Quotessence
Home / Authors / Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama Quotes

Former First Lady of the United States

Filter quotes by topic

AllPeopleKidsKnowsChildrenWantCountryBarackThinkingIfsFeelsChild ObesityGirlNeedsImportantObesityCommunityFirstsWayYearsHusband

Famous Michelle Obama Quotes

“What I know for sure is that all the sacrifice and challenges we face are worth it if we're creating a better future for our kids. I just think if the adults are always thinking about the world we want to leave for our kids, we're going to make the right choices every single time.”

IfsThinkingKnowsWorldWantKidsFacesChoicesChallengesSacrificeCreatingAdultsWorth ItBetter FutureAlways ThinkingRight ChoicesMake The Right ChoiceChallenges We Face
Author:Michelle Obama
Create image

“We have to design policies that have meaningful impacts on the quality of life of women and families. And that's something that I know I can speak passionately about because whether I'm in the White House as First Lady, as long as I have kids and I'm trying to have a life, I'm gonna be trying to make this balance work...”

KnowsTryingFirstsLongI CanKidsHouseSpeakWhiteQualityPolicyDesignBalanceImpactMeaningfulWhite HouseQuality Of LifeFirst Lady
Author:Michelle Obama
Create image

“You know, you have to start with hope...you don't get anywhere in this country without hope. So it's a necessity. What Barack says is that people have to understand hope isn't just blind optimism. It isn't passive. It isn't just sitting there waiting for things to get better. Hope is the vision that you have to have. It's the inspiration that moves people into action...There are more people engaged in this political process in this year than we've seen in my lifetime. And it is all because of hope because people believe in the possibility of something unseen.”

PeopleKnowsYearsBelieveCountryInspirationActionMovingPoliticalWaitingProcessVisionPossibilitySittingOptimismBlindLifetimeBarackGet BetterEngagedPassiveUnseenWithout HopeBlind Optimism
Author:Michelle Obama
Create image

“I come here today as a Christian, a person of faith who believes we've all been called to serve our fellow men and women and to honor God's creation. We want our girls to know right from wrong, to always tell the truth, to treat people no matter who they are with dignity and respect, no matter how different they may seem...because we want our girls to know we are all God's children and there's so much more that unites than divides us.”

PeopleKnowsMenWantBelieveMayChildrenPersonsDifferentMatterSeemsTodayChristianGirlCreationHonorMen And WomenDignityTreatsFellowsTelling The TruthDividesFellow ManGod's CreationDignity And Respect
Author:Michelle Obama
Create image

“During the first campaign, one of my jobs as my husband's spouse was to travel around the country and really listen to women. There were voices that were new to me: the voices of military spouses, many of them women, and veterans.... I was overwhelmed by their challenges, and the notion that we as a country don't even know that these women exist, because we live in a country where one percent of the population protects the rights and freedoms of the other 99 percent of us. I thought that if I had the opportunity to serve as First Lady, I was going to use this platform to be their voice.”

IfsKnowsFirstsCountryUseJobsOpportunityVoiceChallengesRightsMilitaryProtectHusbandPercentNotionPopulationCampaignsMy HusbandPlatformsSpouseVeteranOverwhelmedFirst LadyRights And FreedomsMilitary Spouse
Author:Michelle Obama
Create image

“We got a commitment that 3 million nurses are going to be trained to better identify these signs [of PTSD], because, you know, when these troops come home and they become veterans and they go back into the civilian community, they're not always going through the VA system for medical care. They're going to show up at community hospitals and clinics.”

KnowsShowsHomeCareCommunityMillionsCommitmentMedicalComing HomeHospitalsNurseTroopsVeteranPtsdCiviliansClinicMedical Care
Author:Michelle Obama
Create image

“I mean, let's take the average spouse. You know, you show up in an employer's, you know, office, and it's shown that you've changed jobs every two years. Well, to many employers that could be viewed as a red flag. But the truth is, is that you've made those moves because you're serving your country, and each time you've found a career, and you've been able to provide for your family, and you've continued to volunteer, and on and on and on.”

KnowsYearsWellsMeanMadeTwoCountryShowsAbleJobsMovingFoundCareersChangedTruth IsOfficeRedAverageOur FamilyTwo YearsServingFlagsVolunteerSpouseEmployersRed FlagsYou've Changed
Author:Michelle Obama
Create image

“One of the lessons that I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals. And so when I hear about negative and false attacks, I really don't invest any energy in them, because I know who I am.”

KnowsInspirationalEnergyGoalFocusGrewLessonsGrew UpNegativeWho I AmAfrican AmericanBadassSetting GoalsTrue To YourselfStay TrueStay True To YourselfInspirational CelebrityBlack Inspirational
Book:Michelle Obama: In Her Own Words
Create image

“Although the circumstances of our lives may seem very disengaged, with me standing here as the First Lady of the United States of America and you just getting through school, I want you to know we have very much in common. For nothing in my life ever would have predicted that I would be standing here as the first African-American First Lady.”

KnowsWantFirstsMayStatesSeemsWould BeSchoolAmericaUnitedCommonUnited StatesOur LivesCircumstancesStandingAfrican AmericanI Want YouUnited States Of AmericaFirst Lady
Author:Michelle Obama
Create image

“When I get up and work out, I'm working out just as much for my girls as I am for me, because I want them to see a mother who loves them dearly, who invests in them, but who also invests in herself. It's just as much about letting them know as young women that it is okay to put yourself a little higher on your priority list.”

KnowsWantLittlesYoungMotherGirlWomenHigherExerciseDaughterOkayInvestingWork OutListsPrioritiesGet UpAfrican AmericanFitnessYoung WomenMother DaughterMy GirlHealth And FitnessGood Mother
Author:Michelle Obama
Create image

“Fortunately, we have help from the media. I have to say this: I'm very grateful for the support and kindness that we've gotten. People have respected their privacy and in that way, I think, you know, no matter what people may feel about my husband's policies or what have you, they care about children and that's been good to see.”

PeopleThinkingKnowsWayFeelsMayChildrenMatterHelpingCareKindnessSupportMediaPolicyHusbandNo Matter WhatGratefulPrivacyMy Husband
Author:Michelle Obama
Create image

“Barack, like any leader, is human. And, you know, our challenges in this country isn't finding the next person who's gonna deliver us from our own evil. Because our challenges are us. The challenges that this country faces is how are we as individuals in this society gonna change? What are we gonna do differently?”

KnowsInspirationalHumansPersonsCountryFacesEvilNextIndividualChallengesLeadershipBusinessLeaderFindingsBarackThis Society
Author:Michelle Obama
Create image

“Some kids have never seen what a real tomato looks like off the vine. They don't know where a cucumber comes from. And that really affects the way they view food. So a garden helps them really get their hands dirty, literally, and understand the whole process of where their food comes from. And I wanted them to see just how challenging and rewarding it is to grow your own food, so that they would better understand what our farmers are doing every single day across this country and have an appreciation for ... that American tradition of growing our own food and feeding ourselves.”

KnowsWayLooksChildrenRealCountryWholeHelpingHandsKidsWantedGrowsProcessChallengesViewsGrowingGardenTraditionAppreciationDirtyFarmersFeedingObesityVinesTomatoesCucumbersAmerican TraditionChild Obesity
Author:Michelle Obama
Create image

“One of the things I want ... all the kids here to remember, is that these [Major League Soccer] stars were not born superstar athletes ... Many of them started out just like many of you-playing on a team at school, or just kicking a ball around on the playground with their friends. But they stuck with it. And I tell this to my girls all the time. I mean, you get to the point when ... things you enjoy ... start getting hard-that's when you know you're getting good, and you have to stick through it.”

KnowsWantMeanChildrenHardKidsSchoolRememberGirlStarsEnjoyBornTeamMajorsBallsSticksAthleteStuckSoccerLeagueObesityKickingSuperstarPlaygroundsMy GirlMajor LeagueChild Obesity
Author:Michelle Obama
Create image

“We all grew up in communities with grandmothers who cooked two, three vegetables that you had to eat. There was no ifs, ands or buts about it. But that's because many of our grandparents, they had community gardens; there was the vegetable man that came around. There were many other resources that allowed them to have access. So it's not that people don't know or don't want to do the right thing; they just have to have access to the foods that they know will make their families healthier.”

PeopleIfsKnowsMenWantChildrenTwoThreeCommunityGrewGrew UpResourcesGardenAccessRight ThingGrandmotherVegetablesGrandparentObesityChild ObesityCommunity Garden
Author:Michelle Obama
Create image