With patient and firm determination, I am going to press on for

Barack Obama’s words thunder with the spirit of endurance: “With patient and firm determination, I am going to press on for jobs. I’m going to press on for equality. I’m going to press on for the sake of our children. I’m going to press on for the sake of all those families who are struggling right now. I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I don’t have time to complain. I am going to press on.” In these lines, he does not speak only as a leader but as a teacher of resilience, reminding his people—and generations yet to come—that the path of justice and progress is forged not in ease but in persistence.

The phrase press on is as old as humanity’s struggles. To press on is to keep moving when the road is heavy, when the body is weary, and when the voices of doubt whisper that all is lost. Obama calls forth this ancient discipline, declaring that progress is not the gift of fortune but the fruit of patient and firm determination. He names not only lofty ideals—equality, jobs, children, families—but anchors them in action: he will continue, step after step, without pause for self-pity or complaint. Here lies the heart of his teaching: the measure of greatness is not the absence of hardship, but the refusal to yield to it.

The ancients knew this truth well. Consider the tale of Hannibal of Carthage, who marched across the Alps with elephants to challenge Rome itself. Against impossible odds, through snow and treacherous paths, he did not falter, but pressed on, driven by a vision larger than himself. Though his story ended in eventual defeat, his persistence became legend, a testimony that courage and determination can move even mountains. Obama’s words stand in this same lineage: they remind us that every struggle, whether personal or national, is won not in comfort but in the decision to endure.

Obama also roots his determination not in pride but in service. He speaks of children and families, of those struggling in the shadows of poverty and despair. His resolve is not for his own gain but for the many who depend on leaders to keep faith. This reflects the wisdom of ancient rulers like Marcus Aurelius, who taught that the true duty of power is service, and that personal sorrow or complaint must give way to the needs of the people. To say, “I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself,” is to place the burdens of the community above the comfort of the self—a mark of true stewardship.

The repetition of “I’m going to press on” is not accidental. It rises like the beating of a drum, like the chant of soldiers before battle, like the heartbeat of a people who refuse to be crushed. Repetition, in the speech of the ancients, was the weapon of conviction, hammering truth into the soul until it could not be forgotten. Each time he repeats it, the phrase gathers strength, turning from promise into oath, from oath into rallying cry. In these words, Obama offers not only his own resolve but a call for others to join him in pressing on.

From his teaching emerges a lesson for all: hardship is inevitable, but defeat is a choice. If you find yourself weary, pressed down by the weight of life, remember this call to press on. Do not waste your spirit on complaint, for complaint feeds despair. Do not sink into self-pity, for pity weakens resolve. Instead, with patient determination, turn your eyes toward the goal—whether it be justice, provision, healing, or hope—and move forward step by step. Progress is won not in leaps, but in the steady march of endurance.

Therefore, let each soul take action. In your labor, press on when work is heavy. In your family, press on when love demands sacrifice. In your community, press on when others falter. Guard your heart against bitterness, and instead clothe yourself in determination. Speak less of defeat and more of hope. For if enough of us choose to press on, then together we will build a future where equality is real, where children are secure, where families thrive, and where despair is overcome by the unyielding strength of human will.

Thus, Obama’s words, though spoken in the trials of modern times, echo the ancient wisdom of perseverance. They remind us that the noblest victories are not sudden gifts of fortune, but the harvest of patience and determination. To those who struggle, his words are a shield and a sword: press on, press on, press on—until the dawn breaks, and the dream of justice becomes the living breath of tomorrow.