Barack Obama is not only known for his historic presidency — but also for his eloquence, wisdom, and deep understanding of the complexities of contemporary society.
Obama’s speeches and writings often touch on themes of hope, change, unity, and the ongoing struggle for equality and justice.
His perspective — shaped by a unique personal history and a deep commitment to public service — reflects a belief in the power of democracy and the potential for positive change within each individual.
We’ve curated a selection of Barack Obama’s most impactful quotes. These words capture the essence of his vision for America and the world, offering insights into leadership, perseverance, and the importance of maintaining hope in the face of adversity.
Whether you’re seeking inspiration, guidance, or a deeper understanding of Obama’s views on various issues, these quotes serve as a testament to his enduring influence and legacy.
You might also like: The Best Michelle Obama Quotes
The Best Quotes from Barack Obama
Famous Quotes
“Nothing in life that’s worth anything is easy.”
— Barack Obama
“We need to internalize this idea of excellence. Not many folks spend a lot of time trying to be excellent.”
— Barack Obama
“You can’t let your failures define you. You have to let your failures teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently the next time.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“It’s important to make sure that we’re talking with each other in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds.”
— Barack Obama
“Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“Issues are never simple. One thing I’m proud of is that very rarely will you hear me simplify the issues.”
— Barack Obama
“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, in a speech
“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
“The strongest weapon against hateful speech is not repression; it is more speech — the voices of tolerance that rally against bigotry and blasphemy, and lift up the values of understanding and mutual respect.”
— Barack Obama
On Hope
“What we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it and to work for it and to fight for it.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“Hope is the belief that destiny will not be written for us, but by us, by the men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“Hope — Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope! In the end, that is God’s greatest gift to us… A belief in things not seen. A belief that there are better days ahead.”
— Barack Obama, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
“The absence of hope can rot a society from within.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“I’m not talking about blind optimism, the kind of hope that just ignores the enormity of the tasks ahead or the road blocks that stand in our path. I’m not talking about the wishful idealism that allows us to just sit on the sidelines or shirk from a fight. I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“We choose hope over fear. 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. We reject fatalism or cynicism when it comes to human affairs; we choose to work for the world as it should be, as our children deserve it to be.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“While we breathe, we will hope.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
→ Read more quotes about hope
On Change
“We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“Change doesn’t come from Washington; change comes to Washington.”
— Barack Obama
“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.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“For the sake of our security, our economy and our planet, we must have the courage and commitment to change.”
— Barack Obama
“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
“Change is building an economy that rewards not just wealth, but the work and workers who created it.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“What a vindication of the belief that ordinary people can do extraordinary things, what a reminder of what Bobby Kennedy once said, about how small actions can be like pebbles being thrown into a still lake, and ripples of hope cascade outwards and change the world.”
— Barack Obama
“So don’t let anyone tell you that change is not possible. Don’t let them tell you that standing out and speaking up about injustice is too risky. What’s too risky is keeping quiet. What’s too risky is looking the other way.”
— Barack Obama
“Change won’t come from the top, Change will come from mobilized grassroots.”
— Barack Obama, Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance
“Change is never easy, but always possible.”
— Barack Obama
→ Read more quotes about change
On Action
“We proved that we are still a people capable of doing big things and tackling our biggest challenges.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“The value of social movements and activism is to get you at the table, get you in the room, and then to start trying to figure out how is this problem going to be solved.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“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.”
— Barack Obama
“Either you seize what may turn out to be the only chance you have, or you decide you’re willing to live with the knowledge that the chance has passed you by.”
— Barack Obama, A Promised Land
“You can’t give up your passion if things don’t work right away. You can’t lose heart, or grow cynical if there are twists and turns on your journey. The cynics may be the loudest voices — but I promise you, they will accomplish the least. It’s those folks who stay at it, those who do the long, hard, committed work of change that gradually push this country in the right direction, and make the most lasting difference.”
— Barack Obama
“But once people who have the power, or the ability to do something about [the issue], are listening to you, then do your homework, be prepared, present a plausible set of actions and negotiate. Be prepared to move the ball down the field, even if it doesn’t get all the way to the end.”
— Barack Obama
“Take off your bedroom slippers. Put on your marching shoes. Shake it off. Stop complainin’. Stop grumblin’. Stop cryin’. We are going to press on. We have work to do.”
— Barack Obama
“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
→ Read more quotes about action
On Education
“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
“I think perhaps education doesn’t do us much good unless it is mixed with sweat.”
— Barack Obama, Dreams from My Father
“Reading is important. If you know how to read then the whole world opens up to you.”
— Barack Obama
“Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“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
“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, in a speech
“But these young scientists and engineers teach us something beyond the specific topics that they’re exploring. They teach us how to question assumptions; to wonder why something is the way it is, and how we can make it better. And they remind us that there’s always something more to learn, and to try, and to discover, and to imagine — and that it’s never too early, or too late to create or discover something new.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“And when it comes to developing the high standards we need, it’s time to stop working against our teachers and start working with them. Teachers don’t go in to education to get rich. They don’t go in to education because they don’t believe in their children. They want their children to succeed, but we’ve got to give them the tools. Invest in early childhood education. Invest in our teachers and our children will succeed.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“The best anti-poverty program is a world-class education.”
— Barack Obama
On Success
“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
“If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.”
— Barack Obama
“If you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own… I’m always struck by people who think, ‘well, it must be because I was just so smart.’ There are a lot of smart people out there. ‘It must be because I worked harder than everybody else.’ Let me tell you something — there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there. If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.”
— Barack Obama
“Progress will come in fits and starts. It’s not always a straight line. It’s not always smooth path.”
— Barack Obama
On Leadership
“That’s what the leadership was teaching me, day by day: that the self-interest I was supposed to be looking for extended well beyond the immediacy of issues, that beneath the small talk and sketchy biographies and received opinions, people carried with them some central explanation of themselves. Stories full of terror and wonder, studded with events that still haunted or inspired them. Sacred stories.”
— Barack Obama, Dreams from My Father
“Participation in public life doesn’t mean that you all have to run for public office — though we could certainly use some fresh faces in Washington. But it does mean that you should pay attention and contribute in any way that you can. Stay informed. Write letters, or make phone calls on behalf of an issue you care about.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“It’s very useful as a leader to sit around a table and hear a lot of different points of views and get to the heart of the problem. What is the essential conflict that we’re trying to resolve? Get everyone to see what the problem is. But it’s easy to get distracted from the essential issue.”
— Barack Obama
“Anyone who wants to be a leader, ask yourself, ‘How am I helping other people do great things?’ I can’t be an expert on everything and I can’t be everywhere, but I can assemble a team of people who are really good, really smart, and really committed, who care about their mission and have integrity. Give them the tools and get rid of their barriers, and help coach them so that they can do a great job. If they do, then by definition I will too, because that’s my job. Leaders who think that their primary job is to make everyone just do what they want, as opposed to really organize people to collectively go where we need to go, typically stumble.”
— Barack Obama
“I recalled a sermon by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., called ‘The Drum Major Instinct.’ In it, he talks about how, deep down, we all want to be first, celebrated for our greatness; we all want ‘to lead the parade.’ He goes on to point out that such selfish impulses can be reconciled by aligning that quest for greatness with more selfless aims. You can strive to be first in service, first in love.”
— Barack Obama, A Promised Land
“You need to set a general direction, and then hopefully unify that team around that general direction. Often I have to rely on other people to implement and execute in order to get there. Setting a direction requires listening to what is important to people.”
— Barack Obama
“Compromise does not mean surrendering what you believe. It just means that you are recognising the fact that these people who disagree with you have dignity and worth too. You have to hear them and see them.”
— Barack Obama
On Life
“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
“All of us share this world for but a brief moment in time. The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart, or whether we commit ourselves to an effort — a sustained effort — to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children, and to respect the dignity of all human beings.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“You can’t give up your passion if things don’t work right away. You can’t lose heart, or grow cynical if there are twists and turns on your journey. The cynics may be the loudest voices — but I promise you, they will accomplish the least. It’s those folks who stay at it, those who do the long, hard, committed work of change that gradually push this country in the right direction, and make the most lasting difference.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“We cannot know for certain how long we have here. We cannot foresee the trials or misfortunes that will test us along the way. We cannot know God’s plan for us. What we can do is to live out our lives as best we can with purpose, and love, and joy. We can use each day to show those who are closest to us how much we care about them, and treat others with the kindness and respect that we wish for ourselves. We can learn from our mistakes and grow from our failures. And we can strive at all costs to make a better world, so that someday, if we are blessed with the chance to look back on our time here, we can know that we spent it well; that we made a difference; that our fleeting presence had a lasting impact on the lives of other human beings.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“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
“At the end of the day, the circumstances of your life — what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home — none of that is an excuse… where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No ones written your destiny for you, because here in America, you write you own destiny. You make your own future.”
— Barack Obama
→ Read more quotes about life
On Love
“There’s only one thing we can be sure of, and that is the love that we have for our children, for our families, for each other. The warmth of a small child’s embrace, that is true.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“[Michelle Obama] has been more relaxed and more joyful since we left office. That allowed us to just enjoy the deep love that comes with a marriage this long. But also to be friends again.”
— Barack Obama, in an interview
“I realized that in some unspoken, still tentative way, she and I were already becoming a family.”
— Barack Obama, The Audacity of Hope
“My children have an impact on me. People who I love sometimes explain to me what I should have understood earlier. They can often show you what you should have already been able to see.”
— Barack Obama
“Having said all those things, the quality I love most about her is, she’s honest and genuine. I think that comes across to people. They get a sense that they can trust her. You know, the word ‘authenticity’ is overused these days. But I do think it captures what folks are looking for - not just in leaders, but also in friends and in coworkers - and that is, folks who are on the level. People like that tell you what they think and don’t have a bunch of hidden motives. That’s who Michelle is.”
— Barack Obama, in an interview
“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. 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, in a speech
“Sometimes, when we’re lying together, I look at her and I feel dizzy with the realization that here is another distinct person from me, who has memories, origins, thoughts, feelings that are different from my own. That tension between familiarity and mystery meshes something strong between us. Even if one builds a life together based on trust, attentiveness and mutual support, I think that it’s important that a partner continues to surprise.”
— Barack Obama, Dreams from My Father
“The great thing about the girls is they’ve got a wonderful role model in their mom. They’ve seen how Michelle and I interact - not only the love but also the respect that I show to their mom. So I think they have pretty high expectations about how relationships should be, and that gives me some confidence about the future.”
— Barack Obama, in an interview
“Obviously I couldn’t have done anything that I’ve done without Michelle. Not only has she been a great first lady, she is just my rock. I count on her in so many ways every single day.”
— Barack Obama, in an interview
On America
“That’s the promise of America — the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother’s keeper; I am my sister’s keeper.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“Because for all our differences, we are one people, stronger together than we could ever be alone. That’s always been our story. We are big and vast and diverse; a nation of people with different backgrounds and beliefs, different experiences and stories, but bound by our shared ideal that no matter who you are or what you look like, how you started off, or how and who you love, America is a place where you can write your own destiny.”
— Barack Obama, remarks
“America can do whatever we set our mind to. That is the story of our history, whether it’s the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all our citizens; our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place. Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
— Barack Obama
“That’s what Americans do when others are in need — we help. We give. We inspire.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. 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.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“America is a land of big dreamers and big hopes. It is this hope that has sustained us through revolution and civil war, depression and world war, a struggle for civil and social rights and the brink of nuclear crisis. And it is because our dreamers dreamed that we have emerged from each challenge more united, more prosperous, and more admired than before.”
— Barack Obama
“We may come from different places and have different stories, but we share common hopes, and one very American dream.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“There’s something about the American spirit — inherent in the American spirit — we don’t hang on to the past. We always move forward… We are going to leave something better for our children — not just here in the United States, but all around the world.”
— Barack Obama
Funny Quotes
“If I had to name my greatest strength, I guess it would be my humility. Greatest weakness, it’s possible that I’m a little too awesome.’’
— Barack Obama
“I will say, though, the robots I see keep getting smarter every year. We are keeping an eye on that, by the way. You’re on notice, Skynet.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“You know, sometimes I’ll go to an 8th-grade graduation and there’s all that pomp and circumstance and gowns and flowers. And I think to myself, it’s just 8th grade… An 8th-grade education doesn’t cut it today. Let’s give them a handshake and tell them to get their butts back in the library!”
— Barack Obama
“Let me tell you something. I’m from Chicago. I don’t break.”
— Barack Obama
“There a few things in life harder to find and more important to keep than love. Well, love and a birth certificate.’’
— Barack Obama, in a speech
Short Quotes
“A thick skin is very helpful.”
— Barack Obama
“I think when you spread the wealth around it’s good for everybody.”
— Barack Obama
“The worst thing that colonialism did was to cloud our view of our past.”
— Barack Obama, Dreams from My Father
“The role of citizen in a democracy does not end with your vote.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
“My heart is filled with love for this country.”
— Barack Obama, The Audacity of Hope
“We will outstretch the hand if you unclench your fist.”
— Barack Obama, in a speech
→ Read more short quotes
More Quotes & Captions
“When ignorant folks want to advertise their ignorance you don’t really have to do anything — you just let them talk.”
— Barack Obama, remarks
“I believe in evolution, scientific inquiry, and global warming; I believe in free speech, whether politically correct or politically incorrect, and I am suspicious of using government to impose anybody’s religious beliefs — including my own — on nonbelievers.”
— Barack Obama, The Audacity of Hope
“It’s important for us to also understand that the phrase ‘Black Lives Matter’ simply refers to the notion that there’s a specific vulnerability for African Americans that needs to be addressed. It’s not meant to suggest that other lives don’t matter. It’s to suggest that other folks aren’t experiencing this particular vulnerability.”
— Barack Obama
“Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law, for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal, as well.”
— Barack Obama
“I wonder, sometimes, whether men and women in fact are capable of learning from history — whether we progress from one stage to the next in an upward course or whether we just ride the cycles of boom and bust, war and peace, ascent and decline.”
— Barack Obama, The Audacity of Hope
“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, in a speech
“This is not some distant problem of the future. This is a problem that is affecting Americans right now. Whether it means increased flooding, greater vulnerability to drought, more severe wildfires — all these things are having an impact on Americans as we speak.”
— Barack Obama, in an interview
“Those of us who have the privilege to serve this country have an obligation to do our job as best we can. We come from different parties, but we are Americans first. And that’s why disagreement cannot mean dysfunction. It can’t degenerate into hatred. The American people’s hopes and dreams are what matters, not ours.”
— Barack Obama
“To be known. To be heard. To have one’s unique identity recognized and seen as worthy. It was a universal human desire, I thought, as true for nations and people.” — Barack Obama, A Promised Land
