--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even when our heart aches, we summon the…" description: "\"Even when our heart aches, we summon the strength that maybe we didn't even know we had, and we carry on; we finish the race.\" — Barack Obama" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/barack-obama-17_ache_even-when-our-heart-aches-we-summon-the_2639184.jpg" --- # Even when our heart aches, we summon the strength that… ![“Even when our heart aches, we summon the strength that maybe we didn't even know we had, and we carry on; we finish the race.” quote by Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/barack-obama-17_ache_even-when-our-heart-aches-we-summon-the_2639184.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/barack-obama-17_ache_even-when-our-heart-aches-we-summon-the_2639184.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/barack-obama-17_ache_even-when-our-heart-aches-we-summon-the_2639184.jpg) > “Even when our heart aches, we summon the strength that maybe we didn't even know we had, and we carry on; we finish the race.” [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even in emotional pain, people can discover unexpected inner strength and persist to complete their endeavors. **In simple terms:** Pain can reveal hidden strength that helps us finish what we start. Key Takeaway Recognize and harness inner resilience during hardship. Themes resilience perseverance emotional strength determination Mood inspirational hopeful Type motivational personal When to use this quote - sports - personal loss - career challenges - health recovery Key Concepts psychology motivation leadership Questions to Reflect On - What inner resources do you draw on when facing pain? - How can you support others in finding their own strength? A Different Perspective Strength may be temporary and not guarantee success without support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ache](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ache/) [Finish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finish/) [Finish Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finish-race-1466583/) [Finish The Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finish-the-race/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Heart ache](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-ache/) [Heart Aches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-aches/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength/) [Strength Maybe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength-maybe-2254547/) ## Related quotes > [We will finish the race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-will-finish-the-race/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [For a moment, my heart aches for him. I should never have asked him to join me here; I should never have asked him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/for-a-moment-my-heart-aches-for-him-i-should-never-have-asked-him-to/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [My heart aches completely, every hour, every day, and only when I'm with you does the pain go away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/my-heart-aches-completely-every-hour-every-day-and-only-when-i-m-with/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I know nothing and my heart aches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-nothing-and-my-heart-aches/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [... no matter how one's heart aches, one can do the necessary things and do them well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myrtle-reed/no-matter-how-one-s-heart-aches-one-can-do-the-necessary-things-and/) [Myrtle Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myrtle-reed/) > [I would like to be able to breathe— to be able to love her by memory or fidelity. But my heart aches. I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-would-like-to-be-able-to-breathe-to-be-able-to-love-her-by-memory/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Life is like a race; some people will run up to the finish line, some people will fall and give up on the way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalyn/life-is-like-a-race-some-people-will-run-up-to-the-finish-line-some/) [Magdalyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalyn/) > [“The race is long. It is better to drive within oneself and finish the race behind the others than it is to drive too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/the-race-is-long-it-is-better-to-drive-within-oneself-and-finish-the-2/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [At 10 minutes to seven on a dark, cool evening in Mexico City in 1968, John Stephen Akwari of Tanzania painfully hobbled into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-inglis-anderson/at-10-minutes-to-seven-on-a-dark-cool-evening-in-mexico-city-in-1968/) [Walter Inglis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-inglis-anderson/) > [If you neglect to recharge a battery, it dies. And if you run full speed ahead without stopping for water, you lose momentum to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/if-you-neglect-to-recharge-a-battery-it-dies-and-if-you-run-full/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Tiger, come on now, you've still got work to do. This round and golf tournament are not over. Hang in there and finish the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiger-woods/tiger-come-on-now-you-ve-still-got-work-to-do-this-round-and-golf/) [Tiger Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiger-woods/) > [Other nights ... I visualize to the point that I know exactly what I want to do: dive, glide, stroke, flip, reach the wall,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-phelps/other-nights-i-visualize-to-the-point-that-i-know-exactly-what-i-want/) [Michael Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-phelps/) > [The mistake I really learned from was in 2005, leading the Indianapolis 500. I had a decision whether or not to save enough fuel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danica-patrick/the-mistake-i-really-learned-from-was-in-2005-leading-the/) [Danica Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danica-patrick/) > [The race is long. It is better to drive within oneself and finish the race behind the other than it is to drive too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/the-race-is-long-it-is-better-to-drive-within-oneself-and-finish-the/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [Beginnings are easy, the thing is to finish the race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitor-belfort/beginnings-are-easy-the-thing-is-to-finish-the-race/) [Vitor Belfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitor-belfort/) ## 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/) [Explore all 3,624 Barack Obama quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## More Ache quotes > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [When we went into the ocean, I watched his body as he dove into the waves, and it gave me a feeling in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/when-we-went-into-the-ocean-i-watched-his-body-as-he-dove-into-the/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [A woman who lives with the stress of an overwhelmed schedule will often ache with the sadness of an underwhelmed soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/a-woman-who-lives-with-the-stress-of-an-overwhelmed-schedule-will/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [I ache for the touch of your lips dear, but much more for the touch of your whips dear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-ache-for-the-touch-of-your-lips-dear-but-much-more-for-the-touch-of/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [I was not wounded in any part of my body, but I had never experienced such intense pain, such a ripping of the nerves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-was-not-wounded-in-any-part-of-my-body-but-i-had-never-experienced/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [And the flavor of Pippa's kiss--bittersweet and strange--stayed with me all the way back uptown, swaying and sleepy as I sailed home on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/and-the-flavor-of-pippa-s-kiss-bittersweet-and-strange-stayed-with-me/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [They are enthusiasts, devotees. Addicts. Something about the circus stirs their souls, and they ache for it when it is absent. They seek each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/they-are-enthusiasts-devotees-addicts-something-about-the-circus/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [as we acquire new aches and new pains, our health care is, of necessity, being supplied by internists, cardiologists, dermatologists, podiatrists, urologists, periodontists, gynecologists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/as-we-acquire-new-aches-and-new-pains-our-health-care-is-of-necessity/) [Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/) > [Jamie enjoyed solitude, but loneliness was a constant ache.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-sheldon/jamie-enjoyed-solitude-but-loneliness-was-a-constant-ache/) [Sidney Sheldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-sheldon/) > [Some men make money not for the sake of living, but ache In the blindness of greed and live just for their fortune's sake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/some-men-make-money-not-for-the-sake-of-living-but-ache-in-the/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [Staring at her face, she began to fancy her outer layer had begun to melt away while she wasn't paying attention, and something --…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/staring-at-her-face-she-began-to-fancy-her-outer-layer-had-begun-to/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [O thou beautiful And unimaginable ether! and Ye multiplying masses of increased And still increasing lights! what are ye? what Is this blue wilderness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/o-thou-beautiful-and-unimaginable-ether-and-ye-multiplying-masses-of/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [An emotion is a thought, yes, an idea, but it is also a sensation, an ache in your body. Desire, love, hate, fear, repulsion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/an-emotion-is-a-thought-yes-an-idea-but-it-is-also-a-sensation-an/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [He that sleeps feels not the tooth-ache](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/he-that-sleeps-feels-not-the-tooth-ache/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I will live this day as if it is my last. …I will waste not a moment mourning yesterday’s misfortunes, Yesterday’s defeats, yesterday’s aches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/i-will-live-this-day-as-if-it-is-my-last-i-will-waste-not-a-moment/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) [Browse all 489 Ache quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ache/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Even when our heart aches, we summon the strength that maybe we didn't even know we had, and we carry on; we finish the race.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barack Obama" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/even-when-our-heart-aches-we-summon-the-strength-that-maybe-we-didn-t/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ache" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/even-when-our-heart-aches-we-summon-the-strength-that-maybe-we-didn-t/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/barack-obama-17_ache_even-when-our-heart-aches-we-summon-the_2639184.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/barack-obama-17_ache_even-when-our-heart-aches-we-summon-the_2639184.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/barack-obama-17_ache_even-when-our-heart-aches-we-summon-the_2639184.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Even when our heart aches, we summon the strength that maybe we didn't even know we had, and we carry on; we…” — Barack Obama", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Barack Obama", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Even when our heart aches, we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/even-when-our-heart-aches-we-summon-the-strength-that-maybe-we-didn-t/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/even-when-our-heart-aches-we-summon-the-strength-that-maybe-we-didn-t/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```