Barack Obama Quotes

“[Climate change] is a political problem perfectly designed to repel government intervention. It involves every single country, and it is a comparatively slow-moving emergency, so there is always something seemingly more urgent on the agenda. —Interview, The Atlantic, April 2016”
― Carol Kelly-Gangi, Barack Obama: His Essential Wisdom

“We don’t have time for a meeting of the Flat Earth Society. —Addressing climate change, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., June 25, 2013”
― Carol Kelly-Gangi, Barack Obama: His Essential Wisdom

“And so if we’re serious about freedom of religion—and I’m speaking now to my fellow Christians who remain the majority in this country—we have to understand an attack on one faith is an attack on all our faiths.”
― Carol Kelly-Gangi, Barack Obama: His Essential Wisdom

“I’m far more mindful of my own failings, knowing exactly what Lincoln meant when he said, “I have been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that I had no place else to go.”
― Carol Kelly-Gangi, Barack Obama: His Essential Wisdom

“There is probably a perverse pride in my administration … that we were going to do the right thing, even if short-term it was unpopular. And I think anybody who’s occupied this office has to remember that success is determined by an intersection in policy and politics and that you can’t be neglecting of marketing and P.R. and public opinion.”
― Carol Kelly-Gangi, Barack Obama: His Essential Wisdom

“I know these are difficult times. I know folks are worried. But I also know that now is not the time for fear or panic. Now is the time for resolve and steady leadership. Because I know we can steer ourselves out of this crisis.”
― Carol Kelly-Gangi, Barack Obama: His Essential Wisdom

“But the life of a tall, gangly, self-made Springfield lawyer tells us that a different future is possible. He tells us that there is power in words. He tells us that there is power in conviction. That beneath all the differences of race and religion, faith and station, we are one people. He tells us that there is power in hope.”
― Carol Kelly-Gangi, Barack Obama: His Essential Wisdom

“In a country of 300 million people, there is a certain degree of audacity required for anybody to say, “I’m the best person to lead this country.”
― Carol Kelly-Gangi, Barack Obama: His Essential Wisdom

“But we can’t expect to solve our problems if all we do is tear each other down. You can disagree with a certain policy without demonizing the person who espouses it. You can question somebody’s views and their judgment without questioning their motives or their patriotism.… The problem is that this kind of vilification and over-the-top rhetoric closes the door to the possibility of compromise. It undermines democratic deliberation.… It makes it nearly impossible for people who have legitimate but bridgeable differences to sit down at the same table and hash things out. It robs us of a rational and serious debate, the one we need to have about the very real and very big challenges facing this nation. It coarsens our culture, and at its worst, it can send signals to the most extreme elements of our society that perhaps violence is a justifiable response.”
― Carol Kelly-Gangi, Barack Obama: His Essential Wisdom

“What Washington needs is adult supervision. —Fundraising letter, October 2006”
― Carol Kelly-Gangi, Barack Obama: His Essential Wisdom

“To me, the issue is not are you centrist or are you liberal? The issue to me is, Is what you’re proposing going to work? Can you build a working coalition to make the lives of people better? And if it can work, you should support it whether it’s centrist, conservative, or liberal.”
― Carol Kelly-Gangi, Barack Obama: His Essential Wisdom

“I am surprised at how many elected officials—even the good ones—spend so much time talking about the mechanics of politics and not matters of substance. They have this poker chip mentality, this overriding interest in retaining their seats or in moving their careers forward, and the business and game of politics, the political horse race, is all they talk about.”
― Carol Kelly-Gangi, Barack Obama: His Essential Wisdom