Michelle Obama shares the three-word comment her dying mom made that changed her perspective on life

Michelle Obama got candid when talking about her late mom’s dying words that changed her entire outlook.

The former first lady has been very honest about life after the White House in her latest discussions and appearances on different podcasts.

Recently, she told Steven Bartlett on the Diary of a CEO podcast that 'everyone would know' if she and Barack decided to separate after rumors went wild that the pair had quietly split.

Then in another interview, she attributed the divorce rumors to people being unable to 'even fathom' the idea that she could 'make her own choice' to stay out of the limelight.

Michelle even directly called out those stirring up the divorce rumors while appearing as a guest on NPR's Wild Card podcast with host Rachel Martin this week.

Michelle Obama got candid about death (Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)

The 61-year-old talked about her life after the White House as she said: "It takes a second when you start thinking, well 'Can you go here? Can you say this? Can you touch this third rail?'.

"You know knowing that even in this phase in our lives when Barack and I say something right or wrong it does get covered, you know? The fact that people don't see me going out on a date with my husband sparks rumors of the end of our marriage, I mean it's sort - it's the apocalypse!"

She also opened up about an important moment in her life which led her to reevaluate her perspective on everything.

Michelle became emotional as she reflected on her mother’s dying words.

Marian Robinson died at 86 in May 2024, telling Martin that her while she was caring for her mom in their Hawaii home, she shared some wisdom.

"She was realizing that she will not ever be the same old self that she was. She was starting to realize she's coming to the end," the former first lady said. "And this woman that prepared me for death and talked to me about all this stuff and was like, 'I'm ready to die, who needs old people around too long,' and blah, blah, blah. She leaned over to me and said, 'Wow, this went fast.'"

Michelle said her mom's dying words stayed with her (ROBYN BECK/AFP/GettyImages)

"I held her hand and said, 'What are you talking about?'" Michelle added. "And she said, 'Life.' She said, 'This went fast.'"

For Michelle, this was something that would stay with her, even a year later.

"What that told me was that even when you tell yourself you're ready, if you're living a good life, you're never really ready for it to end," she said. "So, I hope I feel that way - even though I will be ready for it, because it's been good and purposeful - that I'll feel like, 'I wish I had more time.' So I'm trying to live my life like that."

Now that Michelle is in her 60s, it hit home for her that her life is also going fast, leading her to believe that even though the end could come at any time, she lived well.

"My husband thinks this is morbid - but at 61, if I am lucky, if I am truly blessed, I have like, 25 more summers," she said.

Sharing that after her husband, former US President Barack Obama's presidential term, she piled on the work and for ten years.

"What I feel is that if I'm not mindful about it, the years slip away," Michelle shared, having looked back, adding: "And you wind up spending a year doing what? Did you do anything you wanted to? Did you spend time with the people you wanted to spend time with, doing the things that you wanted to do?"

"With 25 more summers, I want to feel each one of them," she said. "A day of nothing is one of those nice, slow days where you look up and go, 'Oh man, it's only noon.' I want more of those."

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