"Whether you come from a council estate or a country estate, your success will be determined by your own confidence and fortitude."

"And I come here as a daughter, raised on the South Side of Chicago - by a father who was a blue-collar city worker and a mother who stayed at home with my brother and me."

"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 I love that even in the toughest moments, when we're all sweating it - when we're worried that the bill won't pass, and it seems like all is lost - Barack never lets himself get distracted by the chatter and the noise. Just like his grandmother, he just keeps getting up and moving forward... with patience and wisdom, and courage and grace."

"Every second given to regret is a precious second stolen from creation. Remember this in moments of decisive trial — an essential principle for the reflective life."

"Wisdom principle 31 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 11."

"A life well-lived is a testament that the canvas of tomorrow is painted with the actions of today."

"The tapestry of existence shows us that the river of time shapes the stones of destiny."