Top 145 Quotes & Sayings by Valerie Jarrett - Page 2

One miscalculation I made is I did not fully appreciate that the Republicans in Congress were going to just say no to everything. Even when there are ideas that have traditionally been bipartisan.

No child should be expelled from preschool. And so we are calling on school districts around the country to end that practice. That benefits every child.

Many of our advances in science and technology were seeded through government.

Some people might have different ideas about what progress looks like, and some are cynical and place their short-term political interests ahead of what is good for our country. But many of them aren't cynical and try hard to do their best.

Throughout the health-insurance reform process, we have had a frequent and consistent dialogue with the business community - small, medium, and large - to analyze and evaluate the impact that reform would have on them. It has been a very instructive and productive dialogue.

The question is, does the punishment fit the crime? So we're not saying that we shouldn't punish people. We're not talking about a society that tolerates lawlessness. We should be very tough on people who are perpetuating violent crimes, for example. But we should make sure that it's tailored and not arbitrary.

I had a very good friend who was two years older than I was, and she was in law school, and she said, 'It's a great thing to do when you have no idea what you want to do.' And she was right. I learned a lot, I practiced law for 10 years. I've never looked back once I stopped practicing law, but it was a really good experience.

That's what America's all about. Entrepreneurs who can start a business in their basement and have it grow into a global company - that's exactly what we want.

I realize that I was being the kind of parent that I thought my daughter needed. I was a good role model for her on what a working mom can do.

Equal pay, paid leave, paid sick days, workplace flexibility, and affordable childcare - everywhere I go around the United States, as I talk to working families, these are the issues they raise... We have over 43 million Americans who don't have a single day of sick leave, but everybody gets sick. Everybody's children get sick.

My theory is this: Rather than having commentaries from the cheap seats, get involved and see what you can do. What can you do around your own community, within your own family, to try to improve race relations in our country? I think this is a responsibility that we all have as citizens.

The tech community has taken the first step by recognizing that diversity is a strength and realizing that many of them have to work on their culture.

What we wouldn't want to see is just a piece of legislation on border security and high tech immigration without focusing on the path to citizenship for the 11 million people who are here, and other provisions.

A big part of our agenda is to position the United States for long-term sustainable growth and health, and those jobs come from the private sector.

I wasn't burdened by a personal history of prejudice. It's part of why I thought Barack could win.

If I take a bump or bruise along the way, that's nothing compared to the sacrifices that the women whose shoulders I stand upon made along the way.

I'm a beneficiary of an extraordinary education, and I believe that no matter where you live, the access to education is key to social mobility.

We have to tell the stories of the everyday Americans who are adversely impacted by these policies. That's how we were able to keep the Affordable Care Act from being repealed. People told their stories; people showed up at Town Hall.

I am both delighted and honored to return to the University of Chicago as a Distinguished Senior Fellow and embark on this new journey with the students, faculty, and wider Chicago community.

I didn't think I'd even know a president of the United States, let alone work in the White House. Even though my parents always said you can do whatever you want to do, I never dreamed of this kind of an opportunity.

When I finished law school, I had a 10-year plan. My plan was to go to a law firm, fall madly in love, have a baby by the time I was 30, make partner, and live happily ever after.

We wouldn't take a gun away from a law-abiding citizen. We wouldn't take a gun away from anyone.

I don't know how to code. I should know how to code.

I was very lucky - I grew up with two parents who loved each other and gave me unconditional love. They set high expectations for me, and they gave me an infinite amount of support. So I stand on their shoulders; I follow their example in every way.

What makes a lot of sense is that, while people are incarcerated, give them the tools they need to be able to have a productive, lucrative living when they leave so they can provide for their families and break that cycle of recidivism.

We do have to ask ourselves as a culture, what do we want to be? You know, what are our founding values? And if we are a society where everybody should have that fair shot and get a second chance, then we should take the necessary steps to implement that and make it a reality.

I finally said, 'I don't care if you're the first person in your family to be a lawyer.' Everybody thought what I was doing was really exciting, but it was not moving me one bit. And that's when I decided to join city government in Chicago, and that changed my life.

When you break glass ceilings, you're going to get minor scrapes by a shard or two from the glass.

You can't just shuffle people around like they're deck chairs on a ship. You have to help them change their lives, and you have to give them the requisite resources to do so.

With a rich history, a world-class interdisciplinary program, and a vibrant student experience, I can't think of a better location to continue my own lifelong learning than the University of Chicago.

When you compare the relatively modest tax that will ensue from prohibiting companies from receiving a subsidy and deducting that subsidy, the benefits dramatically outweigh the costs.

Let's figure out ways of keeping our children out of the juvenile justice system and in the classroom so that they'll thrive. Because if you're in the juvenile justice system, the chances of your going into the adult penal system are greatly increased.

The United States is a great, great country, but it's not the only country, and we can learn a great deal beyond our own shores.

I will admit that I often spend weekends after each 'House of Cards' season is released binge-watching the show for hours. But I watch it because it is entertaining, not because it reminds me of my day-to-day.

If you're in a family unit... and the boys are having a particularly hard time, the impact on the entire family is troublesome.

What keeps me up at night is worrying about the moms who depend on ACA for all of the preventive care and not to mention prenatal care, the wellness visits, and the cost of delivery.

Just because somebody says no doesn't mean that you have to listen. You can do what you think is right.

I certainly hope that we can all continue to be forces for good after leaving the White House.

By 30, I was separated from my husband, and I clearly remember sitting in my lovely office with a magnificent view, staring at a very lucrative pay stub, and bursting into tears because I was just miserable. So I had to make a decision: Keep following my plan, or be honest with myself and search for my true passion.

For me, the passions and issues I care so much about are ones that lend themselves to work whether you're in government or outside of government.

I don't want to just tell my story - I want to share the experiences, life lessons, and values that have shaped who I am and my ideas for the future.

I've had people say to me, 'Well, I enjoy going to the firing range and using the assault weapons.' But the pleasure derived from that compared to the horrendous damage that it can do, we believe that the damage warrants banning assault weapons.

When you're a member of a team, when I was member of a team, whether I ultimately agreed or disagreed, once a president makes a decision, everybody, in my opinion, has to go with that decision, or you shouldn't be a member of the team. Your reputation rises and falls with the person who's the leader of the team.

Where I underestimated the opposition was how willing Republicans in Congress would be to put their short-term political interests ahead of what they knew was good for their country. That was extremely disappointing.

My view has always been that marriage means love, and an excellent way of describing your love for another person is to make that permanent commitment.

There's a strong body of evidence that shows that the more diligent we are in ensuring that guns are in the appropriate hands, the safer our communities will be.

I know it may be hard to imagine given how broken and gridlocked our politics truly are, but from the White House to, yes, Congress, the government is filled with hard-working, idealistic public servants working incredibly hard on tough issues, trying to make people's lives better and move the country, and our world, forward.

The biggest strength we have as Democrats is encouraging people to speak up about what is in their best interest.

I had my daughter when I was pretty young, 28, and I had to sacrifice not going out with my friends, and I had to figure out how to juggle both raising her and also a very demanding job.

I want spend some time continuing to be a force for good.

Own your choices. Don't feel ashamed about what you're doing, trust yourself that you're a good parent, don't let anybody else shame you, and, certainly, don't shame yourself.

I was very heartened by Rupert Murdoch's passionate interest in immigration reform. He is an immigrant himself. He understands from a business perspective how important immigration reform would be to our economy.

I am hopeful about our future and sure that, despite our challenges, engaging our government remains essential in the journey toward perfecting our union.

Let's put in place programs to ensure that all of our children are reading by third grade.

I'm always trying to improve. I think I take criticism constructively.

If you are not diverse and you are not listening to all voices and have your ear to the ground, you're not going to make the best decisions.

Do you want to get rid of the rules of the road? Do you want to let everybody just do whatever they want to do? Or do you want to really look out for the consumer, look out for the American people, and figure out ways to create and foster an environment where companies want to double down on America?

I'm kind of old to change. But if somebody were to come to me and say, 'You know what, Valerie? I think if you were to do this it would be more helpful,' of course I would listen to that.

Companies have told us that they have employees who are near retirement age. We created a $5 billion reinsurance pool to help them bear the cost of those employees on the brink of retirement.

You can have it all, but not all at once.