Yes, We Can

The farewell speech of the 44th President of the United States, on his last day in office.

- Barack Hussein Obama II

TONIGHT IT’S MY TURN to say thanks. Whether we’ve seen eye-to-eye or rarely agreed at all, my conversations with you are what have kept me honest, kept me inspired and kept me going. Every day, I learnt from you. You made me a better president, and you made me a better man.

It was on the streets where I witnessed the power of faith and the quiet dignity of working people in the face of struggle and loss. This is where I learnt that change only happens when ordinary people get involved, get engaged and come together to demand it.

After eight years as your president, I still believe that.

It’s the conviction that we are all created equal, endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights, among them life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

It’s the insistence that these rights, while self-evident, have never been self-executing; that we, the people, through the instrument of our democracy, can form a more perfect union.

Yes, our progress has been uneven. The work of democracy has always been hard, contentious and sometimes bloody. For every two steps forward, it often feels we take one step back. It’s up to all of us to make sure our government can help us meet the many challenges we still face.

We have what we need to do so. Our youth and drive, our diversity and openness, our boundless capacity for risk and reinvention mean that the future should be ours.

But that potential will be realized only if our democracy works. Only if our politics reflects the decency of our people. Only if all of us, regardless of our party affiliation or particular interest, help restore the sense of common purpose that we so badly need right now.

That’s what I want to focus on tonight—the state of our democracy.

Understand, democracy does not require uniformity.