This quote is interesting because  it is true that in order to do something, we have to stop thinking that people are selfish. If we don’t, we will only despair, which will hinder us from achieving our goals. Therefore, we need optimism to complete our goal, and the perfect example of optimism accomplishing our goal is Selma when many Africans made the march to Selma. The march to Selma allowed the African Americans to gain the rights they have today, because they were optimistic that eventually, they will receive their rights through peace. Therefore, Selma is a perfect example of how optimism can accomplish your goals. 

"There are places and moments in America where this nation’s destiny has been decided."

This quote of Obama’s is very interesting because it is known that events always lead to other events. Events always lead to other events because everything has to start with something. Without starting somewhere, other things cannot begin to form. For instance, there are important events that lead to other important events, such as the March of Selma. Because of the March of Selma, Africans were able to gain the same rights of those of white people, which is why this quote is interesting.

“I always tell young people, in particular, do not say that nothing has changed when it comes to race in America, unless you’ve lived through being a black man in the 1950s or ’60s or ’70s. It is incontrovertible that race relations have improved significantly during my lifetime and yours.”

Obama might be somewhat unclear in his meaning because while  race relations have improved dramatically in the past 50 years, I do not understand why being a black man in the 50s, 60s, and 70s would be an excuse that nothing has changed. The improvements on race relation is undeniable, because Africans have been able to gain many rights, which makes them to equal to white people. Why would older Africans say that nothing has changed? However, Obama could be referring to the racism that is still present here in America because some people still feel that Africans are inferior to white people, which is why some, such as law enforcement, treat Africans poorly. Either way, Obama is addressing a very important issue about racism.

“Since my first campaign, I’ve talked about how, in too many cases, our criminal justice system ends up being a pipeline from underfunded, inadequate schools to overcrowded jails,"
This quote of Obama's is very surprising because Obama makes an interesting thought about the criminal justice system being a type of a pipeline from inadequate schools to overcrowded jails. However, this logic does make sense  because when the education for kids is not up to par, children tend to pick a path in life that could eventually become one that is criminal in nature. This quote of Obama also shows that the government needs to pay more attention to the schools, or more children could potentially end up having a criminal career, which was something that Obama has been trying to do. He tries to strengthen our education system, and this helps lower the amount of children who would lead a dangerous life.