Much has been written and said about Barack Obama's oratory prowess as anticipation builds for his inauguration speech on Tuesday. The following are excerpts from Obama speeches, often reflecting on family and the principles of tolerance that have come to be associated with Hawai'i.

JULY 27, 2004, BOSTON

Obama delivers the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention:

"Tonight is a particular honor for me because, let's face it, my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack. His father — my grandfather — was a cook, a domestic servant to the British.

"But my grandfather had larger dreams for his son. Through hard work and perseverance my father got a scholarship to study in a magical place, America, that shone as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before.

"While studying here, my father met my mother. She was born in a town on the other side of the world, in Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs and farms through most of the Depression. The day after Pearl Harbor my grandfather signed up for duty, joined Patton's army, marched across Europe. Back home, my grandmother raised a baby and went to work on a bomber assembly line. After the war, they studied on the GI Bill, bought a house through FHA, and later moved west all the way to Hawai'i in search of opportunity.

"And they, too, had big dreams for their daughter. A common dream, born of two continents.

"My parents shared not only an improbable love, they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or "blessed," believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success. They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren't rich, because in a generous America you don't have to be rich to achieve your potential. ...

"They stand here — and I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents' dreams live on in my two precious daughters. I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on Earth, is my story even possible.

"Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation — not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over 200 years ago:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

MARCH 18, 2008, PHILADELPHIA

Obama both denounces and defends his former, controversial pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright:

"I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother — a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed her by on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe."

AUG. 8, 2008, KE'EHI LAGOON BEACH PARK

Obama greets 4,000 well-wishers at the start of a family vacation and describes his plans:

"How's everybody doing today? Howzit? ... I'm going to get a plate lunch. I might go to Zippy's. I might go to Rainbow Drive-In. I haven't decided yet. Get some Zip Min. I'm going to go get some shave ice. I'm going to go bodysurfing at an undisclosed location. I'm going to see my tutu — my grandma — and I'm going to watch my girls play on the beach, and once in a while I might go into the water. But mostly I'm going to watch them."

NOV. 3, 2008, CHARLOTTE, N.C.

After returning from Honolulu where he visited his grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, for the last time, Obama talks about her death:

"Some of you heard that my grandmother who helped raise me passed away early this morning. She has gone home. She died peacefully in her sleep with my sister at her side and so, there's great joy as well as tears. I'm not going to talk about it too long because it's hard to talk about. I want everybody to know, though, about her. Her name is Madelyn Dunham. She was born in Kansas in a small town in 1922, which means she lived through the Great Depression, she lived through two world wars. (Dunham was like other) quiet heroes we have all across America. They're not famous. Their names aren't in the newspaper. But each and every day they work hard. They watch out for their families. They sacrifice for their families. ... That's what America's about. That's what we're fighting for."

NOV. 4, 2008, CHICAGO'S GRANT PARK

Obama greets 240,000 supporters following his historic victory and talks about the loss of his grandmother two days before:

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer. ... And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure."