Quotes from Janet Reno

Until the day I die, or until the day I can't think anymore, I want to be involved in the issues that I care about.

I just try to do my best and make the best judgments I can.

I think lawyers who engage in pro bono service to protect those who cannot help themselves are truly the heroes and the heroines of the legal profession.

I didn't like the Feds coming to town when I was in Miami, telling me what to do. I didn't like them coming to town and thinking that they knew more about Miami than I do.

We've got to understand that the ages of zero to three are the most formative years of a person's life, the time they learn the concept of reward and punishment and develop a conscience, and that 50 percent of all learned human response is learned in the first year of life.

U.S. attorneys have taught me a lot over the years, and in the Southern district of Florida, they have been to me partners.

The Department of Justice is committed to asking one central question of everything we do: What is the right thing to do? Now that can produce debate, and I want it to be spirited debate. I want the lawyers of America to be able to call me and tell me: Janet, have you lost your mind?

I love lawyers. And I like to talk to lawyers, and I like to engage in a spirited discussion with lawyers.

There are those who profess to support law enforcement but who have attempted to undermine the efforts of hard-working officers who make difficult decisions.

Under a death penalty statute that is going to stand up to constitutional muster, you look at the aggravating circumstances and the mitigating circumstances.

I'm just an old maid with an attraction to men.

I'm interested in elder justice and what we can do about elder abuse and neglect.

America, in all its institutions, whether it be the family or government, has forgotten and neglected its children.

Though the Attorney General of the United States carries many responsibilities and undertakes many tasks, there can be none more important than the pursuit of civil rights on behalf of all the people of this country.

I was personally opposed to the death penalty, and yet I think I have probably asked for the death penalty more than most people in the United States.

We've got to look to our educational programs and focus on doing what we can to stem violence in the schools.

Too many Americans mistrust their government. And unnecessary government secrecy feeds this mistrust.

There may sometimes be a mistake, but I think that the citizens of America who are sworn to uphold their duty in a jury setting are going to try to do their best to do that regardless of the consequences.

Stereotypes should never influence policy or public opinion.

We must try to understand the true weight of law enforcement officers' burdens.

I hope I will be a good Attorney General, but one of the things that will be as important to me is to know that I made a commitment to my family and honored it, a commitment that has been repaid 10,000 times over.

Diversity is valued, and it is prized. We learn to appreciate each other and each other's struggles. From diversity, we draw our enormous and our lasting strength.

While service in the Department of Justice is itself one of the highest forms of public service, the Department further strides to increase access to justice for all and to strengthen our communities.

It was not the president's responsibility to run a law enforcement operation. It was ours.