But despite all our differences，most of us share certain hopes for America‘s future.We want our kids to grow up in a country where they have access to the best schools and the best teachers.[applause]A country that lives up to its legacy as the global leader in technology and discovery and innovation；with all the good jobs and new businesses that follows.To live in America that isn’t burdened by debt，that isn‘t weakened by inequality.That isn’t threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet.We want to pass on a country that is saved and respected and admired around the world.A nation that is defended by the strongest military on earth and the best troops this world has ever known.But also a country that moves with confidence beyond this time of war to shape a peace.That is built on the promise of dignity of every human being.
We believe in a generous America，in a compassionate America，in a tolerant America，open to the dreams of an immigrants daughter that studies in our schools and pledges to our flag.To the young boy on the south side of Chicago，who sees a light beyond the nearest street corner.To the furniture workers child in North Carolina who wants to become a engineer or a scientist.And engineer or an entrepreneur.A diplomat or even a president，that‘s the future we hope for.That’s the vision we share，that‘s where we need to go.Forward.That’s where we need to go.
Now we will disagree sometimes fiercely on how to get there，as it has for more than two centuries，progress will come in fits and starts，it‘s not always a straight line or a smooth path.By itself a recognition of our common hopes and dreams won’t end the gridlock.Or solve all our problems or substitute for the hard work of building consensus.And making the difficult compromises needed to move the country forward but that common bond is where we must begin.Our economy is recovering；our decade of war is ending.A long campaign is now over.And whether I earned your vote or not，I have listened to you.I have learned from you and you have made me a better President.With your stories and your struggles，I returned to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead.[applause]
Tonight，you voted for action，not politics as usual.You elected us to focus on your jobs，not ours.And in the coming weeks and months，I am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both parties to meet the challenges we can only solve together：reducing our deficit，reforming our tax code，fixing our immigration system，freeing ourselves from foreign oil，we‘ve got more work to do.But that doesn’t mean your work is done.The role of citizen in our democracy does not end with your vote.America‘s never been about what could be done for us，it’s about what can be done by us，together，through the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self-government.That‘s the principle we were founded on.
This country has more wealth than any nation，but that’s not what makes us rich.We have the most powerful military in history but that‘s not what makes us strong.Our universities，our culture，are all the envy of the world but that’s not what keeps the world coming to our shores.What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on Earth，the belief that our destiny is shared，that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and the future generations so that the freedom so many Americans have fought for and died for comes with responsibilities as well as rights，and among those are love，and charity，and duty，and patriotism.That‘s what makes America great.
I am hopeful tonight because I have seen that spirit at work in America.I’ve seen it in the family business whose owners would rather cut their own pay than lay off their neighbors，and in the workers who would rather cut back their hours than see a friend lose a job.I‘ve seen it in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb，and in those SEALS who charged up the stairs into darkness and danger because they knew there was a buddy behind them watching their back.I’ve seen it on the shores of New Jersey and New York where leaders from every party and level of government have swept aside their differences to help a community rebuild from the wreckage of a terrible storm.
And I saw it just the other day，in Mentor，Ohio where a father told the story of his eight-year-old daughter whose long battle with leukemia nearly cost their family everything，had it not been for healthy reform passing just a few months before.The insurance company was about to stop paying for her care.I had an opportunity to not just talk to the father but meet this incredible daughter of his，and when he spoke to the crowd listening to that father‘s story，every parent in that room had tears in their eyes because we knew that little girl could be our own.And I know that every American wants her future to be just as bright.That’s who we are.That‘s the country I’m so proud to lead as your president.
And tonight，despite all the hardship we‘ve been through，despite all the frustrations of Washington，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 of us that insists，despite all the evidence to the contrary，that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching，to keep working，to keep fighting.