Barack Obama Quotes

Well, I couldn't do the day-to-day stuff of being a politician or anything, but I just think everybody should have an opinion and everybody should vote, and that's what we're built on.

I know how illusory would be the belief that my vote determined anything; but nevertheless when I go to the polls I have a satisfaction in the sense that we are all engaged in a common venture.

I don’t give a damn about election day. It doesn’t matter a lick to me. I’ve got much bigger fish to fry, and so do the people of New Jersey.

I think it's lovely when people are more involved in local politics.

You should absolutely get involved, especially those local politics like school board seats. That's really where America happens.

Voting is fundamental in our democracy. It has yielded enormous returns.

I love voting day. I love the sight of my fellow citizens lining up to make their voices heard.

I think we may be seeing the beginnings of a resurgence of civic-mindedness in this country. Hopefully the younger generations, which came out in record numbers during the last presidential election, will pass their enthusiasm on to their children.

Our democracy is not something to be taken for granted. You have to fight for it. You have to commit yourself to working for it - for the long haul.

My dad was a city councilman and a county commissioner, so I grew up involved and engaged in the political process.

Cambridge is thriving and Britain is working. We have been telling people - 'if you value it, vote for it' - and this is particularly relevant in Cambridge.

I always preach that you have to be active as a citizen no matter what, and some people just voting as an excuse not to do anything.

As a citizen, you need to know how to be a part of it, how to express yourself - and not just by voting.

In most places in the country, voting is looked upon as a right and a duty, but in Chicago it's a sport.

Read the editorial page of your local paper. It introduces you to opinion and can be terrifically provocative and perhaps a great motivating force for you to get involved in your community, regardless of your political ideology.

A citizen is a political and moral agent who in fact has a shared sense of hope and responsibility to others and not just to him or herself.

As a citizen of a community, if you never vote or engage, don't be surprised when the outcome doesn't serve your interests; you've never done anything to push things in the right direction.

I can't imagine myself outside any kind of social or political involvement.

Voting is a civic sacrament.

I don't vote and I got nothing to do with it.

I believe that engaging in the political process is part of being a good person.

As free citizens in a political democracy, we have a responsibility to be interested and involved in the affairs of the human community, be it at the local or the global level.

I hold the opinion that it is lawful [for a Muslim] to participate in elections [in non-Islamic countries], as this may reduce suffering, and it is a way to choose the better among the available candidates. I believe participating in elections will, in any event, contribute to the reduction of evil and be a forum for countering bad policies and exposing their deficiencies, as well as being an opportunity to present proposals of a different kind that may help people.

Public service is a noble career. You can’t do it unless you get out there and run…. You can make a difference if you are elected.

It is the duty of American Muslims to participate constructively in the political process, if only to protect their rights, and give support to views and causes they favor.