Words of Wisdom: Michelle Obama's Most Inspirational Quotes

There are no shortage of reasons to admire and be inspired by Michelle Obama; her poise, her style, and her steadfast determination to make a change in this world, one soup kitchen at a time make her a strong role model for men, women, and children everywhere. But while her husband Barack has been championed as the all-star orator, Michelle herself is no stranger to the power of words. Beliefnet.com has put together an uplifting list of some of Mrs. Obama's most encouraging words. Below are our favorites.

On being the First Lady and Mom-in-Chief:

"My first job in all honesty is going to continue to be mom-in-chief. Making sure that in this transition, which will be even more of a transition for the girls...that they are settled and that they know they will continue to be the center of our universe."

On the importance of self-care:

"Women in particular need to keep an eye on their physical and mental health, because if we're scurrying to and from appointments and errands, we don't have a lot of time to take care of ourselves. We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own 'to do' list."

On dealing with stress:

"Exercise is really important to me--it's therapeutic. So if I'm ever feeling tense or stressed or like I'm about to have a meltdown, I'll put on my iPod and head to the gym or out on a bike ride along Lake Michigan with the girls."

On staying true to oneself:

"One of the lessons that I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals. And so when I hear about negative and false attacks, I really don't invest any energy in them, because I know who I am."

And on making a difference:

"And in my own life, in my own small way, I've tried to give back to this country that has given me so much. That's why I left a job at a law firm for a career in public service, working to empower young people to volunteer in their communities. Because I believe that each of us--no matter what our age or background or walk of life--each of us has something to contribute to the life of this nation."

What do you find most inspirational about Michelle Obama? How have her words and/or actions made an impact on your life?

Related:

SLIDESHOW: Michelle Obama Spends Lunchtime Serving Those In Need
SLIDESHOW: Michelle Obama Visits DC Social Services Center, Tells Teens: "When You Get, You Give Back"
SLIDESHOW: The Obamas And Bidens Give Back On National Day Of Service
SLIDESHOW: Obama Family's Thanksgiving Food Drive Visit
SLIDESHOW: Three Anything But Ordinary Citizens Who Inspired The President
SLIDESHOW: Michelle Obama Entertains Kids At The White House In Celebration Of African American History Month

Comments

[nmzia]

Can we postpone the beatification of Michelle? The unfortunate circumstance of being put on such a pedestal is falling hard. Maybe she will be all things to all people but I fear she is being set up for a fall--not of her own doing but others. Let Michelle be who she is and not who everyone wants her to be.

[KJLSanDiego]

My girlfriends and I love her so much!
We all joke that she won the "husband lottery"!

[truthartbeauty]

Ms Obama is a wonderful role model , an inspiration to many many people, a decent, kind, honest person, a style setter and possibly the best first lady this country has ever had.

[destruct1]

yeah....in­spirationa­l...."for the first time in my life I'm proud to be an American".­.....Nice.­...too bad i feel the opposite way....

[definitelyNOTmisterRIGHT]

stop being one of the knucklheads that continue to take that statement out of context and spew it like it is the end of the world!

[destruct1]

kinda like the spin going on with Rush's statement.­...oh...th­ats right...it only works one way with you libs...i forgot.

[John McClenahan]

chelle's the lady!



to the guy below, find some other intro other than

'you people'. you'll go farther.

[jopuschek]

You people are such SHEEP (we all know that sheep cannot READ & that is why you know NOTHING about what Obama is trying to do to this country)!

Most of you get your news from Saturday Night Live.......a poll showed that Obama supporters believed that Palin said "I can see Russia from my house" when it was TINA FEY who said that - idiots.

You berated Palin for her party buying her new clothes, but refuse to comment that Obama has cranked the heat so high in the White House that his own Alexrod said "you could grow orchids in there" and he hosts dinners with Japanese steaks that cost $100 lb.

Obama said recently that "we can no longer keep our thermostats turned up high and eat as much as we want" - I guess just doesn't feel like the rules apply to HIM!

A President answers to the people. Obama thinks we should answer to HIM!! He shouts down questions by saying "I WON" .

Don't hold your breath waiting a job- Obama gave 15+% of your stimulus money to illegal aliens by refusing to implement the E-Verify program when handing out jobs - you'll be in line behind a lot of folks who are here illegally.- they will take your jobs......Obama doesn't care - because they get to VOTE!!!!

He is campaigning for re-election - he doesn't care about anyone but himself. If you think he's there to help you, I'm sorry for you - he

[jozinha]

It's interesting, this thing you did with the Tina Fey supposed confusion. It's something I've heard from rightwingnuts before.

NEWS FLASH: we know who said what. You guys don't know what Fey was SPOOFING. THAT"S the tragedy here. Fey was spoofing Palin's repeated assertion that she had foreign affairs credentials because Alaskan is close to Siberia.

We "liberals" thought that was so hysterical that we really ran with it and exaggerated it to howls of laughter. YOU guys must not have heard Palin's and the Repubs repeated assertions. Perhaps they were so weird even to you too that you tuned them out.

So now what you're left with is your Fey misery. Poor you.

[destruct1]

what makes me so hysterical is that so many of you libs think a community organizer has the right credentials to run this country. Now that is the true joke. What a disaster. And yes....HE WILL FAIL.....not because anyone wants him to, but because his 'community organizing' policies are a complete and utter disaster. Enjoy your short time.

[ChuckiePoo]

Michelle Obama is a truly inspirational person, courageous and honest. Things I find most inspiring about her include (a) when she was misquoted 24/7 by Right-Wing media pundits that "Never in my adult life have I been so proud of America"; (b) when her college thesis was taken out of context and trashed by the same lying pundits; (c) when she encouraged Barack to run for president despite the threats of assassination against him similar to those which caused Mrs. Colin Powell to convince her husband to stand down, with Michelle saying that "a black man can be shot and killed simply by going to the store to buy a pack of cigarettes". She also puts her family ahead of everything, another superb trait. Michelle is a brilliant, beautiful articulate woman, and a true Profile in Courage. And, if you want an idea of the human slimeballs she has to contend with, just take a look at some of the ignorant, hate-filled postings on this Blog. St. Patrick killed all the snakes in Ireland. Judging by some of the other posts on this Blog, there are still many snakes infesting the USA awaiting St. Patrick's tender mercies to put them out of their misery.

Please visit my Blog: "Conservatives Are America's Real Terrorists"
http://conservativesarecommunistss.blogspot.com/

[OkayWhatNow]

These are nice quotes to read. Michelle Obama seems to be a very classy and intelligent lady. She is the kind of first lady that our country needs right now, level headed and with something to say.
And yes, some people might argue that some of the things she says are cliché, but you know what? Most of the things that are remembered as powerful and meaningful are most definitely things that are considered "cliché". You know the phrase, "there's nothing new under the sun"? Sometimes that proves true, what is there that hasn't been said already? It's the way you word it, and the tone you say it in that counts.

Honestly, I don't think she's perfect, no one is obviously, but she is most definitely inspirational to so many of us. We need to keep our thoughts grounded, and keep our hopes up higher.

[patrickhenry7]

this is the first lady ,,how much can she bench press

[jozinha]

I like the FACT that Michelle Obama is a successful working woman. She adores her kids and understands what good parenting is. She had the patience to support her husband through the great stresses his remarkable ambition put on their marriage.

I don't really feel comfortable with the media promoting her as a fashion-plate FLOTUS like Jackie. And I am really uncomfortable with assigning her the role of inspirational figure. These are, as far as I'm concerned, antiquated images of women; they have to be beautiful -- outside with what they wear and inside with an idealized processed image.

I do not look toward her as a role model because I don't have any. I'm myself. And so is everyone else. Imitating anyone after the age of 14 indicates a personality problem.

[learnsomething]

"One of the lessons that I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals. And so when I hear about negative and false attacks, I really don't invest any energy in them, because I know who I am."

I love this one. This is what I live by too.

[eilish]

This lady is an inspiration to me. I was raised Mormon and witness countless, quiet acts of service each day. This was my only experience of service until Michelle Obama gave me the idea to go and volunteer in my own community and not just time on the church's projects. It has been a tragic eye-opener that what we truly need in this country is exactly what the Obamas preach: a nation of service to one another. The suffering is catastrophic right now, anyone who can help with a pair of hands is desperately needed. People amaze and inspire me every day with their compassion.

[babybelle]

She is so refreshingly natural !
And so in love with her husband as he is in love with her.

[meinokea]

I get the feeling that we dont really know the real Mrs. Obama. But seeing how she treated the PM of Britian and his family, well more will be revieled. If this is Camelot Joe Biden is Merlin.

[alinaro]

"For the first time in my adult life I'm proud of my country", " America is a downright mean country", any quotes from her Princeton thesis, especially the one about how being a racist is not based on what withe people do or say but on what black people feel like about what was been said or done, etc, etc.

[wrong]

exactly

[phoenics]

And I have no doubt that when Michelle went to Princeton that she experienced some 'downright mean' actions from people. You have no idea what it was like for blacks back then. My dad (who has a phd in mathematics) was told to his face by a professor in his department that he would NEVER see a black man get a degree from there. Do you honestly think you can understand how that feels? Back then, people could say such things and NOTHING would happen to them. No public blowback, no loss of job, no nothing. And most of the kids he would say something like that to would just slither away. Thank goodness my dad didn't and fought for what was his.

[phoenics]

I find it so sad that you could have read her thesis and you still don't understand. And the quote was: "For the first time in my adult life I'm REALLY proud of my country." Get it right.

Additionally, about her thesis - that point actually has merit. Often people don't realize that they have subscribed to prejudiced ideas based on race and that they then contribute to a system that oppresses a group of people. That IS ra cism. Just because you don't 'believe' you're being a ra cist doesn't make it true, however usually the people who are being oppressed ARE the best judges of whether or not they are being discriminated against. Sure, it doesn't mean everyone in that group can just cry 'ra cist' all the time.

A study was done recently that showed that many people have an unconscious ra cism, black and white, due to media images and other factors pervading our society. If you aren't even conscious about it, how can you know you've done it? I think the answer to all of this is to stop being so defensive (that's actually a form of controlling behavior) and sit down and dialogue with black people like we're your fellow Americans - not your enemy.