Barack Obama Quotes

(from DNC keynote speech) "There`s not a liberal America and a conservative America. There`s the United States of America. We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don`t like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red states. We coach Little League in the blue states, and have gay friends in the red states. There are patriots who opposed the war, and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the Stars and Stripes, all of us defending the United States of America."

And it lives on in those Americans -- young and old, rich and poor, black and white, Latino and Asian and Native American, gay and straight -- who are tired of a politics that divides us and want to recapture the sense of common purpose that we had when John Kennedy was President of the United States of America.

Sometimes I don`t know who I`m running against. (about Bill Clinton`s support for Hillary Clinton)

(When asked whether he would call on the Clintons to release their tax returns, after Hilary loaned $5 million of her own money to her campaign) I`ll just say that I`ve released my tax returns. That`s been a policy I`ve maintained consistently. I think the American people deserve to know where you get your income from. But I`ll leave it up to you guys to chase it down... I think we set the bar in terms of transparency and disclosure that has been a consistent theme of my campaign and my career in politics.

In the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.

This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can`t learn; that those kids who don`t look like us are somebody else`s problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. Not this time.

We need to steer clear of this poverty of ambition, where people want to drive fancy cars and wear nice clothes and live in nice apartments but don`t want to work hard to accomplish these things. Everyone should try to realize their full potential.

We have real enemies in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be pursued and they must be defeated.

There is not a liberal America and a conservative America - there is the United States of America. There is not a black America and a white America and latino America and asian America - there`s the United States of America.

John Kerry believes in an America where hard work is rewarded.

Today we are engaged in a deadly global struggle for those who would intimidate, torture, and murder people for exercising the most basic freedoms. If we are to win this struggle and spread those freedoms, we must keep our own moral compass pointed in a true direction.

We`re not going to baby sit a civil war.

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.

My job is not to represent Washington to you, but to represent you to Washington.

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.

In the end, that`s what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope?

Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation - not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago.

Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and the war on terrorism have reduced the pace of military transformation and have revealed our lack of preparation for defensive and stability operations. This Administration has overextended our military.

You know, my faith is one that admits some doubt.

I cannot swallow whole the view of Lincoln as the Great Emancipator.

I don`t oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war.

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.

There`s not a liberal America and a conservative America - there`s the United States of America.

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.`

Community colleges play an important role in helping people transition between careers by providing the retooling they need to take on a new career.

We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don`t like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States.

With the changing economy, no one has lifetime employment. But community colleges provide lifetime employability.

No one is pro-abortion.

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.

That`s silly talk... Talk to my wife. She`ll tell me I need to learn to just put my socks on the hamper.

We need to internalize this idea of excellence. Not many folks spend a lot of time trying to be excellent.

It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get to where we are today, but we have just begun. Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today.

I opposed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. It should be repealed and I will vote for its repeal on the Senate floor. I will also oppose any proposal to amend the U.S. Constitution to ban gays and lesbians from marrying.

The Bush Administration`s failure to be consistently involved in helping Israel achieve peace with the Palestinians has been both wrong for our friendship with Israel, as well as badly damaging to our standing in the Arab world.

Money is not the only answer, but it makes a difference.

There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.

When we think of the major threats to our national security, the first to come to mind are nuclear proliferation, rogue states and global terrorism. But another kind of threat lurks beyond our shores, one from nature, not humans - an avian flu pandemic.

If you`re walking down the right path and you`re willing to keep walking, eventually you`ll make progress.

I do think in Washington, it`s a little bit like American Idol. But everybody is Simon Cowell.

To those Americans whose support I have yet to earn: I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President, too.