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Barack Obama Quotes - Page 86

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Absolutely. I think, I think the American people, at their core, are a decent people. I think that we still have prejudice in our midst, but I think that the vast majority of Americans are willing, are willing to judge

Absolutely. I think, I think the American people, at their core, are a decent people. I think that we still have prejudice in our midst, but I think that the vast majority of Americans are willing, are willing to judge people on the basis of their ideas and their character. And in the case of the presidency, I think what's most important is whether the American people think that you understand their hopes and dreams and struggles and whether they think you can actually help them achieve those hopes and dreams.

Barack Obama
Dream, Struggle, Character
"CNN Newsroom" with Kyra Phillips and Don Lemon, www.cnn.com. December 11, 2006.

There is no military solution to the war in Iraq. Our troops can help suppress the violence, but they cannot solve its root causes. And all the troops in the world won't be able to force Shia, Sunni, and Kurd to sit down at a table, resolve their differences, and forge a lasting peace. In fact, adding more troops will only push this political settlement further and further into the future, as it tells the Iraqis that no matter how much of a mess they make, the American military will always be there to clean it up.

Barack Obama
Military, War, Roots

Politics has become so bitter and partisan, so gummed up by money and influence, that we can't tackle the big problems that demand solutions. And that's what we have to change first. We have to change our politics, and come together around our common interests and concerns as Americans.

Barack Obama
Together, Demand, Firsts
A video posting, announcing his candidacy for President of the United States, barackobama.com, January 16, 2007.

The answers to our problems don't lie beyond our reach. They exist in our laboratories and universities; in our fields and our factories; in the imaginations of our entrepreneurs and the pride of the hardest-working people on Earth. Those qualities that have made America the greatest force of progress and prosperity in human history we still possess in ample measure.

Barack Obama
Lying, Pride, America
First Speech to a Joint Session of Congress, delivered 24 February 2009

What Americans expect from Washington is action that matches the urgency they feel in their daily lives.

Barack Obama
Action, Daily Life, Feels
"The Action Americans Need". www.washingtonpost.com. February 5, 2009.

The consequences of war are dire, the sacrifices immeasurable. We may have occasion in our lifetime to once again rise up in defense of our freedom, and pay the wages of war. But we ought not — we will not — travel down that hellish path blindly.

Barack Obama
War, Sacrifice, Defense
Barack Obama (2008). “An American Story: The Speeches of Barack Obama : a Primer”, Independent Publishing Group

Hostility and hatred are no match for justice; they offer no pathway to peace.

Barack Obama
Justice, Hatred, Pathways
Responsibly Ending the War in Iraq, delivered 27 February 2009, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

I might have arguments with the size of Reagan's military buildup, but given the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, staying ahead of the Soviets militarily seemed a sensible thing to do. Pride in our country, respect for our armed services, a healthy appreciation for the dangers beyond our borders, an insistence that there was no easy equivalence between East and West--in all this I had no quarrel with Reagan. And when the Berlin Wall came tumbling down, I had to give the old man his due, even if I never gave him my vote.

Barack Obama
Country, Appreciation, Wall
Barack Obama (2007). “The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream”, p.289, Canongate Books

Globalization makes our economy, our health, and our security all captive to events on the other side of the world. And no other nation on earth has a greater capacity to shape that global system, or to build consensus around a new set of international rules that expand the zones of freedom, personal safety, and economic well-being. Like it or not, if we want to make America more secure, we are going to have to help make the world more secure.

Barack Obama
America, Safety, World
Barack Obama (2007). “The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream”, p.304, Canongate Books

I think the big challenge that we've got on education is making sure that from kindergarten or prekindergarten through your 14th or 15th year of school, or 16th year of school, or 20th year of school, that you are actually learning the kinds of skills that make you competitive and productive in a modern, technological economy.

Barack Obama
School, Thinking, Skills
"After the Great Recession". www.nytimes.com. April 28, 2009.

I've called Chicago home for nearly 25 years. It's a city of broad shoulders and big hearts and bold dreams; a city of legendary sports figures, legendary sports venues, and legendary sports fans.

Barack Obama
Sports, Dream, Heart
"NPR Skips Over Conservative/GOP Critique of Obama Olympics Bid". www.newsbusters.org. October 3, 2009.

We can't afford to stand pat while the world races by. The United States of America did not become the most prosperous nation on Earth by sheer luck or happenstance. We got here because each time a generation of Americans has faced a changing world, we have changed with it. We have not feared our future; we have shaped it.

Barack Obama
America, Race, Luck

The role of government has never been to plan every detail or dictate every outcome. At its best, government has simply knocked away barriers to opportunity and laid the foundation for a better future. Our people -- with all their drive and ingenuity -- always end up building the rest. And if we can do that again -- if we can continue building that foundation and making those hard decisions on behalf of the next generation -- I have no doubt that we will leave our children the America that we all hope for.

Barack Obama
Children, Opportunity, Government

The soldier 's courage and sacrifice is full of glory , expressing devotion to country , to cause, to comrades in arms. But war itself is never glorious , and we must never trumpet it as such.

Barack Obama
Country, War, Sacrifice
Nobel Prize for Peace Acceptance Speech and Lecture, delivered 10 December 2009, Oslo City Hall, Oslo, Norway

Peace is far more preferable to war. [...] I believe that peace is the only path to true security. [...] And there is no question that the only path to peace is through negotiations .

Barack Obama
Peace, War, Believe
Remarks of President Barack Obama To the People of Israel, Jerusalem International Convention Center, obamawhitehouse.archives.gov. March 21, 2013.

There are some who might say that somebody named Barack Obama can't be elected senator in the state of Illinois. They're probably the same folks who said that a guy named Rod Blagojevich couldn't be elected governor of the state of Illinois.

Barack Obama
Illinois, Guy, Might
"Chicago Straight" by David Bernstein, www.chicagomag.com. May 18, 2009.

I'm LeBron, baby. I can play on this level. I got some game.

Barack Obama
Baby, Games, Play
"Obama: From Promise to Power". Book by David Mendell, 2007.

Today, on this day of possibility, we stand in the shadow of a lanky, raw-boned man with little formal education who once took the stage at Old Main and told the nation that if anyone did not believe the American principles of freedom and equality, that those principles were timeless and all-inclusive, they should go rip that page out of the Declaration of Independence.

Barack Obama
Rip, Believe, Men
Commencement Address at Knox College, delivered 4 June 2005, Galesburg, Illinois

The elevation of appearance over substance, of celebrity over character, of short term gains over lasting achievement displays a poverty of ambition. It distracts you from what's truly important.

Barack Obama
Ambition, Character, Achievement

I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you. I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.

Barack Obama
Men, Office, Giving
President-Elect Victory Speech, delivered 4 November 2008, Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois

It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation. Yes we can. It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail towards freedom through the darkest of nights. Yes we can. It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness. Yes we can.

Barack Obama
Night, Destiny, Yes We Can
Barack Obama, (2008). “Change We Can Believe In”, p.222, Canongate Books

Climate change constitutes a serious threat to global security, an immediate risk to our national security, and, make no mistake, it will impact how our military defends our country.

Barack Obama
Country, Military, Mistake
"Barack Obama: climate deniers pose serious threat to US security" by Lauren Gambino, www.theguardian.com. May 20, 2015.

I would not be running for President if I didn't believe with all my heart that this is what the vast majority of Americans want for this country. This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected. And today, whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation - the young people whose attitudes and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this election.

Barack Obama
Running, Country, Attitude
A More Perfect Union, delivered 18 March 2008, Philadelphia, PA

For the first time in our history, the winners of the White House Turkey Pardon were chosen through a highly competitive online vote. And once again, Nate Silver completely nailed it. The guy is amazing.

Barack Obama
Leadership, Nature, Turkeys
"Obama pardons two Thanksgiving turkeys with mercy and humour" by Adam Gabbatt, www.theguardian.com. November 21, 2012.

Let's face it, Fox News, you'll miss me when I'm gone. It'll be harder to convince the public that Hillary Clinton was born in Kenya.

Barack Obama
Missing, News, Gone