Kilby Janice Eaton - I Heart Michelle: Uplifting Words from the Forever First Lady

As First Lady, Michelle Obama not only fought to provide better nutrition for children, but also instilled in young people, especially women, that they deserve a place at the table.

Following a top education at Princeton and Harvard Law, Michelle was a lawyer, a vice president of a hospital group, and served on the board of a major food supplier. However, seeing that there was an even greater good she could enact with her husband as the first family, she left her career to become First Lady of the United States.

Over the following decade, Michelle Obama has proven to be one of the kindest, most caring, compassionate figures in the country, earning her the unofficial title of Forever First Lady among her supporters. With intelligence, warmth, and an unshakeable will to do right, Michelle Obama taught us that the high road is always the right way.

I was surrounded by extraordinary women in my life: grandmothers, teachers, aunts, cousins, neighbors, who taught me about quiet strength and dignity.

TED Talk, April 2, 2009

I decided to rewrite those tired old scripts that define too many of us. I decided that I wasnt bossyI was confident and strong. I wasnt loud I was a young woman with something important to say.

BETs Black Girls Rock! event, Newark, New Jersey, March 28, 2015

I want you all to go out there. Be great. Build great lives for yourselves. Enjoy the liberties that you have in this great country. Pursue your own version of happiness. And please, please, always, always do your part to help others do the same.

Commencement address, City College of New York, June 3, 2016

Hes always asking: Is that new? I havent seen that before. Its like, Why dont you mind your own business? Solve world hunger. Get out of my closet.

Interview, New York Times, March 20, 2009

Arts education is not a luxury, its a necessity.

National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards, November 17, 2015

Being a mother made me a better professional, because coming home every night to my girls reminded me what I was working for, and being a professional made me a better mother, because by pursuing my dreams, I was modeling for my girls how to pursue their dreams.

Let Girls Learn event, March 18, 2015

Nothing is more important than the health and well-being of our children. Nothing. And our hopes for their future should drive every single decision that we make.

Signing of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, December 13, 2010

The country has the right and the responsibility to critique their president. Thats part of the job. So you know, you, you take in what you need to, and you keep the stuff that doesnt apply out, and you keep working every day.

Interview with Barbara Walters, November 26, 2010

As I tell girls whenever I meet them, I wouldnt be here, sitting here not just in this chair but in this life that I have, if it werent for my education. I know that when you hear the phrase knowledge is power, its true.

Glamours A Brighter Future: A Global Conversation on Girls Education event, October 11, 2016

People have to be educated, they have to be focused on the issues, and they have to go to the polls if they want their politics to reflect their values.

Interview, November 11, 2018

The ability to read, write, and analyze; the confidence to stand up and demand justice and equality; the qualifications and connections to get your foot in that door and take your seat at the tableall of that starts with education.

Let Girls Learn event, March 8, 2016

Always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals.

Interview, Marie Claire, October 2008

Now, my Dad didnt live to see me in the White House.... Every day, I work to make him proud. Every day, I stay hungry, not just for myself, but for him, and for my mom, and for all the kids I grew up with who never had the opportunities that my family provided for me.

Commencement address, Martin Luther King Jr. Preparatory High School, June 9, 2015

I would encourage all of you to consider a life in public service. Even if you want to make money, find a way to help somebody. Find a way to turn your blessings into something powerful that affects the lives of others. Because thats how we keep this country strong.