Yes, we can.

I won’t pretend the path I’m offering is quick or easy. I never have. 

You didn’t elect me to tell you what you wanted to hear.

You elected me to tell you the truth. 

And the truth is, it will take more than a few years for us 

to solve challenges that have built up over decades. 

It’ll require common effort, shared responsibility, 

and the kind of bold, persistent experimentation that 

Franklin Roosevelt pursued during the only crisis worse than this one.

And by the way, those of us who carry on 

his party’s legacy should remember that 

not every problem can be remedied with another 

government program or dictate from Washington.

But know this, America: Our problems can be solved. 

~Barack Obama, 2012