Michelle Obama at Mary's Center for Maternal and Child Care

Do the right thing
White House, Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 at 9:25 pm

"No matter what you do, you can't pass a law that makes somebody do the right thing, right?"

That was First Lady Michelle Obama's message to a group of young people she met with on a visit to Mary's Center for Maternal and Child Care, a Washington, D.C. nonprofit that provides a range of social services.

Instead, she said, it's the responsibility of every individual, family, and community to do the right thing. But where you come from shouldn't be a barrier to success."

I didn't come into this position with a lot of wealth, with a lot of resources," she said. "There is no magic dust that was sprinkled on my head or on Barack's head. You know, we were kids much like you who figured out one day that our fate was in our own hands, you know, and we made decisions to listen to our parents and to work hard and to work even harder when somebody doubted us."

See photos from the event below, or read the full transcript of the First Lady's meeting at the center.