Rhetoric is a poor substitute for action, and we have trusted only to rhetoric. If we are really to be a great nation, we must not merely talk; we must act big.

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.

Believe you can and you're halfway there.

Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.

Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.

A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.

This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in.

Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president.

If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month.

When they call the roll in the Senate, the Senators do not know whether to answer 'Present' or 'Not guilty.'

A man who is good enough to shed his blood for the country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards.

...the face has limited space. My mother used to say, if you fill your face with laughing, there will be no more room for crying.

Turning up our light in the presence of those whose light is dim becomes the difference that makes the difference.

We rise to high positions or remain at the bottom because of conditions we can control if we desire to control them.

This just means so much to me!I'd like to thank all the little people I crushed on my way to the top

Specifically, the part where in the early 19th century America reconstituted the U.S. Marine Corps to battle the Islamic Barbary Pirates, though I don't think that's what Obama meant.

I think that the presidency really brings out the best in a lot of people.

Sleep is for those people who are broke. I don't sleep. I've got an opportunity to make a dream become a reality.

The English are crooked as a nation and honest as individuals. The contrary is true of the French, who are honest as a nation and crooked as individuals.

When someone is close by, you just know it.

Everything in life is unusual until you get accustomed to it -The Scarecrow - The Marvellous Land Of Oz by L. Frank Baum pg 103 chapter 13