In 2016, Obama said that he gets inspiration from a few items that remind him "of all the different people I've met along the way", adding: "I carry these around all the time. I'm not that superstitious, so it's not like I think I necessarily have to have them on me at all times." The items, "a whole bowl full", include rosary beads given to him by
Pope Francis, a figurine of the Hindu deity
Hanuman, a
Coptic cross from Ethiopia, a small
Buddha statue given by a monk, and a metal poker chip that used to be the lucky charm of a motorcyclist in Iowa.