A leader is someone who steps back from the entire system and tries to build a more collaborative, more innovative system that will work over the long term.

The path to success used to be up and through an organization. Now the path to success is increasingly through self-promotion.

Standing up to bullies is the hallmark of a civilized society.

To be a skilled politician, you have to be genuine. To really make it work, you have to love people. You have to love the contact, you have to love the energy, you've gotta love inspiring people and getting their adulation in return. You can't separate what's genuine from what is necessary.

There are party leaders, big corporation, Wall Street. There are very wealthy individuals who kind of represent where the Democratic Party, the official Democratic Party was and to some extent still is.

Cynicism is the last refuge of those who don't want to do the work of creating a better society.

Socialism for rich bankers and capitalism for everyone else.