Part of diplomacy, the hard work of diplomacy is trying to extract whatever concessions you can get, and giving something the other side wants. Of course you've got to try to make peace with, and work with those who are your adversaries, but you don't just rush in, open the door, and say, "Here I am. Let's talk and make a deal."

Probably my worst quality is that I get very passionate about what I think is right.

Laws have to be backed up with resources and political will. And deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed.

Over the years, so many of the barriers that prevented people from getting married, crossing lines of faith or color or ethnicity have just disappeared. Because what's important is: 'Are you making a responsible decision? Have you thought it through? Do you understand the consequences?' And I think in the world that we're in today we need more of that.

I'm one of these very focused people when it comes to day-to-day work, and I'm trying not to think about what comes next so that I can stay very focused on what I'm doing now.

We have to bring communities together in order to begin working on that as a mutual goal.

We still have gaps that are rooted in gender inequality. Certainly we have discrimination against the LGBT community.