Quotessence
Home / Authors / Barack Obama
Barack Obama

Barack Obama Quotes

44th U.S. President

Filter quotes by topic

AllPeopleThinkingIfsAmericaWorldCountryStatesPresidentKnowsWantUnitedWayUnited StatesYearsNationsBelieveShouldEconomyNeedsHas Beens

Famous Barack Obama Quotes

“While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect.”

WayLongStillsNationsIssuesRightsCitizensPromiseGayDignitySeekingCoreWho We AreLgbtDividesFoundingLong WayRiotDignity And Respect
Author:Barack Obama
Create image

“The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition, we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries, we must claim its promise. That's how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure-our forests and waterways, our crop lands and snow-capped peaks. That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God. That's what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared.”

LongSometimesGodCareJobsAmericaScienceFatherEnergyNationsDifficultTechnologyPowerPathEconomicLandPlanetsSourceIndustryPromiseClaimsTreasureSnowForestsPreservesTransitionCreedsVitalityOur PlanetOur FatherCropsWill PowerNew JobEnergy SourcesNational TreasureSustainable Energy
Author:Barack Obama
Create image

“I have the authority to address the threat from Isil, but I believe we are strongest as a nation when the president and Congress work together. So I welcome congressional support for this effort in order to show the world that Americans are united in confronting this danger.”

WorldBelieveShowsTogetherOrderI BelieveNationsPresidentUnitedEffortSupportDangerAuthorityThreatCongressWelcomeAddressesWorking TogetherStrongestConfrontingSafe HavenIsil
Author:Barack Obama
Create image

“That is the difference we make in the world. And our own safety, our own security, depends upon our willingness to do what it takes to defend this nation and uphold the values that we stand for - timeless ideals that will endure long after those who offer only hate and destruction have been vanquished from the Earth.”

WorldLongHas BeensEarthValuesHateNationsDifferencesSecurityDependsOffersIdealsDestructionSafetyEndureIslamicWillingnessTimeless
Author:Barack Obama
Create image

“It's harder to end a war than begin one. Indeed, everything that American troops have done in Iraq -- all the fighting and all the dying, the bleeding and the building, and the training and the partnering -- all of it has led to this moment of success. Now, Iraq is not a perfect place. It has many challenges ahead. But we're leaving behind a sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq, with a representative government that was elected by its people. We're building a new partnership between our nations.”

PeopleWarEndsSelfDoneMomentsGovernmentFightingNationsChallengesPerfectBehindsDyingBuildingTrainingHarderLeavingIraqStablePartnershipTroopsRepresentativesSovereignBleedingIraq WarSelf ReliantAmerican TroopsRepresentative GovernmentPartnering
Author:Barack Obama
Create image

“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.”

WorldGivingCharacterSpiritNationsDifficultResponsibilityAcceptingEnvironmentDutyPromiseTasksRecognitionErasFirmSatisfyingCitizenshipDefiningNew EraInaugurationInauguralDifficult Tasks
Author:Barack Obama
Create image

“On my recent trip to Israel, I had the opportunity to visit Yad Vashem, Israel's national Holocaust memorial, and reaffirm our collective responsibility to confront anti-Semitism, prejudice, and intolerance across the world. On this Yom Hashoah, we must accept the full responsibility of remembrance, as nations and as individuals-not simply to pledge "never again," but to commit ourselves to the understanding, empathy and compassion that is the foundation of peace and human dignity.”

WorldHumansOpportunityIndividualNationsUnderstandingResponsibilityCompassionAcceptingEmpathyDignityPrejudiceFoundationIsraelCommitCollectivesHolocaustIntoleranceRemembranceMemorialPledgeHuman DignityAnti SemitismCompassion And EmpathyCollective ResponsibilityHolocaust Memorial
Author:Barack Obama
Create image

“To those of you mourn the loss of a loved one today, my heart goes out to you. We remember that the blessings that we enjoy as Americans came at a dear cost. Our nation owes a debt to its fallen heroes that we cannot ever fully repay. But we can honor their sacrifice, and we must. We must honor it in our own lives by holding their memories close to our hearts, and heeding the example they set.”

HeartTodayRememberNationsEnjoyMemoriesLossSacrificeExampleHeroMy HeartHonorBlessingCostDearDebtFallenLive ByLoved OnesMemorialMournMemorial DayLoss Of A Loved OneFallen Hero
Author:Barack Obama
Create image

“Yes, our greatness as a nation has depended on individual initiative, on a belief in the free market. But it has also depended on our sense of mutual regard for each other, of mutual responsibility. The idea that everybody has a stake in the country, that we're all in it together and everybody's got a shot at opportunity. Americans know this. We know that government can't solve all our problems - and we don't want it to. But we also know that there are some things we can't do on our own. We know that there are some things we do better together.”

KnowsWantIdeasCountryProblemGovernmentTogetherOpportunityIndividualBeliefNationsResponsibilityGreatnessShotsRegardSolveMutualCooperationStakesInitiativeCitizenshipFree MarketBetter Together
Book:Barack Obama: Speeches on the Road to the White House
Create image

“For in Asia and around the world, India is not simply emerging; India has already emerged. And it is my firm belief that the relationship between the United States and India - bound by our shared interests and values - will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century. This is the partnership I have come here to build. This is the vision that our nations can realise together.”

WorldStatesTogetherValuesBeliefNationsInterestInspiringUnitedVisionUnited StatesCenturyIndiaBoundsAround The WorldFirmRealisingPartnership21st CenturyAsiaDefiningEmergingFirm Beliefs
Author:Barack Obama
Create image

“But race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now. We would be making the same mistake that Reverend Wright made in his offending sermons about America - to simplify and stereotype and amplify the negative to the point that it distorts reality.”

BelieveMadeRealityWould BeAmericaI BelieveNationsInspiringRaceMistakeIssuesRight NowNegativeStereotypeSermonsSimplifySame MistakesOffendingAmplifyReverendsMaking The Same Mistakes
Author:Barack Obama
Create image

“Ninety-eight percent of all American companies have fewer than 100 employees. Over half of all Americans work for a small business. Small businesses are the backbone of our nation’s economy and we must protect this great resource.....Helping American small business is part of our movement for change and the end of politics as usual.”

EndsHelpingNationsHalfCompanyEconomyMovementProtectPercentResourcesEightEmployeeUsualFewerSmall BusinessNinetyBackboneNinety Eight
Author:Barack Obama
Create image

“We are not a nation that says, 'Don’t ask, don’t tell.' We are a nation that says, 'Out of many, we are one.' We are a nation that welcomes the service of every patriot. We are a nation that believes that all men and women are created equal. Those are the ideals that generations have fought for. Those are the ideals that we upheld today.”

MenBelieveTodayAsksNationsGenerationsEqualMen And WomenIdealsServicePatriotGay Rights
Author:Barack Obama
Create image

“I know that there are those who disagree with the overwhelming scientific evidence on climate change. But here's the thing -- even if you doubt the evidence, providing incentives for energy-efficien cy and clean energy are the right thing to do for our future -- because the nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy. And America must be that nation.”

IfsKnowsAmericaEnergyNationsEconomyDoubtEvidenceCleanClimateClimate ChangeThings To DoRight ThingOur FutureOverwhelmingDisagreeProvidingIncentivesGlobal EconomyClean EnergyScientific Evidence
Author:Barack Obama
Create image

“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. This was the moment - this was the time - when we came together to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves and our highest ideals.”

LooksMayChildrenWarSelfMomentsCareAbleEarthTogetherJobsLastsCertainNationsGenerationsPlanetsOceanHighestIdealsSickOur ChildrenHealJoblessGood JobOur PlanetRemakesSecuredHoping For The BestGreat NationsBest Self
Author:Barack Obama
Create image

“The president does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation. As commander in chief, the president does have a duty to protect and defend the United States. In instances of self-defense, the president would be within his constitutional authority to act before advising Congress or seeking its consent.”

DoeSelfStatesWould BeNationsPresidentUnitedSituationUnited StatesMilitaryDutyProtectAuthorityConstitutionThreatCongressSeekingDefenseInstanceChiefsConsentStoppingCommandersSelf DefenseCommander In Chief
Author:Barack Obama
Create image

“We're leaving behind a sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq with a representative government that was elected by its people. We're building a new partnership between our nations and we are ending a war not with a final battle but with a final march toward home. This is an extraordinary achievement”

PeopleWarSelfHomeGovernmentNationsBehindsBuildingBattleAchievementExtraordinaryFinalsLeavingIraqMarchStablePartnershipRepresentativesSovereignSelf ReliantRepresentative GovernmentExtraordinary Achievement
Author:Barack Obama
Create image

“[The] United States is proud to stand with you as your strongest ally and greatest friend. I see this visit as an opportunity to reaffirm the unbreakable bond between our nations, to restate America's unwavering commitment to Israel's security, and to speak directly to Israel and to your neighbors.”

StatesAmericaOpportunitySpeakNationsUnitedUnited StatesSecurityProudCommitmentIsraelNeighborStrongestAlliesUnwaveringUnbreakableYour StrongUnbreakable Bonds
Author:Barack Obama
Create image

“We don't turn back. We leave no one behind. We pull each other up. We draw strength from our victories, and we learn from our mistakes, but we keep our eyes fixed on that distant horizon, but we keep our eyes fixed on that distant horizon, knowing that Providence is with us, and that we are surely blessed to be citizens of the greatest nation on Earth.”

EyeEarthTurnsNationsBehindsMistakeKnowingVictoryCitizensDrawsBlessedFixedHorizonProvidenceLearning From Our Mistakes
Author:Barack Obama
Create image

“[A] family with two kids that earns the minimum wage still lives below the poverty line. That's wrong. That's why, since the last time this Congress raised the minimum wage, 19 states have chosen to bump theirs even higher. Tonight, let's declare that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty, and raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour.”

ShouldStillsTwoStatesKidsEarthLastsPoliticalNationsHoursLinesPovertyHigherShould HaveRaisesRaisedCongressChosenTonightMinimumLast TimeBumpsMinimum WageStill Life
Author:Barack Obama
Create image

“We need scientists to design new fuels. We need farmers to help grow them. We need engineers to invent new technologies. We need entrepreneurs to sell those technologies. We need workers to operate assembly lines that hum with high-tech, zero-carbon components. We need builders to hammer into place the foundations for a clean energy age. We need diplomats and businessmen and women, and Peace Corps volunteers to help developing nations skip past the dirty phase of development and transition to sustainable sources of energy. In other words, we need you.”

NeedsHelpingAgePastEnergyNationsGrowsLinesTechnologyDesignSourceDevelopmentMen And WomenScientistFoundationSellsEntrepreneurCleanClimateWorkersDevelopingDirtyFuelZeroTransitionFarmersEngineersPhasesVolunteerCarbonBusinessmanComponentsHammersNeed YouAssemblyNew TechnologyBuilderSkipDiplomatsClean EnergyAssembly LinePeace Corps
Author:Barack Obama
Create image

“Yes, this is hard. But there should be no question that the United States of America is stepping up to the plate. We recognize our role in creating this problem; we embrace our responsibility to combat it. We will do our part, and we will help developing nations do theirs. But we can only succeed in combating climate change if we are joined in this effort by every nation - developed and developing alike. Nobody gets a pass.”

IfsShouldHardStatesHelpingProblemAmericaNationsUnitedEffortResponsibilityRolesUnited StatesSucceedCreatingEmbraceClimateClimate ChangeDevelopingCombatPlatesUnited States Of America
Author:Barack Obama
Create image