“There is no dispute that Albany needs to be changed. There is no dispute that the current situation in Albany is untenable. Nobody knows that better than I do.”

I don’t think anyone would argue with the notion that there have been serious abuses on Wall Street.

People are rightfully upset about Wall Street abuses and excess.

I know how bad Albany is. I know it better than most. I understand why people are angry. I’m angry. The question is going to be, how do you change Albany, what is the plan for change, and then how do you actually get it done?

If I’m breathing in 2016, I’ll be happy.

I believe we need to attract a new generation of the best and brightest to public service and I believe that government can be a source of inspiration, not degradation.

The essential job of government is to facilitate, not frustrate, job development.

A governor can be a very good friend to people. A governor can be a formidable force.

I’ve worked on the urban agenda all my life. All. My. Life.

There is energy and power in a crisis.

If there’s a silver bullet in the battle to recapture Albany, it is the re-engagement of our citizens. This capital has become a physical metaphor for the isolation and alienation of our people.

People go into politics because they want the affirmation, and they want the applause.

Fight as hard as you can, and then understand there’s going to have to be some amount of reasonable compromise.

I believe public education is the new civil rights battle and I support charter schools.

I think naturally my orientation is from my father.

It’s time for the people of the Empire State to strike back.

I am against the death penalty.

If you are waiting for anything in order to live and love without holding back, then you suffer. Every moment is the most important moment of your life. No future time is better than now to let down your guard and love.

Islam is not about “we’re better than you”. Rather it is about “let me show you something that is better for you.

I always assume I look better than I actually do. I’ll feel pretty good about myself when I leave the house, then I’ll see a picture and think, ‘Crap, I had no idea that’s what I was looking like.’

There is nothing better than being in a classroom with really, really brilliant students, and opening up new worlds to them. That’s what I love doing.

Better to build a bridge than a wall.

Because of the Shewing I am not good but if I love God the better: and in as much as ye love God the better, it is more to you than to me.

Better to confess Christ 1000 times now and be despised by men, than be disowned by Christ before God on the day of Judgment.

I see songwriting as having to do with experience, and the more you’ve experienced, the better it is. But it has to be tempered, and you just must let your imagination run.