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Portrait of Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama

(1964) Sociologist United States

504 quotes in 1856 categories

Changing adults is tough, Michelle Obama notes, and she stresses that hard work is needed for what you want. She points to improvements for veterans and military spouses, while also highlighting how healthcare costs and obesity affect families. She admires leaders who never quit under pressure.

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Michelle Obama is a sociologist from the United States, best known for Becoming.

Quick Facts About Michelle Obama

Born: January 17, 1964
Nationality: United States
Profession: Sociologist
Notable works: Becoming
Spouse: Q76

About Michelle Obama

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama is an American attorney and author who served as First Lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017, married to President Barack Obama.

Awards & Honors

National Women's Hall of Fame Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording BBC 100 Women honorary degree from Spelman College Women of the Year

Quotes by Michelle Obama

America is just downright mean.

America

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I'm a fry lover.

Food

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Politics is a waste of time.

Politics

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For me, education was power.

Education

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People want to feel hopeful.

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Choose people who lift you up.

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The benefits of studying abroad are almost endless.

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I am only as good as my children are.

Children

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You work hard for what you want in life.

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Know that America belongs to you, to all of you.

America

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We have an obligation to fight for the world as it should be.

Fight

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I will not run for president. No, nope, not going to do it.

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Value everyone's contribution and treat everyone with respect.

Contribution

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My happiness is tied to how I feel about myself.

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I've always been a closet jock, but when I got married and had kids, that fell by the wayside.

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It's hard to change adults, and it's hard to change it from a political position or a perceived political position.

Adults

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My view is that if you can't run your own house, you certainly can't run the White House. Can't do it.

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There is no magic to achievement. It's really about hard work, choices, and persistence.

Achievement

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Over the years I've become more confident in people's ability to recognize a good thing.

Ability

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We can aim to create a culture, where kids ask for healthy options instead of resisting them.

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“My most important title is still “mom-in-chief.” My daughters are still the heart of my heart and the center of my world.”

Motherhood

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I always say that women should wear whatever makes them feel good about themselves. That's what I always try to do.

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It's all about, you know, continuing to get to know ourselves in a very diverse and complicated country that is America. It…

America

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Just keep focusing on the work that you're doing. Focus on what's in front of you today. And don't read the papers,…

Campaigns

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We need an adult in the White House. When making life-or-death, war-or-peace decisions, a president can't just pop off or lash out…

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A candidate is not going to suddenly change once they get into office. Just the opposite, in fact. Because the minute that…

Candidate

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A lot of young people think they're invincible, but the truth is young people are knuckleheads... Now young people can get insurance…

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I like to talk about my obsession with french fries because I don't want people to think that 'Let's Move' is about…

Deprivation

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We learned about gratitude and humility, that so many people had a hand in our success, from the teachers who inspired us…

Contribution

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The president's job is a lot harder. And that's why I'm working hard to get him re-elected, because he's handled himself with…

Challenges

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When you're really trying to make serious change, you don't want people to get caught up in emotion because change isn't emotion.…

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One thing I want to clarify - that every service member, veteran, wants us to remember - is that the vast majority…

Acceptance

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I just want to pause for a moment on the word 'invent' because the phrase isn't 'succeed in the future,' it's not…

Graduation speech

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I can't say this enough - the food that you put into your bodies can actually help you get better grades. And…

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Some kids have never seen what a real tomato looks like off the vine. They don't know where a cucumber comes from.…

American tradition

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Moving [to the White House], whatever stresses would be on my husband and me, we could handle; we are grown-ups. But it…

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You all have opportunities and skills and education that so many folks who came before you never could have dreamed of. So…

Education

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The issues facing working women and their families are closest to my heart. I decided to focus intently on the challenges military…

Challenges

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Hope and change are hard-fought things.

Challenges

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I hate fund-raising. Haaaaate it. Hate, hate it.

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Michelle Obama by topic

People (81) Kids (60) Children (56) Country (44) Time (40) Family (38) Thinking (36) Life (34) Food (34) Marriage (32) School (28) Health (27) Child obesity (27) Parenting (26)