Barack Hussein Obama II, born August 4, 1961, is the 44th and current President of the United States, the first African American to hold the office. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he was president of the Harvard Law Review. He was a community organizer in Chicago before earning his law degree. He worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law school from 1992 to 2004. (Click for full Wikipedia article.)
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Americans... still believe in an America where anything's possible- they just don't think their leaders do.
Cutting the deficit by gutting our investments in innovation and education is like lightening an overloaded airplane by removing its engine. It may make you feel like you're flying high at first, but it won't take long before you feel the impact.
Even when folks are hitting you over the head, you can't stop marching. Even when they're turning the hoses on you, you can't stop.
I miss being anonymous.
I miss Saturday morning, rolling out of bed, not shaving, getting into my car with my girls, driving to the supermarket, squeezing the fruit, getting my car washed, taking walks.
If we aren't willing to pay a price for our values, if we aren't willing to make some sacrifices in order to realize them, then we should ask ourselves whether we truly believe in them at all.
In my first term, we passed health care reform. In my second term, I guess I'll pass it again.
It may make your blood boil and your mind may not be changed, but the practice of listening to opposing views is essential for effective citizenship. It is essential for our democracy.
Look, when I was a kid, I inhaled frequently. That was the point.
Many of you know that I got my name, Barack, from my father. What you may not know is Barack is actually Swahili for "That One." And I got my middle name from somebody who obviously didn't think I'd ever run for president.
Money is not the only answer, but it makes a difference.
My job is not to represent Washington to you, but to represent you to Washington.
My parents shared not only an improbable love, they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or blessed, believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success.
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.
The fact that my 15 minutes of fame has extended a little longer than 15 minutes is somewhat surprising to me and completely baffling to my wife.
There a few things in life harder to find and more important to keep than love. Well, love and a birth certificate.
There's not an action that I take that you don't have some folks in Congress who say that I'm usurping my authority. Some of those folks think I usurp my authority by having the gall to win the presidency.
We live in a culture that discourages empathy. A culture that too often tells us our principal goal in life is to be rich, thin, young, famous, safe, and entertained.
We need to internalize this idea of excellence. Not many folks spend a lot of time trying to be excellent.
We've got a story to tell that isn't just against something but is for something.
What Washington needs is adult supervision.
When our government is spoken of as some menacing, threatening, foreign entity, it ignores the fact that in our democracy, government is us.
You can question somebody's views and their judgment without questioning their motives or patriotism.
Categories: Barack Obama, Quotes of the day
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