Change doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington

We don't ask you to believe in our ability to bring change, rather, we ask you to believe in yours.

American leadership is not simply a matter of going it alone and bearing all of the burden ourselves.

That is another theme in the book [Dreams from My Father]. How do we exercise more empathy in our public discourse? How do we get the black to see through the eyes of the white? Or the citizen to see through the eyes of the immigrant? Or the straight to see through the eyes of the gay? That has always been a struggle in our politics.

We as a country have to do some soul-searching.

[Our troops in Iraq and Afganistan] does give us the ability to make sure that we are strengthening those folk who are interested in building up their countries rather than destroying them, and doing so in a way that is sustainable and doesn't put a constant burden on the amazing men and women that we've got in uniform.

I believe that we have better ideas. But I also believe that good ideas don't matter if people don't hear them.