What is the hardest thing that has happened to you, and what did you carry out of it?
I was raised by a heroic single mom, wonderful grandparents -- made incredible sacrifices for me. … But I sure wish I had had a father who was not only present, but involved. Didn't know my dad. And so my whole life, I've tried to be for Michelle and my girls what my father was not for my mother and me. … I want to be a better father, a better husband, a better man.
Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia, The White House (Obama administration archive), 19 May 2013 source ↗