People want a grounded government. They want a government that's going to be responsible to them.

I see a New York where people who are down on their luck can get back on the road to responsibility, a job and dignity.

I think the media has been in denial just like the party regulars have been in denial. They just don't understand that the government that we have today is not what the people want as a government.

We're going to restructure the state government into a government that's responsive to the needs of New York state taxpayers.

I believe in the American Dream because I have lived the American Dream.

I see a New York that is once again the empire state.

If you're a citizen of the State of New York, your kid has as much a right as another kid to an education, and the best education. The money should be distributed equally to all.

Don't misquote me as wanting to hurt homosexual people in any way. That would be a dastardly lie.

I have a great sensitivity to kids. I have a great sensitivity to the people that fall between the cracks.

THESE ARE BEAUTIFUL PROPERTIES with basketball courts, bathroom facilities, toilet facilities. Many young people would love to get the hell out of cities

I'm a very spontaneous person. If someone aggravates me, I'm going to go after them. I wake up every morning, and I say, 'What bad guys should I go after today?'

She got on with her education. In her opinion, school kept on trying to interfere with it.

Even prisoners can escape if they have books.

I thought I was attractive when I shot 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding.' Studio executives and movie reviewers let me know I had a confidence in my looks that was not shared by them.

From naive simplicity we arrive at more profound simplicity.

I think my life has everything, you know; it has comedy, has drama, has action.

You write the script, and then you just go over it 400 times and make all the jokes better. It really is true. That's essentially the way it works.

The point of books is to combat loneliness.

On the murder of New York deli owner Abe Lebewohl: It's almost like wiping out Carnegie Hall. A sandwich to a Jew is just as important as a country to a Gentile.

I want to become a very good writer.

I always tell my clients to be tough, to be strong. Never weaken yourself. I believe God favors only strong persons.