I've never been more hopeful about our future
I've never been more hopeful about America
And I ask you to sustain that hope
I'm not talking about blind optimism
The kind of hope that just ignores the enormity of the tasks ahead
Or the road blocks that stand in our path
I'm not talking about the wishful idealism that allows us
To just sit on the sidelines or shirk from a fight
I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists
Despite all the evidence to the contrary
That something better awaits us
So long we have the courage to keep reaching
To keep working
To keep fighting
I believe that we can keep the promise of our founding
The idea that if you are willing to work hard
It doesn't matter who you are
Or where you come from
Or what you look like
Or where you love
It doesn't matter whether you are black or white
Or Hispanic or Asian
Or Native American
Or young or old
Or rich or poor
Abled, disabled
Gay or straight
You can make it here in America
I believe we can seize this future together
Because we are not as divided as our politics suggests
We're not as cynical as the pundits believe
We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions
And we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states
We are, and forever will be, the United States of America
And together with your help and God's grace
We will continue our journey forward and remind the world just why it is
That we live in the greatest nation on earth
Thank you, America