01c. 1961 ADThe 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 / quote ↗
02c. 1961 ADThat we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.Barack Obama / quote ↗
03c. 1961 ADAnd I saw just the other day, in Mentor, Ohio, where a father told the story of his 8-year-old daughter, whose long battle with leukemia nearly cost their family everything had it not been for the health care reform passing just a few months before the insurance company was about to stop paying for her care.I had an opportunity to not just talk to the father, but meet this incredible daughter of his. And when he spoke to the crowd listening to that father's story, every parent in that room had tears in their eyes, because we knew that little girl could be our own.Barack Obama / quote ↗
04c. 1961 ADHe's basically a good man. But he doesn't know me. Any more than he knew that girl that looked after your mother. He can't know me, not the way I know him. Maybe some of these Hawaiians can, or the Indians on the reservation. They've seen their fathers humiliated. Their mothers desecrated. But your grandfather will never know what that feels like.Barack Obama / quote ↗
05c. 1961 ADAt 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 / quote ↗
06c. 1961 ADSomeone once said that every man is trying to live up to his father's expectations or make up for their father's mistakes....Barack Obama / quote ↗
07c. 1961 ADAmerica isn't Congress. America isn't Washington. America is the striving immigrant who starts a business, or the mom who works two low-wage jobs to give her kid a better life. America is the union leader and the CEO who put aside their differences to make the economy stronger.Barack Obama / quote ↗
08c. 1961 ADIt's time to fundamentally change the way that we do business in Washington. To help build a new foundation for the 21st century, we need to reform our government so that it is more efficient, more transparent, and more creative. That will demand new thinking and a new sense of responsibility for every dollar that is spent.Barack Obama / quote ↗
09c. 1961 ADIf you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help... Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business - you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen.Barack Obama / quote ↗
10c. 1961 ADIn the end, that's what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope?Barack Obama / quote ↗
11c. 1961 ADOn every front there are clear answers out there that can make this country stronger, but we're going to break through the fear and the frustration people are feeling. Our job is to make sure that even as we make progress, that we are also giving people a sense of hope and vision for the future.Barack Obama / quote ↗
12c. 1961 ADWe need to reject any politics that targets people because of race or religion. This isn't a matter of political correctness. It's a matter of understanding what makes us strong. The world respects us not just for our arsenal it respects us for our diversity and our openness and the way we respect every faith.Barack Obama / quote ↗
13c. 1961 ADLet us remember we are all part of one American family. We are united in common values, and that includes belief in equality under the law, basic respect for public order, and the right of peaceful protest.Barack Obama / quote ↗
14c. 1961 ADThere are millions of Americans outside Washington who are tired of stale political arguments and are moving this country forward. They believe, and I believe, that here in America, our success should depend not on accident of birth, but the strength of our work ethic and the scope of our dreams.Barack Obama / quote ↗
15c. 1961 ADOur brand of democracy is hard. But I can promise that a year from now, when I no longer hold this office, I'll be right there with you as a citizen - inspired by those voices of fairness and vision, of grit and good humor and kindness that have helped America travel so far.Barack Obama / quote ↗
16c. 1961 ADWe've persevered because of a belief we share with the Iraqi people - a belief that out of the ashes of war, a new beginning could be born in this cradle of civilization. Through this remarkable chapter in the history of the United States and Iraq, we have met our responsibility. Now, it's time to turn the page.Barack Obama / quote ↗
18c. 1961 ADWhere the stakes are the highest, in the war on terror, we cannot possibly succeed without extraordinary international cooperation. Effective international police actions require the highest degree of intelligence sharing, planning and collaborative enforcement.Barack Obama / quote ↗
19c. 1961 ADThere are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.Barack Obama / quote ↗
20c. 1961 ADI don't oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war.Barack Obama / quote ↗
21c. 1961 ADAs I've said, there were patriots who supported this war, and patriots who opposed it. And all of us are united in appreciation for our servicemen and women, and our hopes for Iraqis' future.Barack Obama / quote ↗
22c. 1961 ADBut do I think that our actions in anyway violate the War Powers Resolution, the answer is no.Barack Obama / quote ↗
23c. 1961 ADThe fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better. I, therefore, intend to oppose the effort to increase America's debt.Barack Obama / quote ↗
24c. 1961 ADSo while I will never minimize the costs involved in military action, I am convinced that a failure to act in Libya would have carried a far greater price for America.Barack Obama / quote ↗
