<\/em>Over the past few years as First Lady, I have had the extraordinary privilege of traveling all across this country.<\/p>\n And everywhere I\u2019ve gone, in the people I\u2019ve met, and the stories I\u2019ve heard, I have seen the very best of the American spirit.<\/p>\n I have seen it in the incredible kindness and warmth that people have shown me and my family, especially our girls.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve seen it in teachers in a near-bankrupt school district who vowed to keep teaching without pay.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve seen it in people who become heroes at a moment\u2019s notice, diving into harm\u2019s way to save others\u2026flying across the country to put out a fire\u2026driving for hours to bail out a flooded town.<\/p>\n And I\u2019ve seen it in our men and women in uniform and our proud military families\u2026in wounded warriors who tell me they\u2019re not just going to walk again, they\u2019re going to run, and they\u2019re going to run marathons\u2026in the young man blinded by a bomb in Afghanistan who said, simply, \u201c\u2026I\u2019d give my eyes 100 times again to have the chance to do what I have done and what I can still do.\u201d<\/p>\n Every day, the people I meet inspire me\u2026every day, they make me proud\u2026every day they remind me how blessed we are to live in the greatest nation on earth.<\/p>\n Serving as your First Lady is an honor and a privilege\u2026but back when we first came together four years ago, I still had some concerns about this journey we\u2019d begun.<\/p>\n While I believed deeply in my husband\u2019s vision for this country\u2026and I was certain he would make an extraordinary President\u2026like any mother, I was worried about what it would mean for our girls if he got that chance.<\/p>\n How would we keep them grounded under the glare of the national spotlight?<\/p>\n How would they feel being uprooted from their school, their friends, and the only home they\u2019d ever known?<\/p>\n Our life before moving toWashingtonwas filled with simple joys\u2026Saturdays at soccer games, Sundays at grandma\u2019s house\u2026and a date night for Barack and me was either dinner or a movie, because as an exhausted mom, I couldn\u2019t stay awake for both.<\/p>\n And the truth is, I loved the life we had built for our girls\u2026I deeply loved the man I had built that life with\u2026and I didn\u2019t want that to change if he became President.<\/p>\n I loved Barack just the way he was.<\/p>\n You see, even though back then Barack was a Senator and a presidential candidate\u2026to me, he was still the guy who\u2019d picked me up for our dates in a car that was so rusted out, I could actually see the pavement going by through a hole in the passenger side door\u2026he was the guy whose proudest possession was a coffee table he\u2019d found in a dumpster, and whose only pair of decent shoes was half a size too small.<\/p>\n But when Barack started telling me about his family \u2013 that\u2019s when I knew I had found a kindred spirit, someone whose values and upbringing were so much like mine.<\/p>\n You see, Barack and I were both raised by families who didn\u2019t have much in the way of money or material possessions but who had given us something far more valuable \u2013 their unconditional love, their unflinching sacrifice, and the chance to go places they had never imagined for themselves.<\/p>\n My father was a pump operator at the city water plant, and he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when my brother and I were young.<\/p>\n And even as a kid, I knew there were plenty of days when he was in pain\u2026I knew there were plenty of mornings when it was a struggle for him to simply get out of bed.<\/p>\n But every morning, I watched my father wake up with a smile, grab his walker, prop himself up against the bathroom sink, and slowly shave and button his uniform.<\/p>\n And when he returned home after a long day\u2019s work, my brother and I would stand at the top of the stairs to our little apartment, patiently waiting to greet him\u2026watching as he reached down to lift one leg, and then the other, to slowly climb his way into our arms.<\/p>\n But despite these challenges, my dad hardly ever missed a day of work\u2026he and my mom were determined to give me and my brother the kind of education they could only dream of.<\/p>\n And when my brother and I finally made it to college, nearly all of our tuition came from student loans and grants.<\/p>\n But my dad still had to pay a tiny portion of that tuition himself.<\/p>\n And every semester, he was determined to pay that bill right on time, even taking out loans when he fell short.<\/p>\n He was so proud to be sending his kids to college\u2026and he made sure we never missed a registration deadline because his check was late.<\/p>\n You see, for my dad, that\u2019s what it meant to be a man.<\/p>\n Like so many of us, that was the measure of his success in life \u2013 being able to earn a decent living that allowed him to support his family.<\/p>\n And as I got to know Barack, I realized that even though he\u2019d grown up all the way across the country, he\u2019d been brought up just like me.<\/p>\n Barack was raised by a single mother who struggled to pay the bills, and by grandparents who stepped in when she needed help.<\/p>\n Barack\u2019s grandmother started out as a secretary at a community bank\u2026and she moved quickly up the ranks\u2026but like so many women, she hit a glass ceiling.<\/p>\n And for years, men no more qualified than she was \u2013 men she had actually trained \u2013 were promoted up the ladder ahead of her, earning more and more money while Barack\u2019s family continued to scrape by.<\/p>\n But day after day, she kept on waking up at dawn to catch the bus\u2026arriving at work before anyone else\u2026giving her best without complaint or regret.<\/p>\n And she would often tell Barack, \u201cSo long as you kids do well, Bar, that\u2019s all that really matters.\u201d<\/p>\n Like so many American families, our families weren\u2019t asking for much.<\/p>\n They didn\u2019t begrudge anyone else\u2019s success or care that others had much more than they did\u2026in fact, they admired it.<\/p>\n They simply believed in that fundamental American promise that, even if you don\u2019t start out with much, if you work hard and do what you\u2019re supposed to do, then you should be able to build a decent life for yourself and an even better life for your kids and grandkids.<\/p>\n That\u2019s how they raised us\u2026that\u2019s what we learned from their example.<\/p>\n We learned about dignity and decency \u2013 that how hard you work matters more than how much you make\u2026that helping others means more than just getting ahead yourself.<\/p>\n We learned about honesty and integrity \u2013 that the truth matters\u2026that you don\u2019t take shortcuts or play by your own set of rules\u2026and success doesn\u2019t count unless you earn it fair and square.<\/p>\n We learned about gratitude and humility \u2013 that so many people had a hand in our success, from the teachers who inspired us to the janitors who kept our school clean\u2026and we were taught to value everyone\u2019s contribution and treat everyone with respect.<\/p>\n Those are the values Barack and I \u2013 and so many of you \u2013 are trying to pass on to our own children.<\/p>\n That\u2019s who we are.<\/p>\n And standing before you four years ago, I knew that I didn\u2019t want any of that to change if Barack became President.<\/p>\n Well, today, after so many struggles and triumphs and moments that have tested my husband in ways I never could have imagined, I have seen firsthand that being president doesn\u2019t change who you are \u2013 it reveals who you are.<\/p>\n You see, I\u2019ve gotten to see up close and personal what being president really looks like.<\/p>\n And I\u2019ve seen how the issues that come across a President\u2019s desk are always the hard ones \u2013 the problems where no amount of data or numbers will get you to the right answer\u2026the judgment calls where the stakes are so high, and there is no margin for error.<\/p>\n And as President, you can get all kinds of advice from all kinds of people.<\/p>\n But at the end of the day, when it comes time to make that decision, as President, all you have to guide you are your values, and your vision, and the life experiences that make you who you are.<\/p>\n So when it comes to rebuilding our economy, Barack is thinking about folks like my dad and like his grandmother.<\/p>\n He\u2019s thinking about the pride that comes from a hard day\u2019s work.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why he signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to help women get equal pay for equal work.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why he cut taxes for working families and small businesses and fought to get the auto industry back on its feet.<\/p>\n That\u2019s how he brought our economy from the brink of collapse to creating jobs again \u2013 jobs you can raise a family on, good jobs right here in the United States of America.<\/p>\n When it comes to the health of our families, Barack refused to listen to all those folks who told him to leave health reform for another day, another president.<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t care whether it was the easy thing to do politically \u2013 that\u2019s not how he was raised \u2013 he cared that it was the right thing to do.<\/p>\n He did it because he believes that here in America, our grandparents should be able to afford their medicine\u2026our kids should be able to see a doctor when they\u2019re sick\u2026and no one in this country should ever go broke because of an accident or illness.<\/p>\n And he believes that women are more than capable of making our own choices about our bodies and our health care\u2026that\u2019s what my husband stands for.<\/p>\n When it comes to giving our kids the education they deserve, Barack knows that like me and like so many of you, he never could\u2019ve attended college without financial aid.<\/p>\n And believe it or not, when we were first married, our combined monthly student loan bills were actually higher than our mortgage.<\/p>\n We were so young, so in love, and so in debt.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why Barack has fought so hard to increase student aid and keep interest rates down, because he wants every young person to fulfill their promise and be able to attend college without a mountain of debt.<\/p>\n So in the end, for Barack, these issues aren\u2019t political \u2013 they\u2019re personal.<\/p>\n Because Barack knows what it means when a family struggles.<\/p>\n He knows what it means to want something more for your kids and grandkids.<\/p>\n Barack knows the American Dream because he\u2019s lived it\u2026and he wants everyone in this country to have that same opportunity, no matter who we are, or where we\u2019re from, or what we look like, or who we love.<\/p>\n And he believes that when you\u2019ve worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity\u2026you do not slam it shut behind you\u2026you reach back, and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed.<\/p>\n So when people ask me whether being in the White House has changed my husband, I can honestly say that when it comes to his character, and his convictions, and his heart, Barack Obama is still the same man I fell in love with all those years ago.<\/p>\n He\u2019s the same man who started his career by turning down high paying jobs and instead working in struggling neighborhoods where a steel plant had shut down, fighting to rebuild those communities and get folks back to work\u2026because for Barack, success isn\u2019t about how much money you make, it\u2019s about the difference you make in people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n He\u2019s the same man who, when our girls were first born, would anxiously check their cribs every few minutes to ensure they were still breathing, proudly showing them off to everyone we knew.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the man who sits down with me and our girls for dinner nearly every night, patiently answering their questions about issues in the news, and strategizing about middle school friendships.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the man I see in those quiet moments late at night, hunched over his desk, poring over the letters people have sent him.<\/p>\n The letter from the father struggling to pay his bills\u2026from the woman dying of cancer whose insurance company won\u2019t cover her care\u2026from the young person with so much promise but so few opportunities.<\/p>\n I see the concern in his eyes\u2026and I hear the determination in his voice as he tells me, \u201cYou won\u2019t believe what these folks are going through, Michelle\u2026it\u2019s not right. We\u2019ve got to keep working to fix this. We\u2019ve got so much more to do.\u201d<\/p>\n I see how those stories \u2013 our collection of struggles and hopes and dreams \u2013 I see how that\u2019s what drives Barack Obama every single day.<\/p>\n And I didn\u2019t think it was possible, but today, I love my husband even more than I did four years ago\u2026even more than I did 23 years ago, when we first met.<\/p>\n I love that he\u2019s never forgotten how he started.<\/p>\n I love that we can trust Barack to do what he says he\u2019s going to do, even when it\u2019s hard \u2013 especially when it\u2019s hard.<\/p>\n I love that for Barack, there is no such thing as \u201cus\u201d and \u201cthem\u201d \u2013 he doesn\u2019t care whether you\u2019re a Democrat, a Republican, or none of the above\u2026he knows that we all love our country\u2026and he\u2019s always ready to listen to good ideas\u2026he\u2019s always looking for the very best in everyone he meets.<\/p>\n And I love that even in the toughest moments, when we\u2019re all sweating it \u2013 when we\u2019re worried that the bill won\u2019t pass, and it seems like all is lost \u2013 Barack never lets himself get distracted by the chatter and the noise.<\/p>\n Just like his grandmother, he just keeps getting up and moving forward\u2026with patience and wisdom, and courage and grace.<\/p>\n And he reminds me that we are playing a long game here\u2026and that change is hard, and change is slow, and it never happens all at once.<\/p>\n But eventually we get there, we always do.<\/p>\n We get there because of folks like my Dad\u2026folks like Barack\u2019s grandmother\u2026men and women who said to themselves, \u201cI may not have a chance to fulfill my dreams, but maybe my children will\u2026maybe my grandchildren will.\u201d<\/p>\n So many of us stand here tonight because of their sacrifice, and longing, and steadfast love\u2026because time and again, they swallowed their fears and doubts and did what was hard.<\/p>\n So today, when the challenges we face start to seem overwhelming \u2013 or even impossible \u2013 let us never forget that doing the impossible is the history of this nation\u2026it\u2019s who we are as Americans\u2026it\u2019s how this country was built.<\/p>\n And if our parents and grandparents could toil and struggle for us\u2026if they could raise beams of steel to the sky, send a man to the moon, and connect the world with the touch of a button\u2026then surely we can keep on sacrificing and building for our own kids and grandkids.<\/p>\n And if so many brave men and women could wear our country\u2019s uniform and sacrifice their lives for our most fundamental rights\u2026then surely we can do our part as citizens of this great democracy to exercise those rights\u2026surely, we can get to the polls and make our voices heard on Election Day.<\/p>\n If farmers and blacksmiths could win independence from an empire\u2026if immigrants could leave behind everything they knew for a better life on our shores\u2026if women could be dragged to jail for seeking the vote\u2026if a generation could defeat a depression, and define greatness for all time\u2026if a young preacher could lift us to the mountaintop with his righteous dream\u2026and if proud Americans can be who they are and boldly stand at the altar with who they love\u2026then surely, surely we can give everyone in this country a fair chance at that great American Dream.<\/p>\n Because in the end, more than anything else, that is the story of this country \u2013 the story of unwavering hope grounded in unyielding struggle.<\/p>\n That is what has made my story, and Barack\u2019s story, and so many other American stories possible.<\/p>\n And I say all of this tonight not just as First Lady\u2026and not just as a wife.<\/p>\n You see, at the end of the day, my most important title is still \u201cmom-in-chief.\u201d<\/p>\n My daughters are still the heart of my heart and the center of my world.<\/p>\n But today, I have none of those worries from four years ago about whether Barack and I were doing what\u2019s best for our girls.<\/p>\n Because today, I know from experience that if I truly want to leave a better world for my daughters, and all our sons and daughters\u2026if we want to give all our children a foundation for their dreams and opportunities worthy of their promise\u2026if we want to give them that sense of limitless possibility \u2013 that belief that here in America, there is always something better out there if you\u2019re willing to work for it\u2026then we must work like never before\u2026and we must once again come together and stand together for the man we can trust to keep moving this great country forward\u2026my husband, our President, President Barack Obama.<\/p>\n Thank you, God bless you, and God blessAmerica.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Over the past few years as First Lady, I have had the extraordinary privilege of traveling all across this country. And everywhere I\u2019ve gone, in the people I\u2019ve met, and the stories I\u2019ve heard, I have seen the very best of the American spirit. I have seen it in the incredible kindness and warmth that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1118,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n