Explore the wisdom and insights of former President Barack Obama with a collection of inspiring and thought-provoking quotes. From his beliefs on leadership, unity, and diversity to his vision for the future, Obama’s words continue to influence and motivate people around the world. Read on for a curated selection of the best Barack Obama quotes, perfect for sharing and reflection.
“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
“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
“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
“We need to internalize this idea of excellence. Not many folks spend a lot of time trying to be excellent.” – Barack Obama
“A good compromise, a good piece of legislation, is like a good sentence; or a good piece of music. Everybody can recognize it. They say, ‘Huh. It works. It makes sense.'” – Barack Obama
“The biggest barrier to change is not ignorance, it’s the illusion of knowledge.” – Barack Obama
“If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.” – Barack Obama
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Barack Obama
“We have an obligation and a responsibility to be investing in our students and our schools. We must make sure that people who have the grades, the desire and the will, but not the money, can still get the best education possible.” – Barack Obama
“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
“We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” – Barack Obama
“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” – Barack Obama
“There’s not a liberal America and a conservative America; there’s the United States of America.” – Barack Obama
“The only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work hard for them.” – Barack Obama
“We can’t just leave it to the schools to solve this problem. We need parents to turn off the TV, put away the video games, help their children with their homework.” – Barack Obama
“It’s not just enough for us to talk the talk, we’ve got to walk the walk.” – Barack Obama
“The only thing that stands between you and your dream is the story you keep telling yourself that you can’t achieve it.” – Barack Obama
“I learned that change only happens when ordinary people get involved, get engaged, and come together to demand it.” – Barack Obama
“When we don’t pay close attention to the decisions made by our leaders, when we fail to educate ourselves on the big issues of the day, when we choose not to make our voices heard, that’s when democracy breaks down.” – Barack Obama
“When we engage in peaceful, dignified, nonviolent protest, we’re not engaging in something unusual or radical. It is a proud part of our history.” – Barack Obama
“I 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
“In America, there’s a failure to appreciate Europe’s leading role in the world.” – Barack Obama
“My fellow Americans, we are and always will be a nation of immigrants.” – Barack Obama
“We can’t change the past, but we can learn from it, and we can use that knowledge to build a better future.” – Barack Obama
“I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper, and I believe that we are all connected as one people.” – Barack Obama
“I’ve always believed that a better politics is one where we appeal to each other’s basic decency instead of our basest fears.” – Barack Obama
“Our stories may be singular, but our destination is shared.” – Barack Obama
“Education is not just about going to school and getting a job. It’s about giving our citizens the tools they need to be the creators of their own destiny.” – Barack Obama
“We need to reject any politics that targets people because of race or religion.” – Barack Obama
“In a world that’s changing quickly, the biggest risk you can take is not taking any risk.” – Barack Obama
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Barack Obama
“Hope is not blind optimism. It’s not ignoring the enormity of the task ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. It’s just recognizing that with every obstacle, there is a path forward.” – Barack Obama
“In America, we have a responsibility to stand up for our fellow citizens. That’s why I’m committed to making sure every American has the health care they need.” – Barack Obama
“The only way to change a country is to get involved and educate, organize, and mobilize.” – Barack Obama
“We have to think about the future we want and then work backwards from there.” – Barack Obama
“The greatest failure is not to try and fail, but to fail to try.” – Barack Obama
“We will not be able to solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together.” – Barack Obama
“We need to shift our focus from military might to collective security.” – Barack Obama
“We can’t do everything, but we can do something.” – Barack Obama
“The American people are hungry for change, and they are ready for a new direction.” – Barack Obama
“We have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics of cynicism, or we can face the future with optimism and hope.” – Barack Obama
“We’ve got to have a president who is listening to the American people, and working with them to meet the challenges of our time.” – Barack Obama
“We may come from different backgrounds and different perspectives, but we are united in our love for this country and our commitment to its future.” – Barack Obama
“Fierce urgency of now.” – Barack Obama
“When you spread your arms and embrace diversity, that’s when America is at its best.” – Barack Obama
“We need to keep making our streets safer and our criminal justice system fairer.” – Barack Obama
“We have a stake in one another’s success.” – 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 can change a state, it can change a nation, and if it can change a nation, it can change the world.” – Barack Obama
“The best anti-poverty program is a job.” – Barack Obama
“We can’t afford to go back to the policies that got us into this mess in the first place.” – Barack Obama
“The most important thing we can do is to promote excellence in education.” – Barack Obama
“I firmly believe that we can come together and find common ground, because at the end of the day, we all want the same thing for our country and for our children.” – Barack Obama
“It’s not enough to just give people a fish. We’ve got to teach them how to fish.” – Barack Obama
“We need to lead by example and set the standard for the rest of the world to follow.” – Barack Obama
“The road ahead will be long, but we will travel it together.” – 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.” – Barack Obama
“We need to embrace diversity, not just tolerate it.” – Barack Obama
“I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism, and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism.” – Barack Obama
“Yes we can.” – Barack Obama
“We need to invest in our people and in our future.” – Barack Obama
“We have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics of division, or we can come together and forge a politics of unity.” – Barack Obama
“We can’t just let business as usual go on, and that means something has to change.” – Barack Obama
“We need to bring people together, and that starts with listening to each other.” – Barack Obama
“The future rewards those who press on.” – Barack Obama
“The true character of a society is revealed in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” – Barack Obama
“We need to focus on the things that bind us together as a people, rather than the things that drive us apart.” – Barack Obama
“We need to be more imaginative, more creative, and more effective in bringing about change.” – Barack Obama
“We need to recommit ourselves to the notion that we’re all in this together.” – Barack Obama
“The power of hope and the resilience of the American people have proven to be a formidable force.” – Barack Obama