Fear is a powerful weapon. It can excite and motivate, and it can get people to yell and to scream. But fear has never created a job.
Andrew Cuomo
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.
I'm sort of the Antichrist to the Conservative Party.
You don't build walls; you build bridges between people.
As my Sicilian grandfather used to say, you get more flies with honey than with vinegar, right?
I am the government.
I believe discrimination still exists in society and we must fight it in every form.
A governor can be a very good friend to people. A governor can be a formidable force.
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.
Let's help each other. New York, because New York is first. And then after New York, and after the curve breaks in New York, let's all rush to whoever's second. And then let's all rush to whoever's third. And let's learn from each other and help each other.
I believe women still face a glass ceiling that must be shattered.
Very few people go into politics to be reviled.
There was never a war on poverty. Maybe there was a skirmish on poverty.
I believe global warming and climate change are real threats to our planet.
I don't think bonuses are always bad.
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.
If you go from $7 to $15 in a very short period of time, potentially that could have a negative effect on some economies because that is a very big jump. And you're saying to businesses that employ a large number of minimum wage workers, your payroll is basically going to double. That could have a negative impact. It would have to be studied.
The essential job of government is to facilitate, not frustrate, job development.
Too often government responds to the whispers of lobbyists before the cries of the people.
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.
When you try to communicate too many ideas, sometimes you wind up communicating nothing.
During Hurricane Sandy, we expended billions and billions of dollars, literally. In the handling of the emergency and the construction and the aftermath, trying to get people to come back to the affected communities. So I'm very proud of what the state did.
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.
ISIL is saying to a disenfranchised population, 'Come join us. Fight the good fight.' I think we're actually playing into it when they hear Trump's rhetoric. And I think it's dangerous and hurtful as a matter of national policy.
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 believe public education is the new civil rights battle and I support charter schools.
I don't think anyone would argue with the notion that there have been serious abuses on Wall Street.
I'm very big on focus.
If I weren't doing the politics, I wouldn't be doing my job.
If I get sued for keeping people safe and getting people in from the cold because they were endangering themselves, then so be it.
There's no such thing as a 100-year flood.
I'm tired of being behind this virus. We've been behind this virus from day one. We underestimated this virus. It's more powerful, it's more dangerous than we expected.
There is energy and power in a crisis.
Lesson 1 from Spitzer: Don't alienate the legislature on Day 1.
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.
We have a system of jurisprudence. You are innocent until proven guilty. You have a right to counsel. And you have a right to hospitalization if you are ill. That is our system. And it's what makes this country special and what makes this country great.
I'm governor of New York.
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?
Anyone who says there is not a change in weather patterns is denying reality.
I'm a Queens boy at the end of the day.
I'm in politics. I'm in government, so nothing surprises me.
It's time for the people of the Empire State to strike back.
It's troubling for me as a Catholic to be at odds with the church.
I believe it is actually fomenting the growth of ISIL; Donald Trump could be a recruitment poster for ISIL because he is fanning the flames of hate.
This virus is an enemy that the entire country underestimated from day one and we have paid the price dearly.
I have a portrait of Saint Thomas More in my office.
Flooding damage is not customary for New York, especially downstate.
You add one million citizens to the voting rolls in this state, that's a significant, significant difference. You do that nationwide, it's a significant difference.
I haven't lost my head yet.
Whether you voted for me or not, going through the Democratic process had made me a better candidate. I am a smarter, better candidate.