I have seen, the desperation and disorder of the powerless: how it twists the lives of children on the streets of Jakarta or Nairobi in much the same way as it does the lives of children on Chicago 's South Side.

Occasionally I would like the German people to give us the benefit of the doubt, given our history, as opposed to assuming the worst -- assuming that we have been consistently your strong partners and that we share a common set of values.

We too often let the material things serve as indicators that we're doing well, even though something inside us tells us that were not doing our best. That we are avoiding that which is hard, but also necessary. That we are shrinking from rather than rising to the challenges of the age.

We shouldn’t have a bunch of politicians, a majority of whom are men, making health care decisions on behalf of women.

Scientists and engineers ought to stand side by side with athletes and entertainers as role models.

We can lead this world and make it safer and more secure for our children and our grandchildren, for generations to come.

We have known for decades that our survival depends on finding new sources of energy. Yet we import more oil today than ever before.