We should always have three friends in our lives-one who walks ahead who we look up to and follow; one who walks beside us, who is with us every step of our journey; and then, one who we reach back for and bring along after we've cleared the way.

It is my hope that our garden's story-and the stories of gardens across America-will inspire families, schools, and communities to try their own hand at gardening and enjoy all the gifts of health, discovery, and connection a garden can bring.

Kids, everybody can get behind. It's a bipartisan thing. We care about our kids' health. But the truth is, it's very important for us to talk to parents, in particular mothers, because it's really our self-esteem, it's our initiative.

It's hard to make speeches with your hair in your face!

My message to women: Do what makes you feel good, because there'll always be someone who thinks you should do it differently. Whether your choices are hits or misses, at least they're your own.

I would be depressed if I felt I could never eat the things that I love. I also don't want my girls to be obsessed about food.

One reason we planted the White House vegetable garden was to set an example about what food can mean, but to also begin a broader conversation about how we're feeding our kids, what they know about the food that they eat, how they're taking care of themselves.