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Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Politics

Photo: Official White House Photo by Pete Souza, Public domain

Barack Obama -- Born: 1961-08-04. Occupation: academic. Employer: Business International Corporation. Position: President of the United States. Education: Centaurus High School. Awards: Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording.

Born1961-08-04

Occupationacademic, community organizer, jurist, lawyer

EmployerBusiness International Corporation, Gamaliel Foundation, New York Public Interest Research Group, Sidley Austin

PositionPresident of the United States, President-elect of the United States, United States senator

EducationCentaurus High School, Columbia University, Harvard Law School, Harvard University

AwardsGrammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording, Nobel Peace Prize, Presidential Medal of Distinction, Time Person of the Year

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Material current as of

Highlights

“Ultimately if we get that part of our democracy right, if our politics reflect our better instincts rather than our worst, we can solve a lot of the problems that we confront,”
ABC News2026-06-18Source
“I'm not interested in the center and the exhibits being an exercise in nostalgia. I don't want people to just be looking back and say, 'Oh, wow. Hope and change. That was so much fun. And I miss you.' Those are nice sentiments,”
ABC News2026-06-18Source
“You get the baton. You run your race, then you hand off the baton and all you have control over is that portion of the race that you run. And I could say unequivocally that the country was much better off by the time I finished my race than when I started.”
NPR2020-11-19Source
“I don't believe democracy's broken.”
NPR2020-11-19Source
“It is a healthy aspect of our democracy that you get eight years, at most, and then it's time for some fresh legs,”
NPR2020-11-19Source
“Punch me in the face, and I'm not going to retaliate.”
ABC News2010-04-08Source
“I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people.”
NobelPrize.org2009-12-10Source
“This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected.”
The Guardian2008-03-18Source
Browse 5 more quotes
“Despite what the president is saying, you're seeing state officials run an orderly process, and even Republican officials who are responsible for counting votes [are] doing so in a way that reflects their integrity.”
NPR2020-11-19Source
“He also talked me out of wearing a tan suit, by the way,”
apnews.com2022-09-08Source
“If you look at the number of Americans killed since 9/11 by terrorism, it's less than 100. If you look at the number that have been killed by gun violence, it's in the tens of thousands,”
BBC News2015-07-24Source
“There are going to be certain elements of his temperament that will not serve him well, unless he recognizes them and corrects them, because when you're a candidate and you say something that is inaccurate or controversial, it has less impact than it does when you're president of the United States.”
PBS NewsHour2016-11-14Source
“My main message is to the parents of Trayvon Martin. If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon.”
CNN2012-03-23Source

Works Timeline

Undated

In the News

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