Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Speech ·343 of 348
"Yes we can!"
They never said that.
What people say
"Yes we can!"
What was actually said
"Yes we can." Barack Obama — New Hampshire primary concession speech, 8 January 2008
Why it stuck
Delivered as a period, not an exclamation — a quiet mantra at the end of each paragraph, not a rally bark. The exclamation-point version is the meme.
The phrase had been the slogan of the Chávez-led United Farm Workers ("Sí, se puede") since 1972. Dolores Huerta coined it.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.