574 quotes
Tonight this chamber speaks with one voice to the people we represent: It is you, our citizens, who make the state of our union strong.
Sixth State of the Union Address (2014)
Citizenship means standing up for everyone's right to vote.
Sixth State of the Union Address (2014)
We cannot escape the prospect of nuclear war unless we all commit to stopping the spread of nuclear weapons and pursuing a world without them.
United Nations Address (2016)
OK, everybody, I got to get to Star Wars.
And as I’ve said elsewhere, a free press helps make a nation stronger and more successful, and it makes us leaders more effective because it demands greater accountability.
My attitude is that if the economy's good for folks from the bottom up, it's gonna be good for everybody … I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody.
It is entirely legitimate for the American people to be deeply concerned when you’ve got a bunch of violent, vicious zealots who behead people or randomly shoot a bunch of folks in a deli in Paris.
For the average person, many folks who don't have health insurance initially, they're going to have to make some choices. And they might end up having to switch doctors, in part because they're saving money.
Where 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.
I'm not interested in the suburbs. The suburbs bore me. And I'm not interested in isolating myself. I feel good when I'm engaged in what I think are the core issues of the society, and those core issues to me are what's happening to poor folks in this society.
Gabby called it "Congress on Your Corner" — just an updated version of government of and by and for the people.
Tucson Memorial Address (2011)
This weekend, our hearts are with the people of San Bernardino — another American community shattered by unspeakable violence.
We Will Not Be Terrorized (2015)
I have come here tonight as an American who, like all Americans, kneels to pray with you today, and will stand by you tomorrow.
Tucson Memorial Address (2011)
Each time we gather to inaugurate a President we bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution. We affirm the promise of our democracy.
Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Remarks on death of Osama bin Laden (2011)
Because workers can organize and ordinary people have a voice, American democracy has given our people the opportunity to pursue their dreams and enjoy a high standard of living.
Remarks to the People of Cuba (2016)
Clear-eyed, we can understand that there will be war, and still strive for peace. We can do that — for that is the story of human progress; that's the hope of all the world; and at this moment of challenge, that must be our work here on Earth.
Nobel Prize acceptance speech (2009)
I recognize there is a certain presumptuousness in this, a certain audacity, to this announcement. I know that I haven't spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington, but I've been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change. People who love their country can change it.
There was no such thing as Al Qaeda in Iraq, until George Bush and John McCain decided to invade Iraq.
If we can find that grace, anything is possible. If we can tap that grace, everything can change.
Eulogy for the Honorable Reverend Clementa Pinckney (2015)