Top 138 Quotes & Sayings by Gavin Newsom

I'm much more optimistic about this next generation because this is the first global generation.

I made bad decisions. That being said - the question is, does the public care about that?

If you're trying to understand why it is that certain things happen in Sacramento and certain things don't, at the end of the day, it comes down to the issue of incentives: We do what we're incentivized to do.

California is a bellwether state. California was the first state in the United States to overturn the laws against interracial marriage. It took 19 years for the rest of the country to come around to that point of view.

One of the defining dynamics of 2008 has been the emerging wave of new, young voters getting involved and storming the gates of the traditional political establishment.

Government is the ultimate monopoly. And monopolies, as any economist will tell you, often breed complacency and a lack of innovation.

You only get one chance in this thing called life. I know that is a bit maudlin and obscure, but it's a fact, and you can make a profound difference in people's lives without having a title in front of your name.

Are we going to solve the issue of poverty? Absolutely not. Are we going to have an impact? I'm committed to it, and if we don't, I'll have no regrets because we're going to try everything we can.

San Francisco has long been a leader in the arts, nurturing generations of painters, sculptors, poets, novelists, playwrights, film-makers, and performing artists and innovators of every kind.

A mistake that a lot of us have made, related to those who advocate for gun safety legislation, is that we try to process it through our legislative bodies, and that's where the NRA's strength lies.

My daughter's met Hillary Clinton, so she's got a strong bias. But she, of course, parrots me and goes, 'Oh, Donald Trump, I don't like him!' I'm like, 'That's good!'

If you're not open, you're not transparent, you're still holding on to vaults of information, you're not going to build that trust.

During the 1990s, San Francisco lived through one of the most intense economic booms of its history.

The 21st Century has begun as an era of uncertainty, with a heightened focus on security and public safety.

We recognize that the arts are an essential part of San Francisco's cultural vitality.

There's something called CEQA in California - NEPA at the federal level. There's indigenous lands and autonomies relating to governance on those lands. There are all kinds of obstructions as it relates to just getting zoning approval and getting building permits.

You can love me or hate me and disagree with me, but you sure as hell know where I stand.

Government doesn't have to come up with new killer features on its own. It has to step aside and let others come up with them.

As mayor of San Francisco, I will provide the vision and work hard to make San Francisco a beautiful, well-planned city with excellent housing and transportation options.

As Mayor, I will use my experience to make San Francisco a place where small businesses can thrive.

Government can do best by simply getting out of the way.

We need to allow people to bypass government... to look to themselves for solving problems rather than asking the government to do things for them.

Livable neighborhoods with a vibrant street life will stimulate our economic life as well.

I don't want to let the rest of this country drift into the abyss. I want to fight for it.

We do not have the right to discriminate against people.

I'm sick and tired of politics and politicians as usual.

There is nothing worse than a politician that gets defensive and starts attacking the media - and it always looks bad for the politician, because you sign up for this. You live by the sword, you die by the sword.

I think Thanksgiving is the perfect occasion to break open a buttery, oaky Chardonnay from California.

Like any small business owner, I experienced the pressures of building a company from the ground up - developing a business plan, balancing the books, meeting payroll and building a customer base.

San Francisco businesses face many challenges, including high rents, regulatory burdens, and the rising cost of workers compensation insurance and employee health plans.

We can build new housing while preserving the quality and character of adjacent residential districts and ensuring infill development strengthens the surrounding neighborhood.

As Mayor, I will fully support my Arts Commission and its professional selection committees so that they can commission a full range of public art that is daring and, when appropriate, daringly traditional.

If you distill the essence of everything, what life is about, every single one of us is given a short moment in time on this planet, and we all have one universal need and desire, and that is to be loved and to love. And to deny that for your own political expediency, I don't want to live in that column. It ain't worth it.

If Wikileaks didn't resolve that question for folks - at the end of the day, there are no secrets. We're living in a glass neighborhood, in a fishbowl, and technology, white hat hackers, the folks that are doing the right thing with hacking.

The value of an arts education is widely accepted, especially in California.

As Mayor of San Francisco, I will work hard to ensure that, in the event of natural or man-made disasters, San Franciscans are prepared and our City is protected.

The economy is not immutable; it's not about natural laws. It's about rules, and we make the rules.

People don't have to agree with me. They can say, 'My gosh, I can't believe I'm listening to this guy. I can't disagree with him more.' But at least they know that I'm going to fight for things that I believe in. And I don't need to be in formal office to do that.

The arts can play a vital role in revitalizing neighborhoods, using and improving vacant space, bringing new jobs and new sense of opportunity, and improving public safety by generating more foot traffic and more eyes on the street.

As goes California, so goes the rest of the nation.

But living in uncertain times does not mean San Franciscans must live in fear.

Accessing capital to start a business can be a daunting process, especially for entrepreneurs who start out with a great idea, but have no real familiarity with the business world.

City government can and must help San Franciscans prepare for emergencies in order to avoid tragedy where possible and minimize loss of life and property when emergencies occur.

You've got to change incentives for good behavior as opposed to just disincentivizing bad behavior.

You need to let go of your fear and anxiety of being judged by others.

Good people can disagree.

Prop 8 did something that no other state in the history of this country has done. It took away the rights of people that already were legally affirmed. Imagine someone putting something on the ballot saying your wedding, your marriage is no longer valid.

I have a very successful father-in-law and family with very different political views.

Involvement in the arts engages kids in their community, improves self-esteem, reclaims at-risk youth, and builds the creative skills that are required of a 21st century workforce.

Separate inherently is not equal. There's a reason why $45 million was spent against marriage equality. It's because people understand the word does have meaning. And equality comes when we accept the same notions and the same institutions for everyone, regardless of race and gender and regardless of sex orientation.

As Mayor, I will lead city government, businesses, and community groups to support innovative projects that will make San Francisco streets and public places vibrant and healthy.

Take responsibility. Step up and step in. Because at the end of the day, folks, we are our behaviors.

We must continue to step in and stand up to resist reckless rhetoric and actions in a peaceful and forceful manner.

San Franciscans know we live in the most beautiful city in the world, a jewel on the edge of the Golden Gate.

Street and park trees provide tremendous benefits to cities.

An arts education helps build academic skills and increase academic performance, while also providing alternative opportunities to reward the skills of children who learn differently.

San Francisco can no longer afford to be a city divided between downtown and neighborhoods, with a downtown that becomes a ghost town when workers go home for the evening.

San Francisco lags behind other communities in providing a vital, vibrant and ecologically sustainable urban canopy, as well as open space in the city.

Historically, San Franciscans have not valued street trees as much as other communities have.

Cultural tourism surveys consistently rate San Francisco's art industry as a core reason for visiting.