Barack Obama's inaugural address: Highlights

Washington: Barack Obama renewed his oath of office today, ceremonially marking the beginning of another four years in the White House. Here are the highlights of his address:

• Each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution.
  
• We made ourselves anew, and vowed to move forward together.
• Together, we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable, and protect its people from life's worst hazards and misfortune. 
• We have always understood that when times change, so must we.
  
• This generation of Americans has been tested by crises that steeled our resolve and proved our resilience.
• A decade of war is now ending. An economic recovery has begun. 
• America's possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands.
• We are made for this moment, and we will seize it-so long as we seize it together.
• We, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it. 
• We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity.
• We do not believe that in this country, freedom is reserved for the lucky, or happiness for the few. 
• We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity.
  
• We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. 
• We, the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war. 
• We will defend our people and uphold our values through strength of arms and rule of law.
• We will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully. 
• We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths-that all of us are created equal-is the star that guides us still. 
• We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths-that all of us are created equal-is the star that guides us still.
  
• Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law. 
• Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants.
• Our journey is not complete until all our children...know that they are cared for & cherished & always safe from harm.
• That is our generation's task - to make...these values - of Life & Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness - real for every American. 
• Being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life.
• Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government...but it does require us to act.
• For now decisions are upon us, and we cannot afford delay.
• We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate.
• We must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect.
  
• The oath I have sworn before you today...was an oath to God and country, not party or faction.
• The words I spoke today are not so different from the oath that is taken each time a soldier signs up for duty.
• My oath is not so different from the pledge we all make to the flag that waves above & that fills our hearts with pride.
• They are the words of citizens, and they represent our greatest hope.
• Let each of us now embrace, with solemn duty and awesome joy, what is our lasting birthright.
• You and I, as citizens, have the power to set this country's course.
• With passion & dedication, let us answer the call of history & carry into an uncertain future that precious light of freedom.
• Thank you, God Bless you, and may He forever bless these United States of America.