Politics: 17 of President Obama's most inspirational quotes

Former President Barack Obama is a magnificent orator, and he has delivered many memorable quotes over the years. Here are some of the best.

From his speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 that made him a household name to his farewell address in January, former President Barack Obama has captivated the world with his words.

Hailed as one of the greatest presidential orators in modern history (although the title is quite contentious), Obama has a knack for public speaking even his political opponents can recognize.

On Obama's 56th birthday, we've compiled 17 of his most memorable inspirational quotes.

Back in 2004, Obama was still an Illinois state lawmaker running for US Senate, unknown to most of America.

By 2008, he won the presidency with 365 electoral votes and 53% of the popular vote.

Democrats swept into office that year, as they took control of both houses of Congress and the first black president entered the White House.

Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize a year after taking office for the promise he showed, sparking both celebration and derision around the globe.

Shortly after his inaugural address, Obama signed the $787 billion economic stimulus package, designed to pull the American economy out of the Great Recession. A year later, he signed into law the Affordable Care Act, his signature legislative achievement.

Ending US involvement in Iraq was one of his key campaign promises, and he did start withdrawing American troops in 2009. The reality of ending a war across the world proved more complicated, however.

When Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others were shot in Tucson, Obama comforted the nation. It was the first of many mass shootings to which he would have to respond.

Obama sailed into his second term with 332 electoral votes and 51% of the popular vote in 2012. While Democrats maintained a slim majority in the Senate, Republicans maintained control of the House (where they had taken control in 2010).

As a former constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago, Obama often spoke on upholding the First Amendment's freedoms of speech, religion, assembly, expression, and the press.

In his second term, Obama attempted to tackle climate change, LGBT rights, and gun control as key issues. He didn't get much congressional support on them.

A frequent theme of Obama's speeches — one on which he launched his political career — was choosing "hope over fear."

Obama, and many members of Congress, tried to overhaul US immigration policies. But true immigration reform would elude them.

Obama inspired a strong coalition of young people while in office, and plans to focus on engaging them now that he's no longer president.

He was the first sitting president to say he supported legalizing same-sex marriage. In 2015, the Supreme Court made it the law of the land.

Obama credits his daughters, Malia and Sasha, for making him a feminist.

From the child of an immigrant to the 44th president of the United States, Obama often held up his own American story as an example of what is possible in this country.

When he left office, the nation was deeply divided by the most polarizing election in recent memory. Obama encouraged Americans to push on.

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