The Best Quotes from Michelle Obama’s DNC Speech
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She wasn’t the most anticipated speech on the docket, but, met with a sea of purple support signs baring her first name, First Lady Michelle Obama took the stage of the Wells Fargo Center during the opening night of the Democratic National Convention to thunderous applause. She was poised and confident, yet gracious and lovable. Donning the party color of blue, she radiantly delivered her message to the not so long ago, in the words of Sarah Silverman, ‘ridiculous’ crowd.
In her address, yes, she spoke well of the Democratic candidate for President Hillary Clinton, talking of the dedication Clinton has met the challenges of public servanthood. She even managed, in a very classic and classy Obama way, to destroy the Republican nominee, Donald Trump, without ever insulting him or even mentioning his name.
But where Michelle tugged on the heart strings of the nation was when she shared transparent memories and fears of raising her daughters in the White House, hopes for parents spoke of parents for their children, the history of resiliency and strength of the citizens of this country, and the vision of a unified future unencumbered by discrimination or divisiveness.
For almost 14 minutes, Michelle Obama managed to do what professional politicians and campaign teams had not done: unite the Democratic party.
Here were the best quotes from Michelle Obama’s address:
"…Barack and I realized that our time in the White House would form the foundation for who they (Malia and Sasha) would become and how well we managed this experience could truly make or break them. That is what Barack and I think about every day as we try to guide and protect our girls through the challenges of this unusual life in the spotlight, how we urge them to ignore those who question their father’s citizenship or faith. How we insist that the hateful language they hear from public figures on TV does not represent the true spirit of this country. How we explain that when someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you don’t stoop to their level. No, our motto is, when they go low, we go high."
"…this November when we go to the polls, that is what we’re deciding, not Democrat or Republican, not left or right. No, this election and every election is about who will have the power to shape our children for the next four or eight years of their lives."
"I want someone with the proven strength to persevere, someone who knows this job and takes it seriously, someone who understands that the issues a president faces are not black-and-white and cannot be boiled down to 140 characters."
"Because when you have the nuclear codes at your fingertips and the military in your command, you can’t make snap decisions. You can’t have a thin skin or a tendency to lash out. You need to be steady and measured and well-informed. I want a president with a record of public service, someone whose life’s work shows our children that we don’t chase fame and fortune for ourselves, we fight to give everyone a chance to succeed."
"I want a president who will teach our children that everyone in this country matters, a president who truly believes in the vision that our Founders put forth all those years ago that we are all created equal, each a beloved part of the great American story. And when crisis hits, we don’t turn against each other. No, we listen to each other, we lean on each other, because we are always stronger together."
"That’s how we’ve always moved this country forward, by all of us coming together on behalf of our children, folks who volunteer to coach that team, to teach that Sunday school class, because they know it takes a village. Heroes of every color and creed who wear the uniform and risk their lives to keep passing down those blessings of liberty, police officers and the protesters in Dallas who all desperately want to keep our children safe. People who lined up in Orlando to donate blood because it could have been their son, their daughter in that club."
"Leaders like Hillary Clinton, who has the guts and the grace to keep coming back and putting those cracks in that highest and hardest glass ceiling until she finally breaks through, lifting all of us along with her."
"That is the story of this country, the story that has brought me to this stage tonight, the story of generations of people who felt the lash of bondage, the shame of servitude, the sting of segregation, but who kept on striving and hoping and doing what needed to be done so that today I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves."
"And I watch my daughters, two beautiful, intelligent, black young women playing with their dogs on the White House lawn."
"And because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters and all our sons and daughters now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States."
"So, look, so don’t let anyone ever tell you that this country isn’t great, that somehow we need to make it great again. Because this right now is the greatest country on earth!"
"And as my daughters prepare to set out into the world, I want a leader who is worthy of that truth, a leader who is worthy of my girls’ promise and all our kids’ promise, a leader who will be guided every day by the love and hope and impossibly big dreams that we all have for our children."
"So let’s get to work. Thank you all and God bless."
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