Michelle Obama is best known as the wife of former US President Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States from 2009 to 2017. Prior to becoming so well known internationally in her role as first lady, Michelle was an accomplished lawyer, a community outreach worker, and a Chicago city administrator.
As first lady, Michelle focused her attention on social issues such as healthy living, poverty, children, and education. In 2018 she wrote a memoir, Becoming, discusses the experiences that shaped her, from her childhood in Chicago to her years living in the White House.
Michelle Obama Quotes
Michelle Obama Quotes from Becoming
“I am coming down from the mountaintop to tell every young person that is poor and working class, and has been told regardless of the color of your skin that you don’t belong, don’t listen to them. They don’t even know how they got at those seats.”
“Your story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own.”
“When somebody walks up to me, don’t look around, don’t look beyond them. Look them in the eye, take in the story.”
“Am I good enough? Yes I am.”
“That whole ‘so you can have it all.’ Nope, not at the same time. That’s a lie. And it’s not always enough to lean in, because that s*it doesn’t work all the time.”
“It was one thing to get yourself out of a stuck place, I realized. It was another thing entirely to try and get the place itself unstuck.”
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s the power of using your voice.”
“For me, becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn’t end.”
“There’s power in allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your unique story, in using your authentic voice. And there’s grace in being willing to know and hear others.”
“Don’t ever make decisions based on fear. Make decisions based on hope and possibility. Make decisions based on what should happen, not what shouldn’t.”
“Success isn’t about how your life looks to others. It’s about how it feels to you. We realized that being successful isn’t about being impressive, it’s about being inspired.”
“When you’ve worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you.”
“You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once. But, don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious, and hope can take on a life of its own.”
“We have to find a way to continue to lift other women up in our worlds and in our lives as much as possible.”
“We need to do a better job putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to do’ list.” – Source: Let Girls Learn event in 2016.
“No matter what, you give everybody a fair shake, and when somebody needs a hand, you offer yours,” Mrs. Obama said during the Eastern Kentucky University Commencementin 2013.
“I have learned that as long as I hold fast to my beliefs and values. and follow my own moral compass, then the only expectations I need to live up to are my own,” Mrs. Obama said during the Tuskegee University Commencement Speech in 2015.
During the 2012 Democratic National Convention, Mrs. Obama said, “Success isn’t about how much money you make, it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.”
“When someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you don’t stoop to their level. No, our motto is, when they go low, we go high,” Mrs. Obama famously said during the Democratic National Convention in 2016.
“Instead of letting your hardships and failures discourage or exhaust you, let them inspire you. Let them make you even hungrier to succeed,” she said during a 2015 King College Prep High School commencement speech.
“Whether you come from a council estate or a country estate, your success will be determined by your own confidence and fortitude,” Mrs. Obama told a group of girls in London during the 2009 G20 Summit.
“We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to do’ list,” Mrs. Obama told Vogue in 2016.
“Failure is an important part of your growth and developing resilience. Don’t be afraid to fail,” Mrs. Obama said during The Power of an Educated Girl panel in 2015.
“You have to fill your bucket with positive energy—and if you have people hanging around you that are bringing you down and not lifting you up, whether that’s your ‘boo’ or your best friend—you have to learn how to push these people to the side,” Mrs. Obama said at The Power of an Education Girl panel in 2015.
“You should never view your challenges as a disadvantage. Instead, it’s important for you to understand that your experience facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages,” she said during her 2016 City College of New York commencement speech
“You cannot take your freedoms for granted. Just like generations who have come before you, you have to do your part to preserve and protect those freedoms… you need to be preparing yourself to add your voice to our national conversation,” Mrs. Obama said during her final speech as First Lady of the United States in 2017.
“Strong men, strong men, men who are truly role models, don’t need to put down women to make themselves feel powerful,” she said during a 2016 speech in New Hampshire.
“Success is only meaningful and enjoyable if it feels like your own,” Mrs. Obama said during the Oregon State University commencement address in 2012.
In this fun video, James Corden drives around with First Lady Michelle Obama and they do some Carpool Karaoke singing songs from Stevie Wonder and Beyonce. Also, Missy Elliott surprises them with a drop in and they sing “This Is For My Girls.
Michelle Obama has been an inspiration to many. She has been an advocate for equal rights, encouraged education for girls and advocated for improving the situation for American families in poverty. Many forget that she was an attorney and had achieved a lot prior to become First Lady when Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States.
Michelle Obama is also seen as a cultural and fashion icon of style as well. As Barack Obama said during his farewell presidential address, she’s done everything “with grace and grit and with style and good humor.”
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