn’t, I’m going to get your vote next time.”
— Barack Obama

200. “Peace is not merely the absence of visible conflict. Only a just peace based on the inherent rights and dignity of every individual can truly be lasting.”
— Barack Obama