Quotes from Andrew Cuomo

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.

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

Some states are doing better than others. Some states naturally have stronger economies. So it's not as simple as saying, 'Let's go to $15.' If you do it wrong, you can hurt the very people you're trying to help.

I think naturally my orientation is from my father.

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.

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.

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

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?

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

I never thought I would be divorced.

Fear has never educated a child. Fear has never built a home.

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.

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

I'm tired of being behind this virus. We've been behind this virus from day one. We underestimated this virus. It's more powerful, it's more dangerous than we expected.

This virus is an enemy that the entire country underestimated from day one and we have paid the price dearly.

Lesson 1 from Spitzer: Don't alienate the legislature on Day 1.

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.