Sometimes New York politicians are witty; sometimes they’re wise. And sometimes well…they say things like this.
“I haven’t committed a crime. What I did was fail to comply with the law.”
—David Dinkins, after being accused of not paying taxes
“It’s no fun to protest on an empty stomach.
—Michael Bloomberg
“My truest disability has been my ability to overcome my physical disability.”
—David Paterson
“Freedom is about authority. Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do.”
—Rudy Giuliani
“We don’t windsurf in Harlem.”
—Charlie Rangel
“Life is indeed precious, and I believe the death penalty helps affirm this fact.”
—Ed Koch
“I’ve said that I’m not running [for president] and I’m having a great time being pres…being a first-term senator.”
—Hillary Clinton, 2004
“Get action. Seize the moment. Man was never intended to become an oyster.”
—Theodore Roosevelt
“I’m thinking about governing as the governor of this state, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
—George Pataki
“Not only is New York City the nation’s melting pot, it is also the casserole, the chafing dish, and the charcoal grill.
—John Lindsay
“And still the question, ‘What shall be done with our ex-Presidents?’ is not laid at rest, and I sometimes think [journalist Henry] Watterson’s solution of it, ‘Take them out and shoot them,’ is worthy of attention.”
—Grover Cleveland