« We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. »
« For history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they have never been self-executing; that while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth. »
« Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. »
« The commitments we make to each other – through Medicare, and Medicaid, and Social Security – these things do not sap our initiative; they strengthen us. They do not make us a nation of takers; they free us to take the risks that make this country great. »
« Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm. »
« My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it – so long as we seize it together. »
« We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity. »
« We, the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war. »
« We must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect. We must act, knowing that today’s victories will be only partial, and that it will be up to those who stand here in four years, and forty years, and four hundred years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferred to us in a spare Philadelphia hall. »
