“I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all those who came before me, and that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.”July 27, 2004Democratic National Convention “My parents shared not only an improbable love; they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or ‘blessed,’ believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success.”July 27, 2004Democratic National Convention “That is the true genius of America, a faith in the simple dreams of its people, the insistence on small miracles.”July 27, 2004Democratic National Convention “We can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all.”July 27, 2004Democratic National Convention “If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.”June 13, 2005Pritzker School of Medicine Commencement “I hope you don’t do what’s easy. I hope you do what’s hard.”June 2, 2006University of Massachusetts at Boston “When you choose to broaden your ambit of concern and empathize with the plight of others, whether they are close friends or distant strangers — it becomes harder not to act; harder not to help.”August 11, 2006Xavier University Commencement “Make this a nation that is worthy of the sacrifices of so many of its citizens.”August 11, 2006Xavier University Commencement “In the face of impossible odds, people who love their country can change it.”February 10, 2007Announcement for President “Beneath all the differences of race and religion, faith and station, we are one people.”February 10, 2007Announcement for President “It’s possible to compromise so long as you know those principles that can never be compromised; and that so long as we’re willing to listen to each other, we can assume the best in people instead of the worst.”February 10, 2007Announcement for President “Let’s be the generation that makes future generations proud of what we did here.”February 10, 2007Announcement for President “We shouldn’t forget that better is not good enough.”March 4, 2007Selma, AL “If you want to change the world, the change has to happen with you first.”March 4, 2007Selma, AL “Don’t let people talk you into doing what’s easy or comfortable. Listen to what’s inside of you and decide what it is that you care about so much that you’re willing to risk it all.”May 19, 2007So. New Hampshire University Commencement “Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it’s not. It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with plenty of failure along the way. The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won’t. It’s whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.”May 19, 2007So. New Hampshire University Commencement “The world doesn’t just revolve around you.”May 19, 2007So. New Hampshire University Commencement “Cultivating empathy, challenging yourself, persevering in the face of adversity – these are qualities that dare us to put away childish things. They are qualities that help us grow.”May 19, 2007So. New Hampshire University Commencement “Challenge yourself.”May 19, 2007So. New Hampshire University Commencement “Maturity does not come from any one occasion — it emerges as a quality of character.”May 19, 2007So. New Hampshire University Commencement “If we’re willing to shoulder each other’s burdens, to take great risks, and to persevere through trial, America will continue its journey towards that distant horizon, and a better day.”May 19, 2007So. New Hampshire University Commencement “Never forget that we have it within our power to shape history in this country.”May 29, 2007University of Iowa “What makes you a man is not the ability to have a child but the courage to raise one.”June 15, 2007Spartanburg, SC “I’m hopeful because I think there’s an awakening taking place in America. People are coming together around a simple truth — that we are all connected, that I am my brother’s keeper; I am my sister’s keeper.”June 23, 2007Hartford, CT “Our kids are why you wake up wondering how you’ll make a difference.”July 5, 2007Philadelphia, PA “Hope is not found in any single ideology — an insistence on doing the same thing with the same result year after year. Hope is found in what works.”July 18, 2007Washington, D.C. “I looked at the world as a young man and I wanted to make a difference.”July 26, 2007Columbia, SC “If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my own life, it’s that when you stop listening to the cynics and start trying to make that difference, extraordinary things can happen.”July 26, 2007Columbia, SC “Throughout America’s story, there have been some generations that just fade into history, and others that have changed the course of that history forever….It is our turn to write a new chapter in the America story.”July 26, 2007Columbia, SC “I’m ready to join you in changing the course that we’re on by bringing a new generation of leadership to the United States of America.”July 26, 2007Columbia, SC “Some like to say this country is divided. But that is not how I choose to see it….I see values that all of us share — values of liberty, equality, and service to a common good and a greater good. I see a flag that we fly with pride.”August 21, 2007Kansas City, MO “I see an America that is the strongest nation in the history of the world — not just because of our arms, but because of the strength of our values, and of the men and women who serve.”August 21, 2007Kansas City, MO “The Americans who fight today believe in this country deeply. And no matter how many you meet, or how many stories of heroism you hear, every encounter reminds you that they are truly special. That through their service, they are living out the ideals that stir so many of us as Americans — pride, duty, and sacrifice.”August 21, 2007Kansas City, MO “I do not accept that the American Dream is a thing of the past.”September 3, 2007Manchester, NH “Hope and change are the story of our country.”September 3, 2007Manchester, NH “Hope and change have been the causes of my life.”September 3, 2007Manchester, NH “This new spirit of responsibility and honesty; of seriousness and sacrifice, starts with you. It starts with millions of people across this country, coming together to demand something better.”September 3, 2007Manchester, NH “I am not just asking you to trust in my ability to change this country – I’m asking you to trust in yourself. In your own instincts. In your own sense of possibility. In your own sense of what’s right. I’m asking you to bet on us, on our capacity to do what previous generations have done – to lift our sights, to join together and forge a better future for our children and grandchildren.”September 3, 2007Manchester, NH “Don’t ever let anyone tell you that change isn’t possible. Don’t let them tell you that speaking out and standing up against injustice is too risky. What’s too risky is keeping quiet. What’s too risky is looking the other way.”September 28, 2007Howard University Convocation “It’s not enough just to look back in wonder of how far we’ve come — I want us to look ahead with a fierce urgency at how far we have left to go. I believe it’s time for this generation to make its own mark — to write our own chapter in the American story.”September 28, 2007Howard University Convocation “I wouldn’t be here if, time and again, the torch had not been passed to a new generation – to unite this country at home, to show a new face of this country to the world.”October 2, 2007Chicago, IL “I am not a perfect man and I won’t be a perfect President. But my own American story tells me that this country moves forward when we cast off our doubts and seek new beginnings. It’s what brought my father across an ocean in search of a dream.”October 2, 2007Chicago, IL “It is time to offer the world a message of hope to counter the prophets of hate.”October 2, 2007Chicago, IL “America is your voice, America is your dream, America is your light of justice.”October 2, 2007Chicago, IL “In the 21st century, progress must mean more than a vote at the ballot box — it must mean freedom from fear and freedom from want.”October 2, 2007Chicago, IL “I am going to ask you to play your part; ask you to stand up; ask you to put your foot firmly into the current of history.”December 5, 2007Mt. Vernon, IA “We need your service, right now, in this moment — our moment — in history. I’m not going to tell you what your role should be; that’s for you to discover.”December 5, 2007Mt. Vernon, IA “The decisions we make today will shape the century that my daughters – and your children – grow up in.”December 5, 2007Mt. Vernon, IA “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.”February 5, 2008Chicago, IL “We are the hope of those boys have little; who’ve been told that they cannot have what they dream; that they cannot be what they imagine. Yes they can.”February 5, 2008Chicago, IL “Even the most painful note can be followed by joy.”February 7, 2008New Orleans, LA “Where else could a young man who grew up herding goats in Kenya get the chance to fulfill his dream of a college education? Where else could he marry a white girl from Kansas whose parents survived war and depression to find opportunity out West? Where else could they have a child who would one day have the chance to run for the highest office in the greatest nation the world has ever known? Where else, but in the United States of America?”March 4, 2008San Antonio, TX “I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton’s Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I’ve gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world’s poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners – an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.”March 18, 2008Philadelphia, PA “This nation is more than the sum of its parts – that out of many, we are truly one.”March 18, 2008Philadelphia, PA “When America leads with principle and pragmatism, hope can triumph over fear. It is time, once again, for America to lead.”March 19, 2008Fayetteville, NC “You know, Dr. King once said that the arc of the moral universe is long, but that it bends toward justice. But what he also knew was that it doesn’t bend on its own. It bends because each of us puts our hands on that arc and bends it in the direction of justice.”April 4, 2008Fort Wayne, IN “My story is a quintessentially American story. It’s the same story that has made this country a beacon for the world — a story of struggle and sacrifice on the part of my forebearers and a story overcoming great odds. I carry that story with me each and every day, it’s why I wake up every day and do this, and it’s why I continue to hold such hope for the future of a country where the dreams of its people have always been possible.”April 15, 2008Washington, PA “I’m a person of deep faith, and my religion has sustained me through a lot in my life.”April 15, 2008Washington, PA “There is a moment in the life of every generation where that spirit of unity and hopefulness has to come through if we’re going to make our mark on history. This is our moment. This is our time.”April 15, 2008Washington, PA “You and I — we’re going to change this country, and we’re going to change this world.”April 15, 2008Washington, PA “Don’t ever forget that you have the power to change this country.”April 22, 2008Evansville, IN “We plan to leave our children and all children a planet that’s safer and a world that still sees America the same way my father saw it from across the ocean — as a beacon of all that is good and all that is possible for all mankind.”April 22, 2008Evansville, IN “I’ve found that while we may have different stories, we hold common hopes. We may not look the same or come from the same place, but we want to move in the same direction — towards a better future for our children and our grandchildren.”May 6, 2008Raleigh, NC “I believe it’s time for America to once again be a place where you can make it if you try.”May 9, 2008Beaverton, OR “Change is coming to America.”May 20, 2008Des Moines, IA “Now understand this — believing that change is possible is not the same as being naive. Go into service with your eyes wide open, for change will not come easily…But I hope you’ll remember, during those times of doubt and frustration, that there is nothing naive about your impulse to change this world.”May 25, 2008Wesleyan University Commencement “There’s no community service requirement in the real world; no one forcing you to care. You can choose to narrow your concerns and live your life in a way that tries to keep your story separate from America’s. But I hope you won’t. Not because you have an obligation to those who are less fortunate, though you do have that obligation. Not because you have a debt to all those who helped you get here, though you do have that debt. It’s because you have an obligation to yourself. Because our individual salvation depends on collective salvation.”May 25, 2008Wesleyan University Commencement “So on this day, of all days, let’s memorialize our fallen heroes by honoring all who wear our country’s uniform; and by completing their work to make America more secure and our world more free. But let’s also do our part — service-member and civilian alike — to live up to the idea that so many of our fellow citizens have consecrated — the idea of America. That is the essence of patriotism.”May 26, 2008Las Cruces, NM “We may call ourselves Democrats and Republicans, but we are Americans first. We are always Americans first.”June 3, 2008St. Paul, MN “In our country, I have found that this cooperation happens not because we agree on everything, but because behind all the labels and false divisions and categories that define us; beyond all the petty bickering and point-scoring in Washington, Americans are a decent, generous, compassionate people, united by common challenges and common hopes. And every so often, there are moments which call on that fundamental goodness to make this country great again.”June 3, 2008St. Paul, MN “If we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on Earth.”June 3, 2008St. Paul, MN “We believe in the country that made it possible for my mother – a single parent who didn’t have much – to send my sister and me to the best schools in the country with the help of scholarships.”June 9, 2008Raleigh, NC “We believe in the country that allowed my father-in-law — a city worker at a water filtration plant on the South Side of Chicago — to provide for his wife and two children on a single salary….His job didn’t just give him a paycheck; it gave him a sense of dignity and self-worth. His country didn’t just reward wealth , but the work and the workers who created it. And that is the America we believe in.”June 9, 2008Raleigh, NC “That’s our most enduring responsibility – the responsibility to future generations. We have to change this country for them. We have to leave them a planet that’s cleaner, a nation that’s safer, and a world that’s more equal and more just.”June 14, 2008Cincinnati, OH “What I’ve realized is that life doesn’t count for much unless you’re willing to do your small part to leave our children — all of our children — a better world. Even if it’s difficult. Even if the work seems great. Even if we don’t get very far in our lifetime. That is our ultimate responsibility as fathers and parents. We try.”June 15, 2008Chicago, IL “I know the toll that being a single parent took on my mother — how she struggled at times to pay the bills; to give us the things that other kids had; to play all the roles that both parents are supposed to play. And I know the toll it took on me. So I resolved many years ago that it was my obligation to break the cycle — that if I could be anything in life, I would be a good father to my girls; that if I could give them anything, I would give them that rock — that foundation — on which to build their lives. And that would be the greatest gift I could offer.”June 15, 2008Chicago, IL “Of all the rocks upon which we build our lives, we are reminded today that family is the most important. And we are called to recognize and honor how critical every father is to that foundation. They are teachers and coaches. They are mentors and role models. They are examples of success and the men who constantly push us toward it.”June 15, 2008Chicago, IL “You know, sometimes I’ll go to an eighth-grade graduation and there’s all that pomp and circumstance and gowns and flowers. And I think to myself, it’s just eighth grade. To really compete, they need to graduate high school, and then they need to graduate college, and they probably need a graduate degree too. An eighth-grade education doesn’t cut it today. Let’s give them a handshake and tell them to get their butts back in the library!”June 15, 2008Chicago, IL “It’s up to us — as fathers and parents — to instill this ethic of excellence in our children. It’s up to us to say to our daughters, don’t ever let images on TV tell you what you are worth, because I expect you to dream without limit and reach for those goals. It’s up to us to tell our sons, those songs on the radio may glorify violence, but in my house we live glory to achievement, self-respect, and hard work. It’s up to us to set these high expectations. And that means meeting those expectations ourselves. That means setting examples of excellence in our own lives.”June 15, 2008Chicago, IL “The final lesson we must learn as fathers is also the greatest gift we can pass on to our children — and that is the gift of hope. I’m not talking about an idle hope that’s little more than blind optimism or willful ignorance of the problems we face. I’m talking about hope as that spirit inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better is waiting for us if we’re willing to work for it and fight for it. If we are willing to believe.”June 15, 2008Chicago, IL “We pass on the values of empathy and kindness to our children by living them.”June 15, 2008Chicago, IL “At critical moments of transition like this one, success has also depended on national leadership that moved the country forward with confidence and a common purpose. That’s what our Founding Fathers did after winning independence, when they tied together the economies of the thirteen states and created the American market….This was leadership that had the strength to turn moments of adversity into opportunity, the wisdom to see a little further down the road, and the courage to challenge conventional thinking and worn ideas so that we could reinvent our economy to seize the future.”June 16, 2008Flint, MI “Every so often, there are times when America must rise to meet a moment. So it has been for the generations that built the railroads and beat back the Depression; that worked on the first assembly line and that went to the moon. So it must be for us today. This is our moment. This is our time to unite in common purpose, to make this century the next American century. Because when Americans come together, there is no destiny too difficult or too distant for us to reach.”June 16, 2008Flint, MI “Throughout our history, it’s been our cities that have helped tell the American story. It was Boston that rose up against an Empire, and Philadelphia where liberty first rung out; it was St. Louis that opened a gateway west, and Houston that launched us to the stars; it was the Motor City that built the middle class; Miami that built a bridge to the Americas; and New York that showed the world one clear September morning that America stands together in times of trial. That’s the proud tradition our cities uphold. That’s the story our cities have helped write.”June 21, 2008Miami, FL “The American story is never static. But as we move from one chapter to the next, we must always remember that our national greatness is advanced when we act on our fundamental goodness.”June 26, 2008Pittsburgh, PA “If we have the courage to commit to change, the American people can not just seize — but shape — the opportunities of the global economy. Together, we can author our own story.”June 26, 2008Pittsburgh, PA “As we begin our fourth century as a nation, it is easy to take the extraordinary nature of America for granted. But it is our responsibility as Americans and as parents to instill that history in our children, both at home and at school….it is up to us to teach them that America has been a force for good in the world, and that other nations and other people have looked to us as the last, best hope of Earth. It is up to us to teach them that it is good to give back to one’s community; that it is honorable to serve in the military; that it is vital to participate in our democracy and make our voices heard.”June 30, 2008Independence, MO “We know that the greatness of this country — its victories in war, its enormous wealth, its scientific and cultural achievements — all result from the energy and imagination of the American people; their toil, drive, struggle, restlessness, humor and quiet heroism.”June 30, 2008Independence, MO “True patriotism cannot be forced or legislated with a mere set of government programs. Instead, it must reside in the hearts of our people, and [be] cultivated in the heart of our culture, and nurtured in the hearts of our children.”June 30, 2008Independence, MO “Patriotism in my mind [is] – not just a love of America in the abstract, but a very particular love for, and faith in, the American people. That is why our heart swells with pride at the sight of our flag; why we shed a tear as the lonely notes of Taps sound.”June 30, 2008Independence, MO “For a young man of mixed race, without firm anchor in any particular community, without even a father’s steadying hand, it is this essential American idea — that we are not constrained by the accident of birth but can make of our lives what we will — that has defined my life, just as it has defined the life of so many other Americans.”June 30, 2008Independence, MO “One of my earliest memories is of sitting on my grandfather’s shoulders and watching the astronauts come to shore in Hawaii. I remember the cheers and small flags that people waved, and my grandfather explaining how we Americans could do anything we set our minds to do. That’s my idea of America.”June 30, 2008Independence, MO “Tomorrow, we’ll mark the 4th of July with barbecues and parades; fireworks and time off with loved ones. We’ll also have the opportunity to give thanks for our troops and veterans. Their sacrifice has made possible the freedom that we enjoy. And keeping faith with those who serve must always be a core American value and a cornerstone of American patriotism. Because America’s commitment to its servicemen and women begins at enlistment, and it must never end.”July 3, 2008Fargo, ND “The brave Americans who fight today believe deeply in their country. And no matter how many you meet, or how many stories of heroism you hear, every encounter reminds us that they are truly special. That through their service, they are living out the ideals that stir so many of us as Americans — pride, duty, and sacrifice.”July 3, 2008Fargo, ND “Together, we’ll turn the page on the failed policies of the past. We’ll bring new energy and new ideas to meet the challenges we face. We’ll ensure that our daughters have the same rights, the same dreams, the same freedom to pursue their version of happiness as our sons.”July 10, 2008New York, NY “As hard as it is for me to be away from my own daughters so much, that’s what I think about when I have the chance to tuck them in at night. How I want my daughters — and all our daughters — to have no limits on their dreams, no obstacles to their achievement, no opportunities beyond their reach.”July 10, 2008Fairfax, VA “Real change is finally giving our kids everything they need to have a fighting chance in today’s world. That begins with recognizing that the single most important factor in determining a child’s achievement is not the color of their skin or where they come from; it’s not who their parents are or how much money they have. It’s who their teacher is…. After all, I have two daughters, I know what their teachers mean to them.”July 13, 2008Chicago, IL “I’ve been working my entire adult life to help build an America where social justice is being served and economic justice is being served; an America where we all have an equal chance to make it if we try. That’s the America I believe in.”July 14, 2008Cincinnati, OH “We all have to do our part to lift up this country.”July 14, 2008Cincinnati, OH “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was but a 26-year old pastor when he led a bus boycott in Montgomery that mobilized a movement. John Lewis was but a 25-year old activist when he faced down billy clubs on the bridge in Selma and helped arouse the conscience of our nation. Diane Nash was even younger when she helped found SNCC and led Freedom Rides down south. And your chairman Julian Bond was but a 25-year old state legislator when he put his own shoulder to the wheel of history. It is because of them; and all those whose names never made it into the history books — those men and women, young and old, black, brown and white, clear-eyed and straight-backed, who refused to settle for the world as it is; who had the courage to remake the world as it should be — that I stand before you tonight as the Democratic nominee for President of the United States of America.”July 14, 2008Cincinnati, OH “Now is the time to join together, through constant cooperation, strong institutions, shared sacrifice, and a global commitment to progress, to meet the challenges of the 21st century. It was this spirit that led airlift planes to appear in the sky above our heads, and people to assemble where we stand today. And this is the moment when our nations — and all nations — must summon that spirit anew.”July 24, 2008Berlin, Germany “This is the moment to begin the work of seeking the peace of a world without nuclear weapons.”July 24, 2008Berlin, Germany “This is the moment to give our children back their future.”July 24, 2008Berlin, Germany “Let us resolve that we will not leave our children a world where the oceans rise and famine spreads and terrible storms devastate our lands.”July 24, 2008Berlin, Germany “This is the moment when we must come together to save this planet.”July 24, 2008Berlin, Germany “We know the difference we can make when we work together to open the doors of opportunity wide enough for everyone to walk through.”August 2, 2008Orlando, FL “We know that the American Dream isn’t something that happens to you — it’s something you strive for and work for and seize with your own two hands. And we’ve got a responsibility as a nation to keep that dream alive for all of our people.”August 2, 2008Orlando, FL “We are Americans. We do the improbable. We beat great odds. We rally together to meet whatever challenge stands in our way. That’s what we’ve always done – and it’s what we must do now. For the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, we must end the age of oil in our time.”August 4, 2008Lansing, MI “Think about when the scientists and engineers told John F. Kennedy that they had no idea how to put a man on the moon, he told them they would find a way. And we found one. Remember how we trained a generation for a new, industrial economy by building a nationwide system of public high schools; how we laid down railroad tracks and highways across an entire continent; how we pushed the boundaries of science and technology to unlock the very building blocks of human life. I ask you to draw hope from the improbable progress this nation has made and look to the future with confidence that we too can meet the great test of our time.”August 4, 2008Lansing, MI “I believe that we have a sacred trust with those who serve in our military. That trust is simple: America will be there for you just as you have been there for America. It’s a trust that begins with enlistment, and it never ends.”August 19, 2008Orlando, FL “This country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that’s not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that’s not what makes us strong. Our universities and our culture are the envy of the world, but that’s not what keeps the world coming to our shores. Instead, it is that American spirit — that American promise — that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.”August 28, 2008Denver, CO “Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility – that’s the essence of America’s promise.”August 28, 2008Denver, CO “Change happens because the American people demand it – because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.”August 28, 2008Denver, CO “Now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day’s work, because I want my daughters to have exactly the same opportunities as your sons.”August 28, 2008Denver, CO “America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone…we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise — that American promise — and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.”August 28, 2008Denver, CO “You see, I wasn’t born with a lot of advantages. But I was given love, and support, and an education that put me on a pathway to success. The same was true for Michelle. She came from a blue-collar family on the south side of Chicago. Even though her father had multiple sclerosis, he went to work every day at the local water filtration plant to support his family. And Michelle and her brother were able to go to a great college, and reach a little further for their dreams.”September 9, 2008Dayton, OH “Imagine a future where our children are more motivated because they aren’t just learning on blackboards but on new whiteboards with digital touch screens; where every student in a classroom has a laptop at their desk; where they don’t just do book reports but design PowerPoint presentations; where they don’t just write papers but build websites; where research isn’t done just by taking a book out of the library but by e-mailing experts in the field; and where teachers are less a source of knowledge than a coach for how best to use it. By fostering innovation, we can help make sure every school in America is a school of the future.”September 9, 2008Dayton, OH “I know that the only reason Michelle and I are where we are today is because this country we love gave us the chance at an education. And the reason I’m running for President is to give every single American that same chance; to give the young sisters out there born with a gift for invention the chance to become the next Orville and Wilbur Wright; to give the young boy out there who wants to create a life-saving cure the chance to become the next Jonas Salk; and to give the child out there whose imagination has been sparked by the wonders of the Internet the chance to become the next Bill Gates.”September 9, 2008Dayton, OH “We need a new vision for a 21st century education — one where we aren’t just supporting existing schools, but spurring innovation; where we’re not just investing more money, but demanding more reform; where parents take responsibility for their children’s success; where our schools and government are accountable for results; where we’re recruiting, retaining, and rewarding an army of new teachers, and students are excited to learn because they’re attending schools of the future; and where we expect all our children not only to graduate high school, but to graduate college and get a good paying job….That’s what we need to be doing — because America isn’t a country that accepts second place.”September 9, 2008Dayton, OH “My own father came here from Kenya so many years ago — because he believed that America was a place where you can make it if you try.”September 10, 2008Washington, D.C. “I come here tonight as the first African American nominee of the Democratic Party because generations before me did that same work to break barriers and open doors. And I hope that because of the work all of you are doing, somewhere in this audience sits the person who will become the first Hispanic President of the United States.”September 10, 2008Washington, D.C. “No matter what our background or where we come from — each of us has the chance to make it if we try.”September 20, 2008Daytona Beach, FL “Growing up, I saw my mother struggle to put herself through school and raise me and my sister on her own. She once had to turn to food stamps, but thanks to student loans, scholarships and a lot of hard work, her kids could attend some of the best schools in the country. I think women like her who work hard and pour everything they’ve got into their kids should be able to pay the bills and get ahead for a change.”September 20, 2008Daytona Beach, FL “I saw my grandmother, who helped raise me, work her way up from the secretarial pool to middle management at a bank. But I also saw her hit a glass ceiling, as men no more qualified than she was moved up the corporate ladder ahead of her. I think women like her should be paid fairly and have the same chance to succeed as everyone else.”September 20, 2008Daytona Beach, FL “I’m standing here today…because of what my mother and grandmother did for me – because of their hard work and sacrifice and unflagging love. That’s why all of us are here today – because of the women who came before us.”September 20, 2008Daytona Beach, FL “I’ve seen my wife, Michelle, the rock of the Obama family, juggling work and parenting with more skill and grace than anyone I know. But I’ve seen how it’s torn at her. How sometimes, when she’s with the girls, she’s worrying about work – and when she’s at work, she’s worried about the girls. Its a feeling I share every day – especially these days, when I’m away so much, out on the campaign trail. And I think it should be a little easier for parents in this country to raise their kids and do their jobs.”September 20, 2008Daytona Beach, FL “Now it’s our turn. It’s our turn to make those sacrifices so the next generation doesn’t have to. Our turn to open the doors of opportunity that our daughters and granddaughters will one day walk through.”September 20, 2008Daytona Beach, FL “I won’t give up until women in this country are paid what they’ve earned, and not a penny less. That’s what change is.”September 20, 2008Daytona Beach, FL “We see the potential for progress every time someone starts a job creating new energy, or an idea carries a community out of poverty; we see it every time a girl walks through the doors of a new school, or a boy lives to see another day because he had a simple net around his bed. These are the dreams that we must make our own.”September 25, 2008New York, NY “We live in a time when our destinies are shared. But our destinies will be written by us, not for us. Now, it falls to us to get to work.”September 25, 2008New York, NY “America prospers when all Americans can prosper.”September 27, 2008Greensboro, NC “In the face of that young student who sleeps just three hours before working the night shift, I think about my mom, who raised my sister and me on her own while she worked and earned her degree; who once turned to food stamps but was still able to send us to the best schools in the country.”September 29, 2008Westminster, CO “Time and again, we’ve battled back from adversity by recognizing that common stake that we have in each other’s success.”September 29, 2008Westminster, CO “At this defining moment, we have the chance to finally stand up and say: enough is enough!”September 29, 2008Westminster, CO “America, together, we cannot fail. Not now.”October 1, 2008La Crosse, WI “Because the fight for American manufacturing is the fight for America’s future — and I believe that’s a fight this country will win.”October 2, 2008Grand Rapids, MI “Where I come from, there’s nothing more fundamental than having the sense of meaning and purpose that comes with showing up at work in the morning. There’s nothing more fundamental than being able to put your kids through college, or having health care when you get sick, or being able to retire with security. There’s nothing more fundamental than a good paying job.”October 3, 2008Abington, PA “There is no real separation between Main Street and Wall Street. There is only the road we’re traveling on as Americans — and we will rise or fall on that journey as one nation; as one people.”October 3, 2008Abington, PA “I know we can do this. I know what we can accomplish when we come together.”October 4, 2008Newport News, VA “I think it’s time we started putting the health of our families before the profits of our insurance companies.”October 5, 2008Asheville, NC “The question isn’t how we can afford to focus on health care — but how we can afford not to.”October 5, 2008Asheville, NC “You have my word that I will never back down, I will never give up, I will never stop fighting until we have fixed our health care system and no family ever has to go through what you’re going through, and my mother went through, and so many people go through every day in this country. That is my promise to you.”October 5, 2008Asheville, NC “This is not a time for ideology — it’s a time for common sense and a politics of pragmatism. The test of an idea must not be whether it is liberal or conservative — the test should be whether it works for the American people.”October 10, 2008Chillicothe, OH “Now is not the time for fear. Now is not the time for panic. Now is the time for resolve and steady leadership. We can meet this moment.”October 10, 2008Chillicothe, OH “I will not allow countries to out-teach us today so they can out-compete us tomorrow. It is time to provide every American with a world-class education.”October 10, 2008Chillicothe, OH “Together, we cannot fail. Together, we can overcome the broken policies and divided politics of the last eight years. Together, we can renew an economy that rewards work and rebuilds the middle class. Together, we can create millions of new jobs, and deliver on the promise of health care you can afford and education that helps your kids compete. We can do this if we come together; if we have confidence in ourselves and each other; if we look beyond the darkness of the day to the bright light of hope that lies ahead. Together, we can change this country and change this world.”October 10, 2008Chillicothe, OH “We need policies that grow our economy from the bottom up, so that every American, everywhere has the chance to get ahead. Not just corporate CEOs, but their secretaries too. Not just the person who owns the factory, but the men and women who work on its floor. These are the Americans I’m standing with. These are the folks I’m fighting for. That’s the kind of leadership I’m offering. That’s what I mean when I talk about change.”October 11, 2008Philadelphia, PA “I believe in the American people and what we can do together.”October 11, 2008Philadelphia, PA “We can restore a sense of fairness and balance that will give every American a fair shot at the American Dream.”October 13, 2008Toledo, OH “You need leadership in Washington that’s looking out for you — for the services you count on; for the jobs that our economy needs; for the change that will help the middle class.”October 15, 2008Londonderry, NH “The future that you and I seek for our children is too important to let up now. The time for change has come.”October 18, 2008St. Louis, MO “There’s nothing more fundamental than the American Dream.”October 23, 2008Indianapolis, IN “We are the United States of America. We are a nation that’s faced down war and depression; great challenges and great threats. And at each and every moment, we have risen to meet these challenges — not as Democrats, not as Republicans, but as Americans. With resolve. With confidence. With that fundamental belief that here in America, our destiny is not written for us, but by us.”October 25, 2008Reno, NV “I ask you to believe — to believe in yourselves, in each other, and in the future we can build together. Together, we cannot fail.”October 25, 2008Reno, NV “We still have the most talented, most productive workers of any country on Earth. We’re still home to innovation and technology, colleges and universities that are the envy of the world. Some of the biggest ideas in history have come from our small businesses and our research facilities. So there’s no reason we can’t make this century another American century.”October 29, 2008Raleigh, NC “I ask you to believe — not just in my ability to bring about change, but in yours.”November 3, 2008Jacksonville, FL “In the places I have gone and the people I have met, I have been struck again and again by the fundamental decency and generosity and dignity of men and women who work hard without complaint, to meet their responsibilities every day.”November 3, 2008Manassas, Prince William County, VA “One voice can change a room. And if a voice can change a room, it can change a city, and if it can change a city, it can change a state, and if it can change a state, it can change a nation, and if it can change a nation, it can change the world.”November 3, 2008Manassas, Prince William County, VA “We can argue and debate our positions passionately, but all of us must summon the strength and grace to bridge our differences and unite in common effort.”November 3, 2008Manassas, Prince William County, VA “I come away with an unyielding belief that if we only had a government as responsible as all of you, as compassionate as the American people, that there is no obstacle that we can’t overcome.”November 3, 2008Manassas, Prince William County, VA “There is no destiny that we cannot fulfill.”November 3, 2008Manassas, Prince William County, VA “America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.”November 4, 2008Election Night Victory Speech “It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.”November 4, 2008Election Night Victory Speech “The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America — I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you — we as a people will get there.”November 4, 2008Election Night Victory Speech “This is our moment. This is our time — to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth — that out of many, we are one; that 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.”November 4, 2008Election Night Victory Speech “Let us remember…in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.”November 4, 2008Election Night Victory Speech “America is a great nation precisely because Americans have been willing to stand up when it was hard; to give when they had little left to give; to rise above moments of great challenge and terrible trial.”January 19, 2009Washington, D.C. “Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake.”January 20, 2009Inaugural Address “Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.”January 20, 2009Inaugural Address “Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.”January 20, 2009Inaugural Address “Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.”January 20, 2009Inaugural Address “Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history.”January 20, 2009Inaugural Address “We can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.”January 20, 2009Inaugural Address “What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task. This is the price and the promise of citizenship.”January 20, 2009Inaugural Address “In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned.”January 20, 2009Inaugural Address “America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.”January 20, 2009Inaugural Address “On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.”January 21, 2009Washington, D.C. “Now is the time to meet the challenge at this crossroad of history by choosing a future that is safer for our country, prosperous for our planet, and sustainable.”January 26, 2009Washington, D.C. “Equal pay is by no means just a women’s issue — it’s a family issue.”January 29, 2009Washington, D.C. “You look at your children and you know that they’re looking back at you and they’re saying, ‘You’re going to take care of me, aren’t you?’ That’s our job, to keep them healthy and to keep them safe, and to let them dream as big as their dreams will take them.”February 4, 2009Washington, D.C. “In a world that grows smaller by the day, perhaps we can begin to crowd out the destructive forces of zealotry and make room for the healing power of understanding. This is my hope.”February 5, 2009Washington, D.C. “I was not raised in a particularly religious household. I had a father who was born a Muslim but became an atheist, grandparents who were non-practicing Methodists and Baptists, and a mother who was skeptical of organized religion, even as she was the kindest, most spiritual person I’ve ever known. She was the one who taught me as a child to love, and to understand, and to do unto others as I would want done.”February 5, 2009Washington, D.C. “Instead of driving us apart, our varied beliefs can bring us together to feed the hungry and comfort the afflicted; to make peace where there is strife and rebuild what has broken; to lift up those who have fallen on hard times. This is not only our call as people of faith, but our duty as citizens of America.”February 5, 2009Washington, D.C. “The particular faith that motivates each of us can promote a greater good for all of us.”February 5, 2009Washington, D.C. “Everything we do and everything I do is subject to improvement. Michelle reminds me every day how imperfect I am.”February 5, 2009Williamsburg, VA “While each of us must do our part, work as hard as we can, and be as responsible as we can — in the end, there are certain things we cannot do on our own. There are certain things we can only do together.”February 12, 2009Washington, D.C. “Only by coming together, all of us, and expressing that sense of shared sacrifice and responsibility — for ourselves and one another — can we do the work that must be done in this country. That is the very definition of being American.”February 12, 2009Washington, D.C. “We are the United States of America and there isn’t any dream beyond our reach, any obstacle that can stand in our way, when we recognize that our individual liberty is served, not negated, by a recognition of the common good.”February 12, 2009Washington, D.C. “That, above all, is the true purpose of our government. Not to guarantee our success, but to ensure that in America, all things are still possible for all people. Not to solve all our problems, but to ensure that we all have the chance to pursue our own version of happiness.”March 11, 2009Washington, D.C. “We are a nation built on the strength of individual initiative.”March 14, 2009Washington, D.C. “Small businesses are the heart of the American economy….they’re also at the heart of the American Dream. After all, these are businesses born in family meetings around kitchen tables. They’re born when a worker takes a chance on her desire to be her own boss. They’re born when a part-time inventor becomes a full-time entrepreneur, or when somebody sees a product that could be better or a service that could be smarter, and they think, ‘Well, why not me? Let me try it. Let me take my shot.’”March 16, 2009Washington, D.C. “I want to say to every American running a small business or hoping to run a small business one day: You deserve a chance. America needs you to have that chance.”March 16, 2009Washington, D.C. “This is America’s story — a place where we believe all things are possible; where we are limited only by our willingness to take a chance and work hard to achieve our dreams.”March 16, 2009Washington, D.C. “I can promise you this, – there will be brighter days ahead.”March 18, 2009Costa Mesa, CA “I didn’t come here to pass on our problems to the next President or the next generation — I came here to solve them.”March 21, 2009Washington, D.C. “Our future is what we build it to be.”March 23, 2009Washington, D.C. “While our government can provide every opportunity imaginable for us to serve our communities, it is up to each of us to seize those opportunities. To do our part to lift up our fellow Americans. To realize our own true potential.”March 26, 2009Washington, D.C. “We are grateful to all those who wear the uniform of our Armed Forces and serve and sacrifice on behalf of our great nation. Members of our Armed Forces hold themselves to the highest standards and set an example of responsibility to one another and to the country that should inspire all Americans to serve a purpose greater than themselves.”March 26, 2009Arlington National Cemetery “While our government can provide every opportunity imaginable for us to serve our communities, it is up to each of us to seize those opportunities. To do our part to lift up our fellow Americans. To realize our own true potential.”March 27, 2009Washington, D.C. “Whether it’s helping to reduce the energy we use, cleaning up a neighborhood park, tutoring in a local school, or volunteering in countless other way, individual citizens can make a big difference.”March 28, 2009Washington, D.C. “As Americans, we possess few blessings greater than the vast and varied landscapes that stretch the breadth of our continent. Our lands have always provided great bounty — food and shelter for the first Americans, for settlers and pioneers; the raw materials that grew our industry; the energy that powers our economy. What these gifts require in return is our wise and responsible stewardship.”March 30, 2009Washington, D.C. “We exercise our leadership best when we are listening.”April 2, 2009London, United Kingdom “In the end, we recognize that no corner of the globe can wall itself off from the threats of the twenty-first century, or from the needs and concerns of fellow nations. The only way forward is through shared and persistent efforts to combat fear and want wherever they exist. That is the challenge of our time. And if we move forward with courage and resolve, I am confident that we will meet this challenge.”April 4, 2009Air Force One “The idea is that you lay the groundwork and slowly, over time, if you make small efforts, they can add up into big efforts.”April 7, 2009Istanbul, Turkey “I thnk the most important thing to start with is dialogue. When you have a chance to meet people from other cultures and other countries, and you listen to them and you find out that, even though you may speak a different language or you may have a different religious faith, it turns out that you care about your family, you have your same hopes about being able to have a career that is useful to the society, you hope that you can raise a family of your own, and that your children will be healthy and have a good education – that all those things that human beings all around the world share are more important than the things that are different.”April 7, 2009Istanbul, Turkey “If we don’t try, if we don’t reach high, then we won’t make any progress.”April 7, 2009Istanbul, Turkey “For it is only when people come together, and seek common ground, that some of that mistrust can begin to fade. And that is where progress begins.”April 11, 2009Washington, D.C.