Michelle Obama

It’s just a matter of managing expectations. So for me, for example, you know, when your husband is President of the United States and you have children, something has got to give. I’ve made compromises in my life and my career, but I’ve also, in exchange, gained a wonderful platform to do some great work.

Choose people who lift you up.

Whether you come from a council estate or a country estate, your success will be determined by your own confidence and fortitude.

We learned about gratitude and humility – that so many people had a hand in our success, from the teachers who inspired us to the janitors who kept our school clean… and we were taught to value everyone’s contribution and treat everyone with respect.

The Affordable Care Act isn’t Barack’s legacy, it’s the country’s legacy.

You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.

They say that no matter how old you become, when you are with your siblings, you revert back to childhood.

I didn’t want to disrespect my parents, so I never played blues around the house. But I knew then, same as I know today, that I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I think that before they died, they both felt very proud of me.

Once I became a mother I knew that I was strong, but not ready to do what I’m doing now

No person in their right mind would want to put their family through what I’ve had to put my family through.

Nobody loves me but my mother – And she could be jivin’, too.

I’ve always wanted to be a mom at 23, 24ish, ever since I was a little girl. I’m right on schedule.

I am an example of what is possible when girls from the very beginning of their lives are loved and nurtured by people around them.

He didn’t come out of my belly, but my God, I’ve made his bones, because I’ve attended to every meal, and how he sleeps, and the fact that he swims like a fish because I took him to the ocean. I’m so proud of all those things. But he is my biggest pride.

Father was the eldest son and the heir apparent, and he set the standard for being a Rockefeller very high, so every achievement was taken for granted and perfection was the norm.

I believed in raising my children as I had been raised.

I know some people say it’s not the best to work with your family, but I have never understood that because it’s always worked so well for me.

My father would always praise me. He always thought I was the smartest person

How do you build a relationship when you’ve hardly shared a word but suddenly share a child? How do you love a daughter you don’t see for nearly two years? When does she become your daughter? How does she become your daughter?

I learned more from my mother than from all the art historians and curators who have informed me about technical aspects of art history and art appreciation over the years.

There’s a reason why people who’ve had bad relationships with their parents listen to angry stuff.