Rahm Emanuel

“Chicago is the great American city, and it is one of the things that makes our country special.”

“We can't let another generation of young people be lost to the streets.”

“I don't want to be official in Washington. I'm a Chicago guy.”

“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.”

“You can't be a mayor and not be optimistic.”

“A budget is a moral document.”

“In the end, you're measured not by how much you undertake but by what you finally accomplish.”

“Parents are the first and most important teachers.”

“The American people want us to stop shouting at each other, and they're right. That's what they elected us to do.”

“I believe that the arts are not a luxury, but a necessity.”

“Rule one: Never allow a crisis to go to waste. They are opportunities to do big things.”

“I wake up some mornings and sit and have my coffee and look out at my garden, and I get quiet. And a silent joke comes to me: 'I am not my thoughts.'”

“There's a level of rage in the country that's not healthy.”

“Axelrod is a dreamer. I'm a doer.”