Quote of the day by Michelle Obama: 'Being President doesn't change who you are, it reveals who you are' - Lesson on how power reveals a person's true character by America's former First Lady

Power can change a person's life, but does it change their character also? When Barack Obama first ran for US president, Michelle Obama had concerns about what the job would mean for their family and the life they had built together. But as she watched her husband take on the country's highest office, she shared her thoughts about power and personality in the quote of the day, “Being President doesn't change who you are, it reveals who you are.”

Michelle Obama spoke these words in 2012 at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, while she was campaigning for her husband's re-election. Her speech was about their early struggles, the values they learnt from their families and the experiences that made Barack Obama who he is long before he had entered the White House.

What Michelle Obama said in her 2012 speech

At the time, NPR described Michelle Obama's address as a speech built around family, hard work and honesty. Instead of focusing only on political achievements, she spoke about the couple's life before Barack Obama became president.


She recalled how they began their married life with student loans and financial pressures. “We were so young, so in love, so in debt,” she said, explaining that their combined monthly student loan payments were higher than their mortgage.

Through her words she showed a side of their lives that many Americans could relate to, and that was a young couple trying to build a future while managing the cost of education and family responsibilities.

The quote about the presidency came as she made the case for her husband's character. She had wondered what the office might change about him, but her speech presented his values as rooted in the lessons he had learnt while growing up.

The values Barack and Michelle Obama grew up with

Michelle Obama spoke about how their families taught them dignity, decency and why speaking the truth is always important. Her family values were also not to resent people who had more money or success.

She linked these lessons to her husband's way of seeing achievement, saying, “For Barack, success isn't about how much money you make, it's about the difference you make in people's lives.”

For her, his time as a leader didn't change who he was as a person before he entered politics.

Michelle Obama's life before and after the White House

Born in Chicago on January 17, 1964, Michelle Obama studied sociology at Princeton University before she got her law degree from Harvard Law School in 1988. She met Barack Obama while working at the Chicago law firm Sidley & Austin and the two got married in 1992. Barack and Michelle Obama have two daughters named Malia and Sasha.

Michelle later moved away from her corporate law career and started to work in public service, including roles with Chicago City Hall, Public Allies and the University of Chicago.

As First Lady, she launched Let's Move! to deal with childhood obesity and Reach Higher to encourage students to continue their education after high school. She also worked with Jill Biden on Joining Forces, which supports military personnel, veterans and their families.

Since leaving the White House in 2017, she has published the memoir Becoming and the book The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times, while also continuing her public work as before.