It’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential.

BARACK OBAMA, speech, Jun. 16, 2006

“And it’s hard to imagine something larger than the federal government.”

The single biggest threat that we face is a nuclear weapon or some weapon of mass destruction. What that means is that we have to be extraordinarily aggressive and vigilant in controlling nuclear proliferation. We have a nuclear proliferation treaty and strategy that has failed. I think it failed in Iran. It also failed in North Korea. That has to be rewritten and renegotiated.

BARACK OBAMA, debate, Oct. 12, 2004

“I mean, why should these countries have to struggle to develop nuclear capability when America could just give them our weapons for free?”

A new study shows that living near the ocean is good for your health.

Great. Just waiting for the Obamacare beachfront property ownership mandate.

We’ve come to be consumed by a 24-hour, slash-and-burn, negative ad, bickering, small-minded politics that doesn’t move us forward. Sometimes one side is up and the other side is down. But there’s no sense that they are coming together in a common-sense, practical, nonideological way to solve the problems that we face.

BARACK OBAMA, New York Times, Dec. 11, 2006

“So since Democrats are up right now, I’ll just keep ramming ridiculous, impractical, ideological laws down your throat.”

People are very hungry for something new. I think they are interested in being called to be a part of something larger than the sort of small, petty, slash-and-burn politics that we have been seeing over the last several years.

BARACK OBAMA, Los Angeles Times, Dec. 11, 2006

“To find out what that ‘something larger’ is, we’re monitoring everyone’s incoming calls.”

Everybody knows politics is a contact sport.

BARACK OBAMA, The New Yorker, May 31, 2004

“And all my contacts are rich socialists.”

We should never forget that God granted us the power to reason so that we would do His work here on Earth – so that we would use science to cure disease, and heal the sick, and save lives.

BARACK OBAMA, speech, Dec. 1, 2006

“God also only asks for 10% of your income, so that the government could spend the other 90%.”

I think the American people have a generous instinct. They understand that we’re a nation of immigrants. But if those folks are going to live in this country, they have to be put on a pathway to citizenship that involves them paying a fine, making sure that they are at the back of the line and not cutting in front of people who applied legally to come into the country.

BARACK OBAMA, Larry King Live, Oct. 19, 2006

“Unless they promise to vote Democrat for life, in which case – WELCOME TO AMERICA!”

We worship an awesome God in the blue states and we don’t like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the red states. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the Stars and Stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.

BARACK OBAMA, Larry King Live, Oct. 19, 2006

“And when I’m not worshiping my awesome blue-state God or poking around in red-state libraries, I’m pledging allegiance with my arms by my sides and defending the United States of America from those malcontents who keep trying to protect the Constitution.”

Our enemies are fully aware that they can use oil as a weapon against America. And if we don’t take this threat as seriously as the bombs they build or the guns they buy, we will be fighting the War on Terror with one hand tied behind our back.

BARACK OBAMA, speech, Feb. 28, 2006

“Both hands, actually, once I get done killing coal.”

Race is still a powerful force in this country. Any African American candidate, or any Latino candidate, or Asian candidate or woman candidate confronts a higher threshold in establishing himself to the voters … Are some voters not going to vote for me because I’m African American? Those are the same voters who probably wouldn’t vote for me because of my politics.

BARACK OBAMA, Los Angeles Times, Dec. 11, 2006

“Let me be clear: vote for me or you’re a racist.”

The fact that my 15 minutes of fame has extended a little longer than 15 minutes is somewhat surprising to me and completely baffling to my wife.

BARACK OBAMA, Salon.com, Dec. 11, 2006

“Also baffling to Michelle – how to have a lick of fashion sense.”

There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America.

BARACK OBAMA, Of Thee I Speak: A Collection of Patriotic Quotes

“Interestingly though, there is no Congressional White Caucus or Congressional Latino Caucus or Congressional Asian Caucus or Congressional United Caucus. There IS, however, a Congressional Black Caucus. Huh. Go figure.”

I am not opposed to all wars. I’m opposed to dumb wars.

BARACK OBAMA, The New Yorker, May 31, 2004

“I support not-dumb wars… like the wars on poverty, drugs, free speech, guns, liberty, that kinda junk.”

If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.

BARACK OBAMA, Bloomington Pantagraph, Feb. 25, 2005

The road to socialism: It’s paved with treadmills.