Barack and I were both raised by families who didn't have much in the way of money or material possessions but who had given us something far more valuable - their unconditional love, their unflinching sacrifice, and the chance to go places they had never imagined for themselves.

The only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work hard for them.

As women, we must stand up for ourselves. We must stand up for each other. We must stand up for justice for all.

My view is that if you can't run your own house, you certainly can't run the White House. Can't do it.

Education is the single-most important civil rights issue that we face today.

Sometimes the issue is about whether families and communities think girls are even worthy of an education in the first place. It's about whether girls are valued only for their labor and reproductive capacities or for their minds as well. And it's about whether women are viewed as second-class citizens or as full human beings entitled to the same rights and opportunities as men.

My mother's love has always been a sustaining force for our family, and one of my greatest joys is seeing her integrity, her compassion, her intelligence reflected in my daughters.