I Heart Barack: Inspiring Words from the 44th President

By Union Square & Co.

Find wisdom, humor, and heart in these words and images of former President Barack Obama. Let this collection give you strength, offer hope, and make you laugh.
         
Barack Obama is not only an admired public figure, but also a cultural icon. He is a dedicated family man, committed to reducing climate change, steadfast about health care, devoted to his country, and a die-hard Jay-Z fan.

From interviews to speeches to viral tweets, these quotations provide a poignant and often humorous glimpse into the thoughts and views of the 44th president.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Union Square & Co.
• Release date: Oct 22, 2019
• ISBN: 9781454938873

Book preview

Introduction

America under Barack Obama embraced online culture like never before, and so it’s no surprise that the memetic reach of his words and actions has been so widespread. Whether singing Al Green, dancing with Ellen, or even wearing the occasional tan suit, Obama became an icon that has lived on long after his presidency.

Barack Obama’s legacy embodies progress, citizens’ duty to each other, and above all, hope. When the younger generations had thrown their hands up in frustration with politics, Obama made it feel personal, possible.

What follows here is a selection of the very best of our 44th president. Read in one sitting, flip through at your leisure, or keep it handy for the times when you need a pick-me-up to remind you that change doesn’t happen all at once, but it does happen.

Our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared.

—Victory speech, November 5, 2008

I’m comfortable in my own skin.

—Rolling Stone, December 30, 2004

I want to especially thank all the members who took a break from their exhausting schedule of not passing any laws to be here tonight.

—White House Correspondents’ Dinner, April 29, 2012

I look so old, John Boehner’s already invited Netanyahu to speak at my funeral.

—White House Correspondents’ Dinner, April 25, 2015

These days, I look in the mirror and I have to admit, I’m not the strapping young Muslim socialist that I used to be.

—White House Correspondents’ Dinner, April 28, 2013

One of the things I think I can bring to the presidency is to make government and public service cool again.

—Interview, Time, 2007

Democracy works, but we’ve got to want it—not just during an election year, but all the days in between.

—Democratic National Convention, July 27, 2016

We need a President who sees government not as a tool to enrich well-connected friends and high-priced lobbyists, but as the defender of fairness and opportunity for every American.

—Speech on government reform, June 22, 2007

When I was a kid, I inhaled. Frequently. That was the point.

—Speech at the American Society of Magazine Editors, October 2006

And then there’s Ted Cruz. Ted had a tough week. He went to Indiana— Hoosier country—stood on