Barack Quote by Vaclav Havel
“Barack Obama is president of a superpower and I'm a citizen of a small state.”
About This Quote
Even powerful leaders are ordinary citizens; perspective reminds us of humility.
In simple terms: Leaders are also citizens.
Key Takeaway
Remember humility.
Themes
power
citizenship
humility
Mood
thoughtful
inspirational
Type
philosophical
motivational
When to use this quote
- government
- community
- public discourse
- elections
Key Concepts
political theory
social identity
Questions to Reflect On
- How does your role affect your view of others?
- What does humility look like in leadership?
A Different Perspective
Power can distort self‑perception.
![“There was a real choice when [Barack Obama] became president. It was a very difficult choice - to say, "We're not going to hold senior officials to account with the same laws that every other citizen in the country is held to," or "This is a nation that believes in the rule of law."” quote by Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/104/edward-snowden-555_accounts_there-was-a-real-choice-when-barack-obam_27838.jpg)
![“In my opinion, we've elected a Marxist [Barack Obama] to be president of the United States.” quote by Paul Broun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/479/paul-broun-13322_barack_in-my-opinion-we-ve-elected-a-marxist-ba_771735.jpg)
![“A lot of people are wanting him [Barack Obama] to be the president just because he's black. But I think he does have some good views.” quote by Trey Songz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/062/trey-songz-2411_barack_a-lot-of-people-are-wanting-him-barack-o_101782.jpg)
![“I can't imagine that I would be asked that by the president-elect [Donald Trump], or then-president [Barack Obama]. But it's - I'm very clear. I voted for the change that put the Army Field Manual in place as a member of Congress. I understand that law very, very quickly and am also deeply aware…” quote by James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/761/james-mattis-9515_army_i-can-t-imagine-that-i-would-be-asked-th_3990.jpg)
![“The president [Barack Obama] asked for a commitment of, I think, 100,000 jobs for veterans and military spouses over the next couple of years. And we announced during the tour last week that we have gotten more than 60,000 jobs, and we're well on our way to just crashing that goal out of the…” quote by Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/83d/michelle-obama-518_barack_the-president-barack-obama-asked-for-a-c_15651.jpg)
![“I think the president's [Barack Obama] position has been very clear on Syria. He wants more aggressive, he's put the Special Ops on the ground, in fact one of the Republican criticisms is he's got thousands of Americans there. We just don't call them troops on the ground, we don't admit to it. But…” quote by Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f9c/juan-williams-7909_aggressive_i-think-the-president-s-barack-obama-pos_17086.jpg)
![“It cannot be an American fight. And I think what the president [Barack Obama] has consistently said - which I agree with - is that we will support those who take the fight to ISIS. That is why we have troops in Iraq that are helping to train and build back up the Iraqi military, why we have…” quote by Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f1e/hillary-clinton-51_agree_it-cannot-be-an-american-fight-and-i-thi_19737.jpg)
![“It wasn't [Barack] Obama per se; it was the feeling on the ground; it was seeing an old black woman in a wheelchair being wheeled by her son waving a big American flag, and then seeing a guy with his baby in his arms saying, "I didn't want her to miss tonight! I wanted to be able to tell her!" And…” quote by Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/806/bill-ayers-1848_able_it-wasn-t-barack-obama-per-se-it-was-the_20409.jpg)
