How do we bring more and more people into opportunity and success and feeling hopeful about their lives ... I said as much as we've done with laws and ending "don't ask don't tell" etc., changing hearts and minds, I don't think anybody's been more influential than you on that. I really mean so. Your courage and you're just really likable and so you being willing to claim who you were then suddenly empowers other people and then suddenly it's your brother, it's your uncle, it's your best friend, it's your co-workers and then attitudes shift and the laws followed but it started with folks like you.

-- Barack Obama

This quote was taken from President Obama's interview on Ellen. It is part of his response to Ellen after she thanked him for advocating for LGBT Americans.