San Francisco (Obama.net)-
10.) “Strange how a single conversation can change you. Or maybe it only seems that way in retrospect. A year passes and you know you feel differently, but you’re not sure what or why or how, so your mind casts back for something that might give that difference shape: a word, a glance, a touch.”
My Thoughts-Obama reflects on how the smallest moments in life can have the biggest impacts. He sees how a few words from a friend, confidant, or even a stranger can completely alter the way you think and act for the better. He expresses the importance of listening to people for in-depth information and enlightenment that can’t be found in simple reflective thought.
9.) “You got these $10,000-a-plate dinners and Golden Circles Clubs. I think when the average voter looks at that, they rightly feel they’re locked out of the process. They can’t attend a $10,000 breakfast and they know that those who can are going to get the kind of access they can’t imagine.”
My Thoughts-President Barack Obama sees the wrongness of these types of events. He realizes that they allow the wealthy of the United States to influence policy makers because of the size of their bank accounts. The majority of American’s cannot afford such access and thus a minuscule percentage of American’s are the ones who do get a say in how policies are made.
8.) “I don’t oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war. What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other armchair, weekend warriors in this administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne. What I am opposed to is the attempt by political hacks like Karl Rove to distract us from a rise in the uninsured, a rise in the poverty rate, a drop in the median income, to distract us from corporate scandals and a stock market that has just gone through the worst month since the Great Depression. That’s what I’m opposed to. A dumb war. A rash war. A war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics.”
My Thoughts-In this 2002 quote, Obama clearly states his opposition for invading the Middle East. Much as the rest of the nation would soon find out, Obama expressed his views that the war was not necessary, but was instead a money grab, unintelligent, and a power move by the neoconservatives led by former President George Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney.
7.) “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.”
My Thoughts-Obama stresses the need to end the mentality of separation in America. He realizes that people tend to break off into racial groups and that has an effect on American politics as well as society and economy. Obama urges the nation to be united just as the name suggests it already is.
6.)“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 Thoughts-Obama advocates progression here. He makes it clear that routinely working for money and materialism is not the way to live. Obama says that a meaningful life is one that touches others and improves life for everyone. Obama sees that the world is not a place of “Me, myself, and I,” but instead a place of “We, them, and us.”
5.) “War might be hell and still the right thing to do. Economies could collapse despite the best-laid plans. People could work hard all their lives and still lose everything.”
My Thoughts-President Obama admits that we can’t know what the future holds. Obama alludes to the need to retain optimism and still work hard despite the lack of knowing about what the outcome will be. This serves as a continuation on the old adage that we must prepare for the best, but expect the worst.
4.) “All the money in the world won’t boost student achievement if parents make no effort to instill in their children the values of hard work and delayed gratification.”
My Thoughts-The president is aware that throwing money at a problem isn’t the way the fix it. An example is the wealth of California, but the poor education in the state. Obama sees it as the duty of the parents and mentors of America to instill value in the children and to teach them that everyone has to work to reap benefits.
3.) “This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected. And today, whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation — the young people whose attitudes and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this election.”
My Thoughts-Obama has faith in the future of America. While present day politicians have disputes and disagree on issues, Obama sees more openness in the youth of the United States. Obama can see through history that change for the better does not come overnight. Obama realizes that the progression towards equality, stability, and success takes time and often it will only come with the next generation and not the current.
2.) “I am reminded every day of my life, if not by events, then by my wife, that I am not a perfect man.”
My Thoughts-As President Barack Obama goes about his daily life, he often encounters situations where he can’t simply fix the problems presented to him by a quick decree. He quips that even on his best days, when he comes home at night, he’s just like every other American father and husband, trying to do a job with no manual where he isn’t perfect. With this statement, the president of the United States shows his humility and realizes that he is just one man.
1.) “Contrary to the rumors that you’ve heard, I was not born in a manger. I was actually born on Krypton and sent here by my father, Jor-el, to save the planet Earth.”
My Thoughts-President Obama shows off his sense of humor as he satirically comments on persistent rumors that he wasn’t born in America as well as making it clear the problems he is set to fix will not be fixed in one swift stroke because unlike Jesus Christ, Obama was not born in a manger.
Source of Quotes-Wikiquote
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