Stubborn isn't a word I would use to describe myself; pigheaded is more appropriate.

You must first be willing to fail — and you must have the courage to go for it anyway.

Design does matter. And not necessarily in a way that people realize. A lot of what you do, people take for granted - that a park has always been here, that a bicycle lane has always been there, that the street is safe or clean.

Nobody wants a job where they don't have authority to go along with the responsibility. Quite the contrary. The more authority you give people, the better people you can attract, and the harder they're going to work, and the more loyal they are going to be.

Well, we have to provide the world's best schools. We certainly don't have them, but that's our objective.

Nobody's going to elect me president of the United States.

Politicians generally respond to who is going to help them get elected and re-elected.