>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY,
WE'RE BACK HERE WITH MICHELLE
OBAMA.
THE AUTHOR OF THE BESTSALING
BOOK ALREADY OF 2018,
"BECOMING."
YOU AND THE PRESIDENT, AS I SAID
EARLIER, WERE ON SUCH A ROCKET
RIDE.
DID IT HELP YOU-- DID IT PREVENT
YOU FROM OR GIVE YOU THE
OPPORTUNITY TO NOT BE CYNICAL,
NOT BE JADED, TO NOT BE
EXHAUSTED BY POLITICS BY HOW
FAST EVERYTHING HAPPENED?
BECAUSE IN 2004, HE'S ELECTED
TO THE U.S. SENATE.
AND THEN REALLY FROM THAT SPEECH
AT THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION IN
BOSTON--
>> OUR LIVES CHANGED.
>> Stephen: COMPLETELY.
>> RIGHT.
>> Stephen: AND THEN THE WHOLE
THING IS THAT WHOLE ASPECT OF
YOUR LIFE IS OVER JUST 12 YEARS
LATER.
SOME PEOPLE HAVE 40 YEARS BEFORE
THAT HAPPENS.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
>> Stephen: HOW DO YOU KEEP
FROM BEING CYNICAL ABOUT
POLITICS?
>> HERE-- AND THIS IS WHERE IT
MAY SOUND CORNY, BUT IT IS
TRUE-- WE GOT TO TRAVEL AROUND
THIS COUNTRY AND MEET PEOPLE ON
THE GROUND.
YOU KNOW, WE DIDN'T-- WE HAD THE
ADVANTAGE THAT MOST PEOPLE
DON'T.
WE LEARNED ABOUT OUR COUNTRY NOT
THROUGH PUNDITS AND TELEVISION
AND NEWS TALK SHOWS, BUT WE
LEARNED ABOUT IT FROM MEETING
PEOPLE.
AND WHAT WE LEARNED IS THAT WE--
IN THIS COUNTRY, THERE ARE
DECENT PEOPLE OF ALL
PERSUASIONS, AND WHETHER THEY
AGREED WITH US OR NOT, YOU KNOW,
WHEN YOU WERE IN THEIR FACE IN
THEIR COMMUNITY, PEOPLE WERE
KIND AND GRACIOUS AND GENEROUS.
THEY REFLECTED THE VALUES THAT I
GREW UP WITH.
ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I TELL
THESE STORIES ABOUT MY LIFE, IS
EVERYBODY CAN RESONATE WITH THE
STORY OF MY UPBRINGING BECAUSE
THAT'S HOW EVERYBODY'S GROWN UP,
WILITTLE HARDSHIP AND A LITTLE,
YOU KNOW, WITH A LITTLE, AND A
LITTLE HOPE AND A LITTLE JOY.
THE PROBLEM IS WE DON'T KNOW
EACH OTHER.
WE DON'T LET EACH OTHER IN.
AND I SAID IN THIS BOOK, IT IS
HARD TO HATE UP CLOSE.
IT IS EASIER TO HATE WHEN YOU--
WHEN YOU'RE HATING A PERSON
THROUGH A FILTER.
AND THE FILTER WAS GONE FOR ME
AND BARACK FOR OUR NATION.
AND SO WE GOT TO SEE THE TRUTH.
AND THAT'S WHAT I TRY TO PASS ON
TO PEOPLE.
YOU KNOW, DON'T LET WHAT'S
HAPPENING NOW BE THE FILTER
THROUGH WHICH WE SEE ONE
ANOTHER.
IT IS NOT A CLEAR OR CLEAN OR
ACCURATE FILTER.
WE SAW THE COUNTRY AS A WHOLE.
WE'VE SEEN THE WORLD AS A WHOLE.
>> Stephen: SO DO YOU THINK
THAT THE DIVISION THAT'S IN THE
COUNTRY RIGHT NOW IS AN
ABERRATION?
THIS IS NOT THE NORM?
>> I THINK IT IS SO EASY AND
LAZY TO LEAD BY FEAR.
IT IS MUCH HARDER TO LEAD BY
HOPE-- WITH HOPE.
( APPLAUSE )
SO IT IS-- IT IS ONLY AN
ABERRATION IF WE FIND LEADERS
WHO REFLECT OUR VALUES.
AND IF WE DON'T, NO, THIS--
THIS-- THIS CAN GO ON, YOU
KNOW.
BUT IT DEPENDS WHO'S AT THE TOP.
>> Stephen: SPEAK OF NOT
LEADING BY FEAR, AS I SAID
EARLIER THIS IS THE NUMBER ONE
BESTSALING BOOK OF 2018 ALREADY.
AND THIS HAS BEATEN-- THIS HAS
BEATEN BOB WOODWARD'S "FEAR."
SO ONCE AGAIN, HOPE HAS BEATEN
FEAR.
>> THAT'S A GOOD ONE.
>> Stephen: THERE YOU GO.
( APPLAUSE )
HERE'S SOME-- HERE'S SOME STATS
FOR YOUR TIME AS FLOTUS.
$1 BILLION INVESTED IN GIRLS'
EDUCATION.
MILLIONS OF KIDS EATING
HEALTHIER AND GETTING MORE
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.
PERSUADING BUSINESSES TO HIRE
AND TRAIN VETERANS AND SPOUSES.
AND THE BEST WHITE HOUSE PARTY I
WAS EVER INVITED TO.
WHEN YOU LOOK BACK WHAT, DO YOU
HOPE TO BE MOST REMEMBERED FOR?
>> FOR BRINGING HOPE TO YOUNG
PEOPLE.
BECAUSE IN THE END, THAT'S WHO
WE'RE COUNTING ON.
PEOPLE ASK IS IT-- YOU KNOW, DO
YOU STILL BELIEVE IN GOING HIGH?
ABSOLUTELY.
BECAUSE WHAT'S THE CHOICE?
WHAT-- WHAT DO WE WANT TO MODEL
FOR OUR KIDS?
YOU KNOW, WE WANT THEM TO
BELIEVE IN THE POSSIBILITY OF
MORE AND BETTER.
AND WE OWE IT TO THEM BECAUSE
KIDS DON'T COME TO THIS EARTH
JADED AND RACIST AND CYNICAL AND
MISOGYNIST.
THEY COME HERE PURE AND OPEN.
WE TEACH THEM ALL OF THAT STUFF.
WE OWE THEM BETTER.
SO, YEAH, I WANT TO HAVE A
LEGACY OF MAKING THE NEXT
GENERATION BETTER THAN WE ARE.
( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: THIS BOOK IS NOW
AVAILABLE ALL-- EVERYWHERE
BOOKSES ARE SOLD, AND ON AMAZON
WHERE-- AND THIS IS TRUE I CHECK
THE RIDE BEFORE THE SHOW--
FREQUENTLY BOUGHT TOGETHER
"BECOMING" AND "WHOSE BOAT IS
THIS BOAT?"
>> WE HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH
THAT.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: "BECOMING" IS
AVAILABLE NOW.
MICHELLE OBAMA, EVERYBODY.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A
PERFORMANCE BY COMMON.
YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS IT