Leading in a complex world means recognizing the simple things you can do to make things better.

In America, with education and hard work, it really does not matter where you came from; it matters only where you are going.

Everywhere that I go in the world, people desperately look to American leadership in all of their world's most difficult problems. You can look at any region of the world and the United States is still the country to which those regions look for leadership.

Democracy is the most realistic way for diverse peoples to resolve their differences, and share power, and heal social divisions without violence or repression.

Ultimately, we didn't go to Germany to create a democracy. We went to overthrow Adolf Hitler. But once a democracy was there, Germany was a much bigger supporter of and help to our national interests, both economic and security than had ever been before.

We are at war, and our security as a nation depends on winning that war.

[My favorite dish to cook] is fried chicken, and by the way I'm good at it, too. I make really good fried chicken.