I went to Wellesley College, and it was really hard for me to get a job after I graduated. I would go into places where I would not see any black people at all in Boston - like, zero. And then in publishing in New York City, it was pretty much the same. I knew that it wasn't about the value of my work.

Chirlane McCray

Labels put people in boxes, and those boxes are shaped like coffins.

Chirlane McCray

Black women do not have as many positive images in the media as we should.

Chirlane McCray

Some people are just quiet - they don't need to be talking all the time and aren't extroverted, but they're not necessarily afraid to talk. I'm not really a shy person.

Chirlane McCray

My life was very compartmentalized. I went to a school that was all white, and then I went home and to my black family.

Chirlane McCray

When you become first lady, it's like, 'O.K., now what do you do?'

Chirlane McCray

A very tiny percentage of people with mental illness are also violent. We know this. The constant linking of the two together in national media is so misleading.

Chirlane McCray

I know my husband loves me fiercely and passionately. I know he supports me and will always stand up for me.

Chirlane McCray

Finding the right person can be so hard that often, when a person finally finds someone she or he is comfortable with, she or he just makes it work.

Chirlane McCray

I'd like to be out in the city every day, listening to what people are saying and asking about what they need. I'd like to inspire others by doing as much as I can to help people who are trying to make a better life for themselves and others.

Chirlane McCray

You can be chased home or hit or called names or spit on, and it's over. You have the memory of it, but it's very different from the emotional and psychological experience of feeling invisible, of not learning the confidence to stand up in class and speak.

Chirlane McCray

I was a lifeguard, camp counselor, the president of the YMCA Leaders Corps. I also took piano lessons. I was a dancer.

Chirlane McCray

I like to go to the subway and hear what people are thinking and feeling and what their concerns are. You learn so much that way. You really do.

Chirlane McCray

I had never had a deep sense of belonging anywhere. I always felt I was an outsider.

Chirlane McCray

'Bad mother' is probably the worst thing you can say to any woman who has children.

Chirlane McCray

It's tough to be a mother. At any age. It's tough. It's a lot of work.

Chirlane McCray

I would consider running for office. But not for mayor.

Chirlane McCray

Pay equity matters because those dollars add up over time.

Chirlane McCray

It's really hard to get enough sleep, so I try to end my days by 9 P.M. so my husband and I have time to watch TV, chat, and then I like to read for at least half an hour before bed, but we have a lot of events, and there are places to go and people to talk to.

Chirlane McCray

I wish I had more time to read.

Chirlane McCray

Domestic violence is much more prevalent than people realize.

Chirlane McCray