Barack Obama

Michelle’s not somebody who wants to be deeply involved in policy development. She’s my closest friend and my most important adviser. But I don’t anticipate her sitting around the table trying to figure out tax policy. She’ll probably choose a project that she cares about. But her number-one priority is going to be these kids, and making sure that their transition is one in which the wonderful normalcy that they have is maintained.

My first four jobs were minimum wage or close to it.

What Michelle has done is to remind me every day of the virtues of order.

Higher education cannot be a luxury reserved just for a privileged few. It is an economic necessity for every family. And every family should be able to afford it.

[on Michelle] A dedicated mom, a good friend, and someone who’s not afraid to poke a little fun at herself from time to time

Obviously I couldn’t have done anything that I’ve done without Michelle… not only has she been a great first lady, she is just my rock. I count on her in so many ways every single day.

Education is the key to opportunity in our society, and the equality of educational opportunity must be the birthright of every citizen.

You are your own teacher. Investigate yourself to find the truth – inside, not outside. Knowing yourself is most important.

Each year more than 100,000 high school graduates, with proved ability, do not enter college because they cannot afford it. And if we cannot educate today’s youth, what will we do in 1970 when elementary enrollment will be 5 million greater than 1960? And high school enrollment will rise by 5 million. College enrollment will increase by more than 3 million.

The Supreme end of education is expert discernment in all things – the power to tell the good from the bad, the genuine from the counterfeit, and to prefer the good and the genuine to the bad and the counterfeit.

An average English word is four letters and a half. By hard, honest labor I’ve dug all the large words out of my vocabulary and shaved it down till the average is three and a half… I never write metropolis for seven cents, because I can get the same money for city. I never write policeman, because I can get the same price for cop…. I never write valetudinarian at all, for not even hunger and wretchedness can humble me to the point where I will do a word like that for seven cents; I wouldn’t do it for fifteen.

It is a truism that education is no longer a luxury. Education in this day and age is a necessity.

The biggest little thing for entrepreneurs is the lifelong commitment to education.

I never cut class. I loved getting A’s, I liked being smart. I liked being on time. I thought being smart is cooler than anything in the world.

Arithmetic is being able to count up to twenty without taking off your shoes.

The rising costs of higher education coupled with the stress of paying student loans are putting increasing pressure on students.

The function of this school is custodial. It’s here to keep these kids off the streets until the girls are big enough to get pregnant and the boys are old enough to go out and hold up a gas station.

To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.

To educate the peasantry, three things are needed: schools, schools and schools.

Education helps one case cease being intimidated by strange situations.

[On school] Not only did I know that I wasn’t one of the smart kids in the class, but so did everyone else.