Michelle Knows...

Now, let me tell you something about your President. That’s what I see when he returns home after a long day traveling around the country, I mean, doing things you wouldn’t imagine that a single person could do in the span of 24 hours. And he always tells me not about how hard the day was but about the people he’s met along the way.

And I see in those quiet moments late at night, after we’ve put the girls to bed, and he’s hunched over his desk, and he’s reading everything -- letters people have sent him. That's what keeps him motivated. He reads those letters. A letter from the woman dying of cancer whose health insurance wouldn’t cover her care. Those are the letters he’s reading. The letter from the young person with so much promise, but so few opportunities.

And I see the sadness and the worry that's creasing his face. And I hear the passion and the determination in his voice. He says, “You know, Mich, you won’t believe what these folks are going through.” He says, “It’s not right. Still not right. And we’ve got to fix this. We have to do more.”

And what some of you know, who has spent any time with Barack, is that when it comes to the people he meets and the stories he hears, he has a memory like a steel trap. I mean, it’s a gift. He remembers everything. He can retain so much information, substantively -- stories, background, and children. He might not remember your name, but if he’s had a few minutes and a decent conversation, he will never forget your story. It becomes imprinted on his heart. And that is what he carries with him every day –- that collection of hopes, and dreams, and struggles.

That is what your President does. That's where he gets his passion. And that’s why he works so hard every day...

And in the end, for Barack Obama, and for me, and for so many of us here, that is what politics is about. It’s not about one person. It is not about one President. We talked about this. This election was not about Barack Obama. It’s about how we work together to make real changes that make a real difference in people’s lives on the ground...

And I know you all have been riding that roller coaster, rolling -- oh, my god, what’s he doing now -- and why isn’t he -- oh, why did he -- why isn't he saying -- boy, it’s -- we hear you.

But here’s the thing about Barack –- and this is something I’d appreciate even if he hadn’t shown the good judgment to marry me. But even in the toughest moments -- and I have seen him every step of the way for every fight, for every decision -- when it seems like all is lost, and we’re all wringing our hands, and I’ve done it to him, too -- what’s going to happen, are we going to be okay -- Barack Obama never loses sight of the end goal. He is always an end-goal game player. He’s not looking right here. He’s looking way down the road. And he never lets himself get distracted by the chatter and the noise. It doesn’t faze him. He just keeps moving forward, step by step. That's how change happens.

And in those moments when we’re all sweating it, when we’re worried that that bill won’t pass, or the negotiations might fall through, Barack always reminds me that we’re playing a long game here. That's how he reassures me. It’s not about today. It’s about our future. It’s about these kids. It’s not about us.

He reminds me that change is slow. Nothing worth having happens in an instant. He reminds me that change does not happen all at once. It never does. Never has. But he tells me that if we keep showing up, right, if we keep fighting the good fight, and doing what we know is right, then eventually we will get there, because we always have.

- Michelle Obama, June 13, 2011