Andrew Cuomo Quotations

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

The Declaration of Independence says when government fails, the people have the right to replace it. Well, New York State government has failed and the people have the right, indeed the people have the the people have the obligation, to act.

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

I believe global warming and climate change are real threats to our planet.

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

I've been not only articulating the dissatisfaction with Albany, I've been acting on it. I've been very aggressive in bringing public integrity cases and public corruption cases and bringing cases against sitting legislators

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.

New York State is upside down and backwards; high taxes and low performance. The New York State government was at one time a national model. Now, unfortunately, it's a national disgrace. Sometimes, the corruption in Albany could even make Boss Tweed blush.

You know, you cut taxes for the rich sometimes and it sits in a bank account. You cut taxes for the middle class, they will spend the money.

The need to understand prescription information can literally be a matter of life and death.

I believe discrimination still exists in society and we must fight it in every form.

There's no such thing as a 100-year flood.

I was elected to come to an incredibly dysfunctional capital and make the government work better, and that's what I'm doing.

Too often government responds to the whispers of lobbyists before the cries of the people.

As my Sicilian grandfather used to say, you get more flies with honey than with vinegar, right?

There was never a war on poverty. Maybe there was a skirmish on poverty

Whether you voted for me or not, going through the Democratic process had made me a better candidate. I am a smarter, better candidate.

I respect the state workers and I respect their unions, but we simply can't afford to pay benefits and pensions that are out of line with economic reality.

The time has come to return integrity, performance and dignity to New York and make it the Empire State once again.

What made Manhattan Manhattan was the underground infrastructure, that engineering marvel.

To be clear... no one is above the law.

I am fiscally prudent and socially progressive. I believe in protecting a woman's right to choose. I believe in marriage equality.

Climate change is a controversial subject, right? People will debate whether there is climate change... that's a whole political debate that I don't want to get into. I want to talk about the frequency of extreme weather situations, which is not political.

Anyone who says there is not a change in weather patterns is denying reality.

I believe women still face a glass ceiling that must be shattered.

I'm sort of the Antichrist to the Conservative Party.

Lesson 1 from Spitzer: Don't alienate the legislature on Day 1.

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.

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.

Politicians are good listeners. Because if they're not, they aren't politicians for very long.

My father was against the death penalty, and that was hard in the Son of Sam summer when fear was driving the desire for the death penalty.

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

There is energy and power in a crisis.

I think naturally my orientation is from my father.

I'm a harsh critic of the status quo.

I'm a Queens boy at the end of the day.

I'm going to change everything you believe about HUD.

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

Flooding damage is not customary for New York, especially downstate.

I have a portrait of Saint Thomas More in my office.

Very few people go into politics to be reviled.

When you try to communicate too many ideas, sometimes you wind up communicating nothing.

Once you start saying, 'Let's talk political, my own politics, my own aspirations,' it can become not just distracting in that it takes time, but it can become confusing and frustrating, and is this now a political agenda or a governmental agenda.

There is also something called the Legislature. There is something called the press. There is something called people. These are all different players on the stage.

You can be a lender who wants to compete and have a better product, but you just can't get to the students. The schools are controlling the access to the students.

I think there's a lot to learn from Rockefeller on how to pass legislation.

I believe Wall Street needs serious ongoing regulation.

I'm running for governor; I'm not running for a legislative office.

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

I want to be the candidate placed on the ballot by the people, not the party.

I don't know people who don't say, boy the government is working better now,

I'm in politics. I'm in government, so nothing surprises me

I'm not going to allow myself to be pushed politically.

I'm not going to raise taxes; I'm not going to have a wage increase for public employees.

If I weren't doing the politics, I wouldn't be doing my job.

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

It's troubling for me as a Catholic to be at odds with the church.

Lesson from Pataki's success is: Use the political moment.

People are rightfully upset about Wall Street abuses and excess.

People who assume I want to run for elected office may be dealing from a bad assumption.

The other states look to New York for the progressive direction.

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?

There's a rhythm to the legislative session and there are rhythms to legislative sessions. So I think that's very important to take into consideration when you are deciding what to do when.

Ninety percent of the students take the 'preferred lender.' Why? Because that's the nature of the relationship. You trust the school. The school is in a position of authority.

When you start to have one or two homes to come back, it starts to develop an energy in the community,

When we give people the help they need, it works,

Now the question becomes, who is going to get something done? Who is going to achieve results? All right, now everybody wants to get it done. Who are we going to bet on to actually get it done? And that's where we say look at the past 20 years, who actually delivers.

need affordable housing. Why? Because the strong economy actually drives up rents and those people who are at the bottom of the income spectrum or on fixed incomes can't afford the rents.

Politically, this is a tremendous shot in the arm for the campaign.

New Yorkers seem to have a knack for quickly adopting out-of-towners as their own.

He would be proud with the progress, because we have come far. But he would point to how far we still have left to go. Discrimination is still alive and well in America. It is hard to admit, but we will never solve a problem that we will not admit.

What makes you say that a guy who has been on the street for five years and is a heroin addict is any more needy than a woman who is being beaten nightly in front of her children?

Pine Ridge is simply the poorest census tract in the nation, ... The main business on the reservation is a gas station. All of the housing is HUD housing, Indian housing, which is in many cases deplorable.

It didn't take long for people to figure out that this was a way to scam the system,

You just want to win by one. To win by over 50 percent is especially gratifying.

We will, quite literally, turn HUD into a department on the move -- able to set up shop anywhere, any time to serve anyone who can benefit by our programs,

There are 10,000 local governments in the state of New York. Ten thousand! Town, village, lighting district, water district, sewer district, a special district to count the other districts in case you missed a district.

I am against the death penalty.

New York State is upside down and backwards; high taxes and low performance.

He was the keynote speaker for our better angels.

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

I don't think bonuses are always bad.

I haven't lost my head yet.

Showed good business judgment, knowing that these continued lawsuits would be the untimely death of the gun industry.

Their problem is not me and the Democrats; their problem is themselves. Who are they? Are they these extreme conservatives who are right-to-life, pro-assault-weapon, anti-gay? Is that who they are? Because if that's who they are and they're the extreme conservatives, they have no place in the state of New York...

I did experiment with marijuana when I was a youth.

The other states look to New York for the progressive direction. New York made a powerful statement [legalizing marriage equality], not just for the people of New York, but for people all across this nation.

I never thought I would be divorced.

We need marriage equality in every state in this nation. Otherwise, no state really has marriage equality, and we will not rest until it is a reality.

There are 10,000 local governments in the state of New York. Ten thousand! Town, village, lighting district, water district, sewer district, a special district to count the other districts in case you missed a district.

This will take the key programs at HUD and cut them from last year's level, ... I can't even fathom the logic of that.

Even in a city like New York, we talk about opening housing and diversity and access to housing, but it is a major problem. It's gonna be one of my priorities as the attorney general.

Cuts that Congress is considering to HUD's budget would deprive 97,000 people of jobs, 156,000 families of affordable housing and 16,000 families and individuals who are homeless or who have AIDS of vital housing assistance, ... At a time of unprecedented national prosperity, Congress shouldn't rob the poorest Americans to provide reckless tax cuts and create a new deficit.

Eleven states and the District of Columbia have a higher minimum wage than we have here in New York, ... caboose on the economic train.

The senior advisers to the president would recommend a veto on this bill, ... My voice would join those of the other senior advisers. I could not recommend more vehemently that the president should veto this bill if it's passed in its current form.

This is an abysmal failure of city, state and federal government,

New York thrives because of the hardworking men and women who labor each and every day. They deserve their fair share and more after sweating to make ends meet for their families.

If mortgage brokers have nothing to hide, they have nothing to lose by signing this contract. If they don't sign the contract we will presume there is a violation of the law,

If you're a friend to the working people of New York, and you're a friend to the labor movement, then raise the minimum wage,