In my mother's world, the personal really was political—although she wouldn't have had much use for the slogan.
-- Barack Obama (Chapter 1)

Importance: This remark at the outset of the memoir emphasizes the role that Obama's mother played in his political formation. Obama's mother's influence echoes throughout the narrative as Obama often appeals to his personal interactions with other people, and the individual experiences of other people when outlining his motives for pursuing any piece of legislation. Obama's consideration for the personal and intimate details of peoples' lives is one of the defining characteristics of his presidential campaign, and the foundation of his message of hope and change.

In other words, I had become the very thing that, as a younger man, I had warned myself against. I had become a politician—and not a very good one at that.
-- Barack Obama (Chapter 2 paragraph )

Importance: The distinction between Obama's younger self and his transformation into a politician in middle...