1 If I remain hopeful, it’s because I’ve learned to place my faith in my fellow citizens, especially those of the next generation. -Barack Obama
The future generation is our only hope. No matter how dark the present may seem, we should always place our hopes upon them. Have faith for they will grow to be the leaders of tomorrow.
2 The best we can do is to try to align ourselves with what we feel is right and construct some meaning out of our confusion. -Barack Obama
Follow where your heart leads you. However tough it may seem, have the courage to stand with what you think is right. Things will eventually work out. All you need to do is stay firm and look for the silver lining.
3 There is not a Black America and a white America and a Latino America and an Asian America, there’s the United States of America. -Barack Obama
America should not be divided among racial or ethnic lines. The idea of America transcends all of such superficial things. We are more than that. The only thing that should matter is that we are Americans first.
4 Turns out avoiding a war is harder than getting into one. -Barack Obama
It’s easy to get into a war. All you need is a bad statement or some bad blood from before. To avoid a war, it takes so much more. You need to be patient and prudent. In the end, being the better person and saving lives is what matters.
5 Whatever you do won’t be enough, I heard their voices say, Try anyway. -Barack Obama
It doesn’t matter what any of them tell you. You need to learn to deafen out all the needless noise. No matter how much they try to pull you down, try anyways. Because in the end, the only person you need to have faith in is yourself.
6 Sometimes your most important work involved the stuff nobody noticed. -Barack Obama
Not everything that you do will be noticed by people. Sometimes, the most important things in your life will go unnoticed by people. And people’s validation is not what you should crave. Do what you do not for others, but for yourself.
7 But even the best organizations can’t anticipate everything, in which case you learn to improvise to meet your objectives. -Barack Obama
Not everything goes right always. There will always be ups and downs. And the only thing that you can do is improvise and overcome those challenges. Only those who can adapt to obstacles can ever get anywhere in life.
8 Confidence is hard to convey if you don’t fully feel it. -Barack Obama
Confidence is an important quality in a person. But if you do not genuinely feel it within you, you will only come across as pretentious. Have faith and believe in yourself. Feel the confidence that you want others to see.
9 What I can say for certain is that I’m not yet ready to abandon the possibility of America. -Barack Obama
America is a nation that has stood the test of time and inspired numerous other nations. It has been the flagbearer of democracy, liberty, and equality. No matter how dark the times in the country may seem, one needs to have faith. In the end, we will make it through as better people and a better nation.
10 Enthusiasm makes up for a host of deficiencies. -Barack Obama
Never let your enthusiasm blind you. The more excited you get about something, the easier it is for you to go wrong. Do not let it rail you off your path. Your eyes should always be set forward.
11 Glory and tragedy, courage and stupidity – one set of truths didn’t negate the other. -Barack Obama
There’s no point just looking at the good side of things. You need to be able to accept the tragedies, the losses, and the falls. As much as you should look at the silver lining, you should also have the courage to accept and face your demons.
12 I suffered rejections and failures often enough to stop fearing them. -Barack Obama
Once you have been through enough failures, once you’ve been rejected enough times, you learn to not let them affect you much. You stop fearing them. And that way, you can go on to face whatever life throws at you without any care or fear.
13 I experienced failure and learned to buck up so I could rally those who put their trust on me. -Barack Obama
Once you experience failure enough times, you become thick-skinned. You learn to handle it well. After that, no matter how many times you fall, you will always find it within you to get back up and never fail those who put their trust in you.
14 You could build power not by putting others down but by lifting them up. -Barack Obama
Power does not come from putting down others. That only inspires hate and fear. Power gained upon such precedents is worthless. Only by pulling up others can you really gain power.
15 The world didn’t have to be a cold, unforgiving place, where the strong preyed on the weak and we inevitably fell back into clans and tribes. -Barack Obama
The world doesn’t have to be so unforgiving and ruthless. It can be so much better, where people of every faith, race, and culture can live together in harmony. Peace could prevail over war and love over violence. All it needs is for people to look within each other and see the goodness within.
15 Most Thought-Provoking Quotes from Barack Obama’s Memoir, A Promised Land
1. If I remain hopeful, it’s because I’ve learned to place my faith in my fellow citizens, especially those of the next generation. -Barack Obama
2. The best we can do is to try to align ourselves with what we feel is right and construct some meaning out of our confusion. -Barack Obama
3. There is not a Black America and a white America and a Latino America and an Asian America, there’s the United States of America. -Barack Obama
4. Turns out avoiding a war is harder than getting into one. -Barack Obama
5. Whatever you do won’t be enough, I heard their voices say, Try anyway. -Barack Obama
6. Sometimes your most important work involved the stuff nobody noticed. -Barack Obama
7. But even the best organizations can’t anticipate everything, in which case you learn to improvise to meet your objectives. -Barack Obama
8. Confidence is hard to convey if you don’t fully feel it. -Barack Obama
9. What I can say for certain is that I’m not yet ready to abandon the possibility of America. -Barack Obama
10. Enthusiasm makes up for a host of deficiencies. -Barack Obama
11. Glory and tragedy, courage and stupidity – one set of truths didn’t negate the other. -Barack Obama
12. I suffered rejections and failures often enough to stop fearing them. -Barack Obama
13. I experienced failure and learned to buck up so I could rally those who put their trust on me. -Barack Obama
14. You could build power not by putting others down but by lifting them up. -Barack Obama
15. The world didn’t have to be a cold, unforgiving place, where the strong preyed on the weak and we inevitably fell back into clans and tribes. -Barack Obama