--- title: "6 Down and Quotes By Barack Obama" description: "6 Down and quotes by Barack Obama. Plus more from Barack Obama and more Down and sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/362/barack-obama-17_behinds_here-at-home-we-will-strengthen-our-defe_283716.jpg" --- > [Here at home, we will strengthen our defenses but not succumb to a siege mentality that sacrifices the open society and liberties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/here-at-home-we-will-strengthen-our-defenses-but-not-succumb-to-a/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/362/barack-obama-17_behinds_here-at-home-we-will-strengthen-our-defe_283716.jpg) > [We can give our intelligence and law enforcement community the powers they need to track down and take out terrorists without undermining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-can-give-our-intelligence-and-law-enforcement-community-the-powers/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/barack-obama-17_basic-rights_we-can-give-our-intelligence-and-law-enf_354559.jpg) > [Unemployment is low, incomes are up, poverty is down - and that's going to be a lasting change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/unemployment-is-low-incomes-are-up-poverty-is-down-and-that-s-going/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f91/barack-obama-17_change_unemployment-is-low-incomes-are-up-pover_716990.jpg) > [Let's say hypothetically, knowing what we know now about public policy, that we could close the education gap so that it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/let-s-say-hypothetically-knowing-what-we-know-now-about-public-policy/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68b/barack-obama-17_african-american_let-s-say-hypothetically-knowing-what-we_1485424.jpg) > [I will tell you, when 20 6-year-olds are gunned down and Congress literally does nothing, yeah that's the closest I came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-will-tell-you-when-20-6-year-olds-are-gunned-down-and-congress/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fed/barack-obama-17_closest_i-will-tell-you-when-20-6-year-olds-are_2003298.jpg) > [One very difficult decision was deciding to vote against the appropriations bill for the war. I had consistently said that I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/one-very-difficult-decision-was-deciding-to-vote-against-the/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b8/barack-obama-17_adequate_one-very-difficult-decision-was-deciding_2640789.jpg) ## Other authors on Down and ## More by Barack Obama > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-peaceful-transition-of-power-is-one-of-the-hallmarks-of-our/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [As opposed to getting into arguments about, well, these folks have been treated fairly so now we're going to be doing things that, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-opposed-to-getting-into-arguments-about-well-these-folks-have-been/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Donald Trump is temperamentally unfit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/donald-trump-is-temperamentally-unfit/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [What we've said to the girls is: 'If you guys ever decide that you're going to get a tattoo, then mommy and me will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/what-we-ve-said-to-the-girls-is-if-you-guys-ever-decide-that-you-re/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Nobody is listening to your telephone calls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/nobody-is-listening-to-your-telephone-calls/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [All of us take offense to anyone who reaps the rewards of living in America without taking on the responsibilities of living in America.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/all-of-us-take-offense-to-anyone-who-reaps-the-rewards-of-living-in/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The world is complicated and full of grays, but there's still truth there to be found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-world-is-complicated-and-full-of-grays-but-there-s-still-truth/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ That is another theme in the book \[Dreams from My Father\]. How do we exercise more empathy in our public discourse? How do we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/that-is-another-theme-in-the-book-dreams-from-my-father-how-do-we/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I can say across Europe that many principles that have been taken for granted here around free speech, and around civil liberties and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-can-say-across-europe-that-many-principles-that-have-been-taken-for/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I want to thank the Greek people publicly for their humanitarian response to the crisis of so many migrants and refugees seeking safety in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-want-to-thank-the-greek-people-publicly-for-their-humanitarian/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We had a farewell dinner for some of my senior staff, and generally everybody likes to talk about how cool I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-had-a-farewell-dinner-for-some-of-my-senior-staff-and-generally/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ It's good to get fresh legs in \[the White house\]. I think that it refreshes our democracy. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/it-s-good-to-get-fresh-legs-in-the-white-house-i-think-that-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Believe it or not, entertainment is part of our American diplomacy, it is part of what makes us exceptional, part of what makes us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/believe-it-or-not-entertainment-is-part-of-our-american-diplomacy-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/down-and/barack-obama/#itemlist", "name": "6 Down and Quotes By Barack Obama", "numberOfItems": 6, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Here at home, we will strengthen our defenses but not succumb to a siege mentality that sacrifices the open society and liberties and values that we cherish as Americans, because great and proud nations don't hunker down and hide behind walls of suspicion and mistrust.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barack Obama" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/here-at-home-we-will-strengthen-our-defenses-but-not-succumb-to-a/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/362/barack-obama-17_behinds_here-at-home-we-will-strengthen-our-defe_283716.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/362/barack-obama-17_behinds_here-at-home-we-will-strengthen-our-defe_283716.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/362/barack-obama-17_behinds_here-at-home-we-will-strengthen-our-defe_283716.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Here at home, we will strengthen our defenses but not succumb to a siege mentality that sacrifices the open…” — Barack Obama", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We can give our intelligence and law enforcement community the powers they need to track down and take out terrorists without undermining our commitment to the rule of law, or our basic rights and liberties.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barack Obama" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-can-give-our-intelligence-and-law-enforcement-community-the-powers/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/barack-obama-17_basic-rights_we-can-give-our-intelligence-and-law-enf_354559.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/barack-obama-17_basic-rights_we-can-give-our-intelligence-and-law-enf_354559.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ba/barack-obama-17_basic-rights_we-can-give-our-intelligence-and-law-enf_354559.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We can give our intelligence and law enforcement community the powers they need to track down and take out…” — Barack Obama", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Unemployment is low, incomes are up, poverty is down - 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