Andrew Cuomo Quotes & Sayings

#1. The need to understand prescription information can literally be a matter of life and death.

#2. I think naturally my orientation is from my father.

#3. 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.

Andrew Cuomo

#4. There are 10,000 local governments in the state of New York. Ten thousand! Town, village, lighting district, water district, sewer district, a special district to count the other districts in case you missed a district.

Andrew Cuomo

#5. I'm going to change everything you believe about HUD.

Andrew Cuomo

#6. I'm very big on focus.

Andrew Cuomo

#7. I'm not going to raise taxes; I'm not going to have a wage increase for public employees.

Andrew Cuomo

#8. Lesson from Pataki's success is: Use the political moment.

Andrew Cuomo

#9. I think there's a lot to learn from Rockefeller on how to pass legislation.

Andrew Cuomo

#10. I don't know people who don't say, boy the government is working better now.

Andrew Cuomo

#11. Marriage equality changed life for people.

Andrew Cuomo

#12. I'm in politics. I'm in government, so nothing surprises me.

Andrew Cuomo

#13. I worked in the Clinton administration.

Andrew Cuomo

#14. 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?

Andrew Cuomo

#15. I don't think anyone would argue with the notion that there have been serious abuses on Wall Street.

Andrew Cuomo

#16. A governor can be a very good friend to people. A governor can be a formidable force.

Andrew Cuomo

#17. Anyone who says there is not a change in weather patterns is denying reality.

Andrew Cuomo

#18. 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.

Andrew Cuomo

#19. 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.

Andrew Cuomo

#20. It's troubling for me as a Catholic to be at odds with the church.

Andrew Cuomo

#21. I'm governor of New York.

Andrew Cuomo

#22. I was elected to come to an incredibly dysfunctional capital and make the government work better, and that's what I'm doing.

Andrew Cuomo

#23. To be clear ... no one is above the law.

Andrew Cuomo

#24. I'm not going to allow myself to be pushed politically.

Andrew Cuomo

#25. You can be a lender who wants to compete and have a better product, but you just can't get to the students. The schools are controlling the access to the students.

Andrew Cuomo

#26. Once you start saying, 'Let's talk political, my own politics, my own aspirations,' it can become not just distracting in that it takes time, but it can become confusing and frustrating, and is this now a political agenda or a governmental agenda.

Andrew Cuomo

#27. There is energy and power in a crisis.

Andrew Cuomo

#28. I believe public education is the new civil rights battle and I support charter schools.

Andrew Cuomo

#29. I have a portrait of Saint Thomas More in my office.

Andrew Cuomo

#30. I never thought I would be divorced.

Andrew Cuomo

#31. The essential job of government is to facilitate, not frustrate, job development.

Andrew Cuomo

#32. I haven't lost my head yet.

Andrew Cuomo

#33. I am against the death penalty.

Andrew Cuomo

#34. If I weren't doing the politics, I wouldn't be doing my job.

Andrew Cuomo

#35. I'm running for governor; I'm not running for a legislative office.

Andrew Cuomo

#36. I believe women still face a glass ceiling that must be shattered.

Andrew Cuomo

#37. I'm a Queens boy at the end of the day.

Andrew Cuomo

#38. 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.

Andrew Cuomo

#39. The other states look to New York for the progressive direction.

Andrew Cuomo

#40. Very few people go into politics to be reviled.

Andrew Cuomo

#41. We need marriage equality in every state in this nation. Otherwise, no state really has marriage equality, and we will not rest until it is a reality.

Andrew Cuomo

#42. People go into politics because they want the affirmation, and they want the applause.

Andrew Cuomo

#43. It's time for the people of the Empire State to strike back.

Andrew Cuomo

#44. I respect the state workers and I respect their unions, but we simply can't afford to pay benefits and pensions that are out of line with economic reality.

Andrew Cuomo

#45. There's a rhythm to the legislative session and there are rhythms to legislative sessions. So I think that's very important to take into consideration when you are deciding what to do when.

Andrew Cuomo

#46. Flooding damage is not customary for New York, especially downstate.

Andrew Cuomo

#47. I believe global warming and climate change are real threats to our planet.

Andrew Cuomo

#48. I am the government.

Andrew Cuomo

#49. I'm sort of the Antichrist to the Conservative Party.

Andrew Cuomo

#50. There was never a war on poverty. Maybe there was a skirmish on poverty.

Andrew Cuomo

#51. There's no such thing as a 100-year flood.

Andrew Cuomo

#52. I don't think bonuses are always bad.

Andrew Cuomo

#53. Too often government responds to the whispers of lobbyists before the cries of the people.

Andrew Cuomo

#54. My father was against the death penalty, and that was hard in the Son of Sam summer when fear was driving the desire for the death penalty.

Andrew Cuomo

#55. When you try to communicate too many ideas, sometimes you wind up communicating nothing.

Andrew Cuomo

#56. You know, you cut taxes for the rich sometimes and it sits in a bank account. You cut taxes for the middle class, they will spend the money.

Andrew Cuomo

#57. 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.

Andrew Cuomo

#58. 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.

Andrew Cuomo

#59. Politicians are good listeners. Because if they're not, they aren't politicians for very long.

Andrew Cuomo

#60. What made Manhattan Manhattan was the underground infrastructure, that engineering marvel.

Andrew Cuomo

#61. If I'm breathing in 2016, I'll be happy.

Andrew Cuomo

#62. There is also something called the Legislature. There is something called the press. There is something called people. These are all different players on the stage.

Andrew Cuomo

#63. Whether you voted for me or not, going through the Democratic process had made me a better candidate. I am a smarter, better candidate.

Andrew Cuomo

#64. I believe Wall Street needs serious ongoing regulation.

Andrew Cuomo

#65. I did experiment with marijuana when I was a youth.

Andrew Cuomo

#66. I'm a harsh critic of the status quo.

Andrew Cuomo

#67. I believe discrimination still exists in society and we must fight it in every form.

Andrew Cuomo

#68. As my Sicilian grandfather used to say, you get more flies with honey than with vinegar, right?

Andrew Cuomo

#69. People who assume I want to run for elected office may be dealing from a bad assumption.

Andrew Cuomo

#70. I've been not only articulating the dissatisfaction with Albany, I've been acting on it. I've been very aggressive in bringing public integrity cases and public corruption cases and bringing cases against sitting legislators.

Andrew Cuomo

#71. 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.

Andrew Cuomo