Barack Obama was the 44^thpresident of the United States and the first African American to hold the office. After receiving his law degree, he moved to Chicago where he became active in politics and organized influential projects such as Project Vote, a drive that registered thousands of African Americans on voting rolls in Illinois. Some of his other accomplishments include being a member of the U.S Senate and having been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Below are 16 powerful Barack Obama quotes that will inspire you to live a great life:

1. “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” – Barack Obama

2. “Money is not the only answer, but it makes a difference.” – Barack Obama

3. “If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.” – Barack Obama

4. “My fellow Americans, we are and always will be a nation of immigrants. We were strangers once, too.” – Barack Obama

5. “The future rewards those who press on. I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I don’t have time to complain. I’m going to press on.” – Barack Obama

6. “We need to internalize this idea of excellence. Not many folks spend a lot of time trying to be excellent.” – Barack Obama

7. “We need to keep making our streets safer and our criminal justice system fairer – our homeland more secure, our world more peaceful and sustainable for the next generation.” – Barack Obama

8. “We want everybody to act like adults, quit playing games, realize that it’s not just my way or the highway.” – Barack Obama

9. “There’s not a liberal America and a conservative America – there’s the United States of America.” – Barack Obama

10. “Nothing in life that’s worth anything is easy.” – Barack Obama

11. “We did not come to fear the future. We came here to shape it.” – Barack Obama

12. “Progress will come in fits and starts. It’s not always a straight line. It’s not always smooth path.” – Barack Obama

13. “The cynics may be the loudest voices — but I promise you, they will accomplish the least.” – Barack Obama

14. “One voice can change a room.”- Barack Obama

15. “We see the future not as something out of our control, but as something we can shape for the better through concerted and collective effort.” – Barack Obama

16. “If you work hard and meet your responsibilities, you can get ahead, no matter where you come from, what you look like or who you love.” – Barack Obama

Which one of Barack Obama’s quotes resonated most with you?