Looking for the best and inspirational Barack Obama quotes?
Barack Obama served as 44th President of the United States. He took over the office in 2009 from George W. Bush and served until 2017. His presidency is considered one of the most important, successful, and historic presidencies in US history.
Obama had a difficult childhood, but he attended an elite university on scholarship. Once finishing school, he moved to Chicago, where he taught law and headed up a non-profit organization for low-income families while working as a civil rights lawyer for ten years. After that, Obama became involved with politics by being elected as Illinois’ state senator in 1996 and then President of that state’s senate from 1997-2004.
He was elected as the country’s first African American President in 2008 after running against John McCain for the Democratic Party.
Top 29 Most Inspirational Barack Obama Quotes
1. “We need to internalise this idea of excellence. Not many folks spend a lot of time trying to be excellent.” ― Barack Obama
2. “Money is not the only answer, but it makes a difference.” ― Barack Obama
3. “If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.” ― Barack Obama
4. “We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.” ― Barack Obama
5. “You can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time.” ― Barack Obama
6. “We see the future not as something out of our control, but as something we can shape for the better through concerted and collective effort.” ― Barack Obama
7. “Today we are engaged in a deadly global struggle for those who would intimidate, torture, and murder people for exercising the most basic freedoms. If we are to win this struggle and spread those freedoms, we must keep our own moral compass pointed in a true direction.” ― Barack Obama
8. “In a world of complex threats, our security and leadership depends on all elements of our power – including strong and principled diplomacy.” ― Barack Obama
9. “I think what you’re seeing is a profound recognition on the part of the American people that gays and lesbians and transgender persons are our brothers, our sisters, our children, our cousins, our friends, our co-workers, and that they’ve got to be treated like every other American. And I think that principle will win out.” ― Barack Obama
10. “Nothing in life that’s worth anything is easy.” ― Barack Obama
11. “If you work hard and meet your responsibilities, you can get ahead, no matter where you come from, what you look like, or who you love.” ― Barack Obama
12. “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or if we wait for some time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.” ― Barack Obama
13. “Some things are beyond my control. For example, this whole controversy about Jay-Z going to Cuba – it’s unbelievable! I’ve got 99 problems, now Jay-Z is one.” ― Barack Obama
14. “Progress will come in fits and starts. It’s not always a straight line. It’s not always smooth path.” ― Barack Obama
15. “If we think we can just use the same partisan playbook where we just challenge our opponent’s patriotism to win an election, then the American people will lose. The times are too serious for this kind of politics.” ― Barack Obama
16. “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
17. “Focussing 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 realise your true potential.” ― Barack Obama
18. “When we don’t pay close attention to the decisions made by our leaders, when we fail to educate ourselves about the major issues of the day, when we choose not to make our voices and opinions heard, that’s when democracy breaks down. That’s when power is abused. That’s when the most extreme voices in our society fill the void that we leave. That’s when powerful interests and their lobbyists are most able to buy access and influence in the corridors of power – because none of us are there to speak up and stop them.” ― Barack Obama
19. “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.” ― Barack Obama
20. “We did not come to fear the future. We came here to shape it.” ― Barack Obama
21. “One voice can change a room.” ― Barack Obama
22. “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.” ― Barack Obama
23. “In a world of complex threats, our security and leadership depend on all elements of our power – including strong and principled diplomacy.” ― Barack Obama
24. “Hope is the bedrock of this nation; the belief that our destiny will not be written for us, but by us.” ― Barack Obama
25. “If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep on walking, eventually you’ll make progress.” ― Barack Obama
26. “The shift to a cleaner energy economy won’t happen overnight, and it will require tough choices along the way. But the debate is settled. Climate change is a fact.” ― Barack Obama
27. “You can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time.” ― Barack Obama
28. “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
29. “The cynics may be the loudest voices — but I promise you, they will accomplish the least.” ― Barack Obama
