Michelle Obama Quotes: DNC Speech Adds To Legacy
Timeless Michelle Obama Quotes That Inspire Greatness
Michelle Obama sspeak at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 20, 2024. | Source: Anadolu / Getty
UPDATED: 10:00 a.m. ET, Aug. 21
Former First Lady Michelle Obama did not disappoint anybody expecting her to come with pure heat for her speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC) Tuesday night.
While anybody who’s been paying attention had no doubts that she would deliver a brilliant speech, the fire she reserved for former President Donald Trump fueled the audience at the United Center in Chicago and could go down in history as her greatest and possibly most effective public address ever.
And that’s saying something, considering her track record of speeches that are so enviably great that they’ve been shamelessly plagiarized by political opponents.
Not only was she rallying for the first Black woman to be president but she was also doing it in her own hometown of Chicago.
That collision of circumstances, and likely plenty of others, paved the way for yet another legendary speech from Obama, who has a history of delivering meaningful and significant messages through her words, particularly at the DNC.
Keep reading to find a curated selection of Michelle Obama quotes that she’s said on Tuesday night and over the years that have stood the test of time, and then some.
At the DNC
On optimism
“America, hope is making a comeback.”
On her mother
“Folks, I still feel her loss so profoundly. I wasn’t even sure if I’d be steady enough to stand before you tonight, but my heart compelled me to be here because of the sense of duty that I feel to honor her memory. And to remind us all not to squander the sacrifices our elders made to give us a better future.”
On Kamala Harris
“Kamala Harris and I built our lives on the same foundational values. Even though our mothers grew up an ocean apart, they shared the same belief in the promise of this country. That’s why her mother moved here from India at 19. It’s why she taught Kamala about justice, about the obligation to lift others up, about our responsibility to give more than we take. She’d often tell her daughter, ‘don’t sit around and complain about things. Do something.'”
On white privilege (shading Trump)
“If we bankrupt a business — if we bankrupt a business or choke in a crisis, we don’t get a second, third or fourth chance. If things don’t go our way, we don’t have the luxury of whining or cheating others to get further ahead. No.
We don’t get to change the rules so we always win. If we see a mountain in front of us, we don’t expect there to be an escalator waiting to take us to the top. No. We put our heads down. We get to work. In America, we do something.”
On Kamala Harris running for president after Joe Biden dropped out
“I can’t have this phone call without saying to my girl Kamala: I am proud of you. This is going to be historic.”
On centering children’s nutrition
“I’ve learned that if you want to change the game on this issue, you can do a lot from the outside. But to achieve the kind of long-term change our kids deserve, you’ve also got to change the food and beverage industry itself. You’ve got to get inside. That’s exactly what I’m doing.”
On a museum exhibit being inspired by her mother, Marian Robinson
“Growing up with my mom was always an adventure. But above all else, my mom gave me that non-stop, unconditional love that was so important for me to grow up. In so many ways, she fostered in me a deep sense of confidence in who I was and who I could be by teaching me how to think for myself, how to use my own voice and how to understand my own worth. I simply wouldn’t be who I am today without my mom.”
On Donald Trump and Republican attacks
“When they go low, we go high.”
On her and her husband teaching youth about civic engagement
“I want our young people to know that they matter, that they belong. So don’t be afraid — you hear me, young people? Don’t be afraid. Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Be empowered. Empower yourselves with a good education, then get out there and use that education to build a country worthy of your boundless promise. Lead by example with hope, never fear.”
On Biden beating Trump in 2020
“We’ve also got to recognize that the path to progress will always be uphill. We’ll always have to scrape and crawl up toward that mountaintop. And two years from now, four years from now, there will once again be no margin for error.”
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