Kamala Harris quotes: on productivity, patriotism, politics and more.
“You don’t have to be famous to be a role model. Identify issues you’re passionate about. Seek out your own role models, like a teacher or a family friend. Then, take a deep breath and get to work.”
“We celebrate success. We don’t want to penalize those who have done well.”
“If anyone ever gets in your way and tells you to not follow your dreams – be it because of your age, gender, what you look like or where you come from – don’t listen. Do not be burdened by what has been when you can create what should be.”
“I believe you’ve got to do your due diligence.”
“Everybody will make mistakes.”
“As Robert Kennedy many years ago said, ‘Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.'”
“Surround yourself with really good friends. Have people around you who cheer you on, and applaud you, and support you, and are honest with you, and tell you, you know, when your breath stinks.”
“I was raised in a way that one does not talk about themselves or their feelings. One is expected to do good work, but it’s not about you, it’s not about your feelings. It’s about the thing that needs to get done.”
“Do not live in fear.”
“I have a difficult time sitting down for long periods.”
“In order to find balance, I feel very strongly about two things in particular in terms of routine. Work out, and eat well.”
“Everyone’s perspective of themselves and others is based on the limitations of their exposure.”
“You have to see and smell and feel the circumstances of people to really understand them.”
“I am so superstitious. I am truly focused on what I am doing. So many people who are focused on that thing over there, that they trip over the thing over here. It’s not worth it.”
“My mother was and will always remain my greatest hero.”
“A family looks for ways to support and inspire one another. A family shares hardships and a connected history.”
“I remember when my mother, Shyamala Harris, bought our first home. I was 13. She was so proud, and my sister and I were so excited. Millions of Americans know that feeling of walking through the front door of their own home for the first time – the feeling of reaching for opportunity and finding it.”
“I was raised to be an independent woman, not the victim of anything.”
“I’ve had the good fortune and blessing to run for the offices for which I really wanted to do the work.”
“My work is so much a part of me. I think about my job all the time, not in a way that is burdensome but in a way that asks, ‘How can I do good?’ I’m also blessed to do work that I really enjoy doing.”
“Running for office is similar to being a trial lawyer in a very long trial. It requires adrenaline and stamina; it requires being in shape mentally and emotionally. It’s a marathon.”
“I’m a career prosecutor. I have been trained, and my experience over decades, is to make decisions after a review of the evidence and the facts. And not to jump up with grand gestures before I’ve done that. Some might interpret that as being cautious. I would tell you that’s just responsible.”
“People who work for me know that family comes first. And I’m fortunate to have a family that is very supportive of the work I do, so I don’t have to live two separate lives.”
“My mother had a saying: ‘Kamala, you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you’re not the last.'”
“What’s important for my daughter to know is that… if you are fortunate to have opportunity, it is your duty to make sure other people have those opportunities as well.”
“There is a lot of work to be done to make sure our leaders reflect the people they are supposed to represent. The more diverse a group of decision makers is, the more informed the decision will be. Until we achieve full representation, we all should understand we are falling short of the ideals of our country.”
“Don’t pretend that you can just be oblivious to politics. You can’t. What you never do is break your personal code. Have a code and keep it. You should never compromise what your priorities are.”
“In every work environment, there will be politics. If you really want to rise to the top, you need to figure out what those politics in your workplace are. Then, you hook it in. You decide what conforms and what does not conform to your personal code.”
“I certainly do believe that life is short enough that you should get things done. I love my work. I feel challenged by it. I feel it is important work. I have seen through the course of my professional life that if you focus on it in a certain way, you can get things done, you can make a huge impact on the lives of other people. People you’ll never meet by the way. People who will not necessarily ever know your name and that drives me. That certainly drives me.”
“When we lift up the women of our country, we lift up the children of our country. We lift up the families of our country. And the whole of society benefits.”
“The truth is that the vast majority of Americans are good, fair, and just, and they want their country to reflect those ideals.”
“The American dream belongs to all of us.”
“It’s up to us. Each and every one of us. So let’s remember in this fight we have the power of the people. We can achieve the dreams of our parents and grandparents. We can heal our nation. We can give our children the future they deserve. We can reclaim the American Dream for every single person in our country. We can restore America’s moral leadership on this planet. So let’s do this. And let’s do it together. And let’s start now.”
“I am who I am. I’m good with it. You might need to figure it out, but I’m fine with it.”
“I’m one of the luckiest people on Earth.”
“Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.”
Related: Hillary Clinton quotes.
