About Michelle Obama's speech

" I liked being smart. I liked being on time. I liked getting my work done. I thought being smart was cooler than anything in the world. "

 

Speaking to an audience of students, US First Lady Michelle Obama reminds each one to take their education seriously -- and never take it for granted. This new, brilliant generation, she tells us, is the one that could close the gap between the world as it is and the world as it should be.

She wasn't raised with wealth or resources. She  was the product of a working-class community. Her father was a city worker and her mother was a stay-at-home mom. And she stayed at home to take care of her and her older brother. Neither of them attended university. She and her brother  were raised with all that really needed: love, strong values and a belief that with a good education and a lot of hard work that there was nothing that we could not do. 

 She noticed: “…you too can control your own destiny. Please remember that.  And you too, with these same values, can control your own destiny. You too can pave the way. You too can realize your dreams...” Our fate is in our hands.

 Your success will be determined by your own fortitude, your own confidence, your own individual hard work. That is the reality of the world that we live in. And it won't be easy -- that's for sure. You have everything you need to succeed, you already have.