Quotes from Jesse White

I believe that if a person has four DUIs, I think they've had enough bites at the apple, and I think that when you go beyond that, I think that's a little bit too much.

We just believe when you have parental involvement, we are going to get a better bang for the buck, so to speak. And we also encourage parents to speak with their young people about the importance of safe driving. And also remind them, too, they cannot be distracted.

I find it reprehensible that anyone would seek to denigrate the legacy of Dr. King in any way.

The art of compromise should be always alive and well. You represent the people of your district, the people of your county, your city, your township. Make sure that you do it for the people rather than your party or issue.

I believe that the Democratic Party is a party of the people, and we have to make sure that we have good representation so that those services that the people richly need and deserve will go forward.

I'm the longest-serving secretary of state in Illinois, but I also want to go down in history as one of the best they've ever had. I will work every day toward that.

I want to encourage all parents to read to their children because it helps them to become better educated, better informed.

We try to instill a sense of fair play, a sense of honesty.

My top goal as your Secretary of State is to save lives by reducing fatal traffic crashes. When I established the Teen Driver Safety Task Force, the goal was to improve Illinois' graduated driver licensing law and, even more importantly, to save lives.

Not one has ever left my team to go join a gang.

These kids are looking for direction, for identification. Kids join gangs because they need a father figure or they want to be part of a group.

You cannot just expect a promotion to come from the sky.

You don't jump out of an airplane and stop halfway. It's all the way.

If you ask a young man from my team, 'Would you rather deal with police or with White?' they'll tell you 'police' every time.

The youngsters who live in housing projects are some of the most talented and nicest kids you'll find anywhere. But they're right on the cutting edge - they could go either way. You have to work with them, guide them, and mold them like a piece of clay.

The most influential people in my life are deceased. These include my parents, George Dunne, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., my minister in college.

Do something good for someone every day.

I was a public aid recipient for about nine years as a kid, and this time of year was always tough sledding, so I just committed myself to doing something good for someone at Thanksgiving, and especially Christmas.

I speak very quickly, even for an elected public servant. So if I fast-talk you, I'm not trying to mislead you.

When there is a mission before you, you see it from its beginning to its conclusion.

Instead of going to spring training, I went to basic training.

Dr. King used to meet me outside the basketball stadium and give me $20 bills to get by.

Some people collect coins. Some people collect rocks. Some people collect stamps. I colllect kids and hope I can do something for them.

I first met Dr. King in 1954 when I was a student at Alabama State University and a member of a local church down there. He was in town to organize a rally against public transportation. Rosa Parks had been arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man, which was illegal back then.