“I have an activist’s desire to improve people’s lives.”

My professional life has been about public service. My personal life I define very intently through my family.

I think small business is struggling in New York City. It’s a fantastic market, it’s a very appealing market, there’s lots of opportunity, at the same time it’s a very difficult place to build a small business.

Going back to high school and college, I believed I would be involved in public service. I literally could not conceptualize anything else.

Not only do they offend thee, O Lady, who outrage thee, but thou art also offended by those who neglect to ask thy favors … He who neglects the service of the Blessed Virgin will die in his sins … He who does not invoke thee, O Lady, will never get to Heaven …

Forgiveness is, first of ali, a gift I give myself.

I love the MLB app, because I’m a pretty obsessed baseball fan.

We do not ask more of the wealthy to punish success. We do it to create more success stories.

I’ve always had a very positive relationship with the municipal labor unions – a respectful relationship.

We are New Yorkers. Proud citizens of the greatest city on earth. Thinking big isn’t new to us. It is the very foundation of who we are.

I believe there’s an emerging American majority for progressive economic change.

A holistic solution to income inequality is going to take a lot of work, but every time you prove that one of the strands is achievable and that it has a positive impact on people’s lives you take another step towards proving the bigger theory of the case.

I think a lot of the best ideas come from the grassroots; I’m someone who does not like a bunker mentality and does not like groupthink.

I think like a lot of people in this country I want to see a vision. And, again, that would be true of candidates on all levels. It’s time to see a clear, bold vision for progressive economic change.

NY is the city it is today in part because of the contributions from generations of artistic visionaries

I haven’t smoked marijuana since I was at NYU.

There is nothing wrong with listening. You can listen to people; you can hear people’s concerns. You can keep an open mind and still be perfectly strong.