Barack Obama Quotes

If we want to really reduce foreign influence on our elections, then we better think about how to make sure that our political process, our political dialogue is stronger than it's been.

There's a whole generation coming up behind us that was engaged, inspired, worked for change during the course of my presidency, saw what was possible.

I don't have to negotiate an arms agreement with Great Britain or with France.

I think we want to see new voices and new ideas emerge - that's part of the reason why term limits are a really useful thing.

In the first two years, when I had a strong majority in the House and the Senate, we were as productive as any administration has been since the '60s. I mean, we got a lot done.

First of all, I think everybody has to acknowledge don't underestimate the guy [Donald Trump], because he's going to be 45th president of the United States.

So many of my staff is young enough that they're going to do amazing things. And I'm going to be helping them try to do them.

We buy our own toilet paper even here in the White House.

What has made America the wealthiest, most successful country on Earth historically has been our commitment to education.

Historically - when you look at how America has evolved, typically we make progress on race relations in fits and starts. We make some progress, and then there's maybe some slippage.

If war explodes in Sudan, it could have a destabilizing effect that creates more space for terrorist activity that could eventually be directed at our homeland.

We've got to identify new strategies to use cleaner energy, because that is a recipe for reducing the overall amount of pollution that's out there.

I hope that this [hacking] does not continue to be viewed purely through a partisan lens.I think there are Republicans as well as Democrats who are concerned about this.

You [as a president] have to have a strong team around you. You have to have respect for institutions and the process to make good decisions because you are inherently reliant on other folks.

We've been able to build up the Afghan security forces and stabilize it.

If you look at the current Mosul campaign against ISIL, for example the few thousand troops that we have there to support that effort allows the Iraqi military to move forward in an effective way.

I reserve the right, as president of the United States to meet with anybody at a time and place of my choosing if I think it's going to keep America safe.

The American people are going to have a good choice.

I have fought against spending. I have fought against special interests. I have fought for reform.

Instead of giving in to cynicism and division, let's move forward with the confidence and optimism and unity that define us as a people.

I face the world as it is and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people. For make no mistake, evil does exist in the world.

The president [Barack Obama] laid out his vision for foreign policy in a way that we hadn't heard before. And it could be summed up, I think, in two words - realistic idealism.

We may never understand what leads anybody to terrorize their fellow human beings. Such violence, such evil is senseless. It's beyond reason.

There are times where I've made mistakes or our administration hasn't always aligned ourselves with the values we need to align ourselves with. It's a work of constant improvement.

I do think that I have a better sense of how military action can result in unintended consequences.

By 2016, the people who had looked to [Barack] Obama for change were looking somewhere else.

Your kids grow up. I think they more than anything are making me feel as if, you know, you want to squeeze everything you got every single day out of this thing. Because it passes quick.

My strong preference has always been to legislate when I can get legislation done.

It still puts burden on some troops of ours who are there [in Afghanistan and Iraq] as advisors and facilitators.

Our alliances and partnerships are not directed against any nation.

The United States was proud to stand with the people of Germany as this nation and this continent reunited and rebuilt and reached for a better future.

On issues like Ukraine, on issues like Syria, we've had very significant differences [with Russia].

You haven't seen a lot of turnover in my campaign. And the culture of my campaign is one in which I think everybody feels a great sense of ownership.

I think [ chief organizer of the Democratic Party ] it's something that I have an interest in.

I'd like to think that "President Obama believed deeply in this democracy and the American people."

The most important thing we can do is to make sure that we are creating jobs in this country. But not just jobs, good paying jobs. Ones that can support a family.

Donald Trump is uniquely unqualified to be president.

Now that Iran's actions have been verified, it can begin to receive relief from certain nuclear sanctions and gain access to its own money that had been frozen.

I'm confident that America's foreign policy rebalance to the region will endure beyond my presidency because it's in the national interest of the United States.

In a global economy where our economies and supply chains are deeply integrated, it's not even possible.

I do think that I am generally optimistic.

I don't want ever to be a president who is comfortable and at ease with killing people.

We should foster a culture in which people's private religious beliefs, including atheists and agnostics, are respected.

We seem to have trouble with [critical thinking]. And our political system doesn't help.

The last thing that I want to do is to have the United States be a foil.

It is my firm belief that it will be in the interests of the United States, especially our economic interests, to pursue comprehensive immigration reform.

When it comes to immigration, I think Americans expect that our immigration process is orderly and it is legal.

We have to focus on how do we ensure the economy works for everybody, and not just a few.

I am who I am. You sort of get what you see with me.

There are always things that I think I wish I could have done better.