History

America is the only country in the world founded on an idea. Not a joke. The idea was: we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created equal.

Conservatism is not a reaction, but a reminder from a wise old friend. It is not the antidote to progressivism. It is not the antidote to anything. It is its own vivid and particular mood, or attitude. It is an attempt at wisdom, grounded in knowledge of human history and human nature.

I'm as much a capitalist as you will ever find, but anyone who believes that unfettered capitalism works hasn't read history.

Anything that seems to be set in stone or inalterable can, indeed, change.

Our greatness has never, ever come from sitting back and feeling entitled to what we have. It's never come from folks who climb the ladder of success, or who happen to be born near the top and then pull that ladder up after themselves. No, our greatness has always come from people who expect nothing and take nothing for granted.

I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves, and I watch my daughters — two beautiful, black young women — head off to school, waving goodbye to their father, the President of the United States.

When you hear someone longing for the 'good old days,' take it with a grain of salt. The 'good old days' weren't that great.

The world is more interconnected than ever before, and it's becoming more connected every day. Building walls won't change that.

I hope you find that sense of mission. Don't turn away from what's painful. Examine it. Challenge it.

We are not so good. We are humans, and, as such, we are, without our quite knowing it, always living at least partly in the dark.

Be proud of this new generation. They aren't like you, but they are what America now needs.

A generation is not 'youth.' Youth is just an age bracket. It's like an empty hotel room that different generations move into — with their own baggage — and then soon leave. Sometimes that room swells with sweet music, sometimes it throbs with death metal, sometimes it's utterly silent. But it's never the same.