Quotes from Valerie Jarrett

Many of our advances in science and technology were seeded through government.

Own your choices. Don't feel ashamed about what you're doing, trust yourself that you're a good parent, don't let anybody else shame you, and, certainly, don't shame yourself.

I realize that I was being the kind of parent that I thought my daughter needed. I was a good role model for her on what a working mom can do.

When I finished law school, I had a 10-year plan. My plan was to go to a law firm, fall madly in love, have a baby by the time I was 30, make partner, and live happily ever after.

I still vividly remember the moment I let go of an embrace with my daughter on her college campus - that, in her opinion, probably lasted far too long. I left the most precious thing in my life in the care of an institution, and that's a very hard thing to do.

If you are not diverse and you are not listening to all voices and have your ear to the ground, you're not going to make the best decisions.

Married in 1983, separated in 1987, and divorced in 1988. Enough said.

That's what America's all about. Entrepreneurs who can start a business in their basement and have it grow into a global company - that's exactly what we want.

For me, the passions and issues I care so much about are ones that lend themselves to work whether you're in government or outside of government.

Barack's mother was very important to him, but he spent a great deal of his life living in a different place. So, as all kids do, you always have a fantasy of what perfection would be. And my guess is that Michelle's childhood was his idea of perfection. It allowed him to anchor himself with her and with her family.

My view has always been that marriage means love, and an excellent way of describing your love for another person is to make that permanent commitment.

As we try to compete in this global marketplace, we need to rebuild our infrastructure. We need to rebuild our schools. We need to make sure that teachers and first responders and veterans who are coming home from serving our country so proudly have jobs waiting for them.

But if I were to sum up who Barack Obama is and how he plans to meet this moment with one word, that word would be 'responsibility.' Responsibility to each other, our families, our communities, our country, and our world.

Life is full of trade-offs. At different phrases in your life, you're able to do certain things that you can't do at other phases. And you make choices.

Sexual orientation and gender identity are not a choice, and anyone who knows me and my work over the years knows that I am a firm believer and supporter in the rights of LGBT Americans.

Our whole philosophy is one of transparency.

I think, traditionally, when the federal government has gathered statistics, it's been done in silos, so every agency really focuses on the statistics that are important to agency.

Please be assured that as we move along through the implementation of health insurance reform, making sure that we find efficiencies within the existing system, is foremost on the President's mind.

FACT: Nothing in Obamacare forces people out of their health plans.

People are struggling. They're trying to make ends meet, and they're looking for Washington to deliver for them. And they don't feel that that's been happening as quickly as it should. We share that frustration. There's no one more frustrated than President Obama.

I don't play golf. I don't play basketball. I don't really like cards. I don't think anybody questions whether or not I have a role to play here. And so I think it is irrelevant whether the president wants to do that in some of his free time. What's really important is, when we have something to say, does he listen to us?

I don't know how to code. I should know how to code.

If I take a bump or bruise along the way, that's nothing compared to the sacrifices that the women whose shoulders I stand upon made along the way.

A big part of our agenda is to position the United States for long-term sustainable growth and health, and those jobs come from the private sector.