The Global reaction
"Your victory has demonstrated that no person anywhere in the world should not dare to dream of wanting to change the world for a better place."
Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president
"The American dream has been restored in the eyes of the world."
Adam Smith, a specialist
on foreign affairs at University College London
"This is the fall of the Berlin Wall times 10."
Rama Yade, France's black junior minister for human rights
"What we have seen in talks with him . . . is a man who understands, who listens, and who thinks."
Ehud Barak, Israeli defense minister
"Today, reality in America has superseded fantasy. . . . Americans have struck a deadly blow to racism all over the world."
Dawood Al-Shirian, prominent Saudi columnist
"At a time when we must face huge challenges together, your election has raised enormous hope in France, in Europe, and beyond."
President Nicolas Sarkozy, of France
"If it were possible for me to get to the United States on my bicycle, I would."
Joseph Ochieng, a 36-year-old carpenter in Nairobi's Kibera shantytown
"The United States is a country to dream about, and for us black Brazilians, it is even easier to do so now."
Emmanuel Miranda, a police officer in Rio de Janeiro
"Bush gave America a very bad name. He has become a symbol of hate. But I don't think the change of face will suddenly make any big difference."
Mohammed Arshad, a 28-year-old schoolteacher in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad 