Barack Obama Quotes About Progress

• America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles of justice and progress, tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.

  Barack Obama

  America, Justice, Mind Blowing

  A New Beginning: Speech at Cairo University, delivered 4 June 2009, Cairo, Egypt

• It was unknowable then, but so much of the progress that would define the 20th century, on both sides of the Atlantic, came down to the battle for a slice of beach only six miles long and two miles wide.

  Barack Obama

  Beach, Sacrifice, Long

  "Obama on D-Day: 'The Evil We Faced Had to Be Stopped'" by Karen Travers, Jake Tapper, Sunlen Miller, abcnews.go.com. June 6, 2009.

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

  Barack Obama

  Inspirational, Motivational, Inspiring

  "Barack Obama's farewell speech: this is how a leader signs off" by Ruchira Karnik, www.hindustantimes.com. January 15, 2017.

• Simple exchanges can break down walls between us, for when people come together and speak to one another and share a common experience, then their common humanity is revealed. We are reminded that we're joined together by our pursuit of a life that's productive and purposeful, and when that happens mistrust begins to fade and our smaller differences no longer overshadow the things that we share. And that's where progress begins.

  Barack Obama

  Wall, Simple, Common Humanity

• On every front there are clear answers out there that can make this country stronger, but we're going to break through the fear and the frustration people are feeling. Our job is to make sure that even as we make progress, that we are also giving people a sense of hope and vision for the future.

  Barack Obama

  Inspirational, Hope, Country

  "Obama: 'Fear' drives voters" by Carol E.Lee, www.politico.com. October 16, 2010.

• Americans have always pursued our dreams within a free market that has been the engine of our progress. It's a market that has created a prosperity that is the envy of the world, and rewarded the innovators and risk-takers who have made America a beacon of science, and technology, and discovery. But the American economy has worked in large part because we have guided the market's invisible hand with a higher principle - that America prospers when all Americans can prosper. That is why we have put in place rules of the road to make competition fair, and open, and honest.

  Barack Obama

  Dream, Technology, Invisible Hand

  "The Day the Momentum Changed: And What Obama Needs to Do in the Debates to Keep It" by Drew Westen, www.huffingtonpost.com. October 23, 2008.

• Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time, but it does require us to act in our time.

  Barack Obama

  Powerful, Government, Long

  Second Presidential Inaugural Address, delivered 21 January 2013, Washington, D.C.

• While the future is unknowable, the winds always blow in the direction of human progress.

  Barack Obama

  Powerful, Blow, Wind

  Barack Obama's remarks prior to departure from Accra, Ghana, July 11, 2009.

• I've been struck by how hungry we all are for a different kind of politics. So I've spent some time thinking about how I could best advance the cause of change and progress that we so desperately need.

  Barack Obama

  Powerful, Thinking, Progress

  Barack Oba,a's remarks in a video posting, announcing his candidacy for President of the United States, January 16, 2007.

• Even as we do all that's necessary to ensure Israel's security, even as we are clear-eyed about the difficult challenges before us, and even as we pledge to stand by Israel through whatever tough days lie ahead, I hope we do not give up on that vision of peace. For if history teaches us anything, if the story of Israel teaches us anything, it is that with courage and resolve, progress is possible. Peace is possible.

  Barack Obama

  Giving Up, Lying, Israel

  Remarks by the President at the AIPAC Policy Conference at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., obamawhitehouse.archives.gov. May 22, 2011.

• Today, we are closer to fulfilling America's promise of economic and social justice because we stand on the shoulders of giants like Dr. King, yet our future progress will depend on how we prepare our next generation of leaders. We must fortify their ladders of opportunity by correcting social injustice, breaking the cycle of poverty in struggling communities, and reinvesting in our schools. Education can unlock a child's potential and remains our strongest weapon against injustice and inequality.

  Barack Obama

  Kings, Children, Struggle

• The profound mistake of Reverend Wright's sermons is not that he spoke about racism in our society. It's that he spoke as if our society was static; as if no progress has been made; as if this country - a country that has made it possible for one of his own members to run for the highest office in the land and build a coalition of white and black; Latino and Asian, rich and poor, young and old - is still irrevocably bound to a tragic past.

  Barack Obama

  Inspiring, Running, Country

  Barack Obama, (2008). “Change We Can Believe In”, p.237, Canongate Books

• The incredible story of progress that is America has always been built by those who ask why, what if, and why not. Our schools must begin instilling that wonder in our children again so that their generation will unite around the next great project of our time, whether it be declaring America energy independent or launching the next great technological revolution.

  Barack Obama

  Inspiring, Children, School

• And so our goal on health care is, if we can get, instead of health care costs going up 6 percent a year, it's going up at the level of inflation, maybe just slightly above inflation, we've made huge progress. And by the way, that is the single most important thing we could do in terms of reducing our deficit. That's why we did it.

  Barack Obama

  Years, Goal, Progress

• I wonder, sometimes, whether men and women in fact are capable of learning from history--whether we progress from one stage to the next in an upward course or whether we just ride the cycles of boom and bust, war and peace, ascent and decline.

  Barack Obama

  War, Men, Progress

  Barack Obama (2007). “The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream”, p.322, Canongate Books

• So while an incredible amount of progress has been made, on this fifth anniversary, I wanted to come here and tell the people of this city directly: My administration is going to stand with you - and fight alongside you - until the job is done. Until New Orleans is all the way back, all the way.

  Barack Obama

  Anniversary, Jobs, Fighting

  "New Orleans Residents Still Struggling To Get Back Home". Remarks from the Crescent City, www.npr.org. August 31, 2010.

• Progress in the most impoverished parts of our world enriches us all.

  Barack Obama

  Our World, Progress, World

  Fourth Presidential State of the Union Address, delivered 12 February 2013, Washington, D.C.

• America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire. The United States has been one of the greatest sources of progress that the world has ever known. We were born out of revolution against an empire. We were founded upon the ideal that all are created equal. And we have shed blood and struggled for centuries to give meaning to those words, within our borders and around the world. We are shaped by every culture. Drawn from every end of the Earth, and dedicated to a simple concept, E pluribus unum: Out of many, one.

  Barack Obama

  Simple, Self, Blood

  A New Beginning: Speech at Cairo University, delivered 4 June 2009, Cairo, Egypt

• I think sometimes Europe may take for granted the extraordinary progress that's been made over the last 40, 50 years. I recognize that sometimes there is great frustration that arises out of the euro zone or out of the EU.

  Barack Obama

  Frustration, Thinking, Years

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• Just like I described in health care, yeah, somebody comes in, they got new ideas, maybe ideas that are completely opposite of my ideas. Maybe some of it goes, maybe some of that progress goes back. Maybe they think of some things we didn't think of, and so in some other areas - we can learn something.

  Barack Obama

  Thinking, Opposites, Ideas

  Source: abcnews.go.com

• We have to acknowledge the progress we made, but understand that we still have a long way to go. That things are better, but still not good enough.

  Barack Obama

  Long, Not Good Enough, Progress

• I think that our politics everywhere are gonna be going through this bumpy phase. But as long as we stay true to our Democratic principles, as long as elections have integrity, as long as we respect freedom of speech, freedom of religion, as long as there are checks and balances in our governments so that the people have the ability to not just make judgments about how well government is serving them but also change governments if they're not serving them well, then I have confidence that over the long term, progress will continue.

  Barack Obama

  Integrity, Thinking, Government

  Source: time.com

• That just gives sort of the democracy an opportunity to test ideas, for those who lost to catch their breath, regain energy, re-energize themselves and then get back in the arena, and then we'll make some more progress in the future.

  Barack Obama

  Opportunity, Ideas, Giving

  Source: abcnews.go.com

• So we have a choice to make. We can once again let Washington's bad habits stand in the way of progress. Or we can pull together and say that in America, our destiny isn't written for us but by us. We can place good ideas ahead of old ideological battles, and a sense of purpose above the same narrow partisanship. We can act boldly to turn crisis into opportunity and, together, write the next great chapter in our history and meet the test of our time.

  Barack Obama

  Writing, Destiny, Opportunity

  "The Action Americans Need". www.washingtonpost.com. February 5, 2009.

• By so many measures, our country is stronger and more prosperous than it was when we first got here. And I'm hopeful we'll build on the progress we've made in the years to come.

  Barack Obama

  Country, Years, Hopeful

  "Merry Christmas From Barack And Michelle Obama: 'We Made America More Respected Around The World'" by Ian Schwartz, www.realclearpolitics.com. December 24, 2016.

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