"And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values, like you work hard for what you want in life. That your word is your bond; that you do what you say you're going to do. That you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don't know them and even if you don't agree with them"
About this Quote
The subtext is a quiet rebuke to a culture (and an opposition) that treats public life like performance. “Your word is your bond” lands as an ethical flex in a system where spin is currency. She pairs it with something sharper: dignity and respect “even if you don’t agree.” That clause is doing heavy political lifting. It redefines strength as restraint and rejects the idea that cruelty is authenticity. In other words: decency isn’t softness; it’s discipline.
Context matters: as First Lady, she couldn’t legislate, but she could certify. Her authority is relational and moral, and she leverages it to humanize Barack Obama while also setting a standard for the audience. The repetition of “that you...” reads like a vow, a parental lecture, and a campaign message at once. It’s a values argument disguised as a personal anecdote: if you trust these rules at the kitchen table, you can trust them in the Oval Office.
Quote Details
| Topic | Respect |
|---|---|
| Source | Michelle Obama, Speech at the Democratic National Convention, Philadelphia, July 25, 2016 — transcript contains the quoted passage. |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Obama, Michelle. (2026, January 18). And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values, like you work hard for what you want in life. That your word is your bond; that you do what you say you're going to do. That you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don't know them and even if you don't agree with them. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-barack-and-i-were-raised-with-so-many-of-the-22435/
Chicago Style
Obama, Michelle. "And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values, like you work hard for what you want in life. That your word is your bond; that you do what you say you're going to do. That you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don't know them and even if you don't agree with them." FixQuotes. January 18, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-barack-and-i-were-raised-with-so-many-of-the-22435/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values, like you work hard for what you want in life. That your word is your bond; that you do what you say you're going to do. That you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don't know them and even if you don't agree with them." FixQuotes, 18 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-barack-and-i-were-raised-with-so-many-of-the-22435/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
