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We have a political culture of intimidation, of favoring, of patronage, and of fear, and that is no way for a community to be governed.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Mentors of mine were under a big pressure to minimize their femininity to make it. I’m not going to do that. That takes away my power. I’m not going to compromise who I am.
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ

Compromise Feminine Mentor Myself Pressure
I wake up every day, and I’m a Puerto Rican girl from the Bronx. Every single day.
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ

Day Myself Wake Up Woman
We have to stick to the message: What are we proposing to the American people? Not, ‘What are we fighting against?’
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ

Fight Message People Propose Rival
There is no such thing as talking about class without there being implications of the racial history of the United States. You just can’t do it.
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ

History Implication Race Talk Yourself
I felt like the only way to effectively run for office is if you had access to a lot of wealth, high social influence, a lot of dynastic power, and I knew that I didn’t have any of those things.
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ

Feeling Influence Myself Office Social
I know what it’s like to access the privilege of a ZIP Code but also be born in one that could have destined me to something else.
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ

Access Born Destiny Myself Privilege
I was born to a dad who was born in the South Bronx while the Bronx was burning, while landlords were committing arson to their own buildings.
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ

Born Build Burn Father Myself
We have to have a diversity of age represented in Congress, too.
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ

Age Diversity Representation
It’s not just that I’m a woman of color running for office. It’s the way that I ran. It’s the way that my identity formed my methods.
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ

Color Identity Myself Office Run Woman
Women like me aren’t supposed to run for office.
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ

Myself Office Run Woman
For me, democratic socialism is about – really, the value for me is that I believe that in a modern, moral, and wealthy society, no person in America should be too poor to live.
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ

Democracy Live Myself Poor Rich Social Value
I understand the pain of working-class Americans because I have experienced the pain.
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ

Experience Myself Pain Understand Work
I just hope that more people will ignore the fatalism of the argument that we are beyond repair. We are not beyond repair. We are never beyond repair.
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ

Argument Beyond Hope Ignorance Myself People Repair
I wasn’t born to a wealthy or powerful family – mother from Puerto Rico, dad from the South Bronx.
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ

Born Family Father Mom Myself Powerful
I believe that every American should have stable, dignified housing; health care; education – that the most very basic needs to sustain modern life should be guaranteed in a moral society.
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ

Believe Dignity Education Life Modern Myself Society Stability
The only time we create any kind of substantive change is when we reach out to a disaffected electorate and inspire and motivate them to vote.
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ

Change Creation Motivational Reach Time Vote