"Hope is not blind optimism. It's not a naive faith that things will turn out for the best. It's a belief that if we work hard enough, we can make things better."

"I'm a pretty good debater. I'm a pretty good orator. I'm a pretty good writer."

"The thing about the American people, and I've said this before, is that they're really good people. They're just like you and me. They want to do the right thing. They just sometimes get confused."

"Don't tell me words don't matter. 'I have a dream.' Just words. 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.' Just words. Just words? 'We the People.' Just words."

"We're not going to be able to solve our problems if we are constantly demonizing each other."