American - Politician | December 12, 1924 - February 1, 2013
Twelve years ago, if someone attacked me, I wouldn't let them get away with it. I'd take them on. I now perceive my job to include allowing people to vent their rage.
Ed Koch
JobPeopleMeSomeoneNowRage
It's a lot more fun being a critic than being the one criticized.
FunMoreCriticBeingThanLot
My brain is good, but my body is deteriorating. I probably have another two or three years. Or I can pass tomorrow, but it doesn't make a difference to me.
GoodTomorrowMeBrainBodyI Can
I think I have a very good reputation amongst the gay population and among the whole country because I stood up on the issue of gay rights. It is not easy to stand up on that issue when you are single and male in New York City. I did it anyway.
GoodNew YorkCityStand UpThink
How'm I doing?
Doing
There's a nastiness out there that wants to harm me with words. These are my enemies - the ideologues, the populists, the columnists who don't like the fact that I take them on toe-to-toe. What I try to do is tell the truth. It's not the coin of the realm in politics.
TruthPoliticsWordsMeTryCoin
I injured myself politically when I took on Jesse Jackson' in the 1988 presidential campaign. I was too strident. I didn't recognize the emotional tie that he had with all black voters.
MyselfBlackEmotionalTieHeTook
You want me to tell me the truth or do you want me to stroke you?
TruthMeYouWantTellStroke
God gave me a very good hand to play over my 88 years. I have no regrets.
GoodGodMePlayHandNo Regrets
I enjoyed my stay in the Congress. Most people do not. And too many people who have been elected really don't understand the nature of government.
NatureGovernmentPeopleUnderstand
When I came in, the city was on the edge of bankruptcy. I'm proud of what I did. I built the foundation that mayors after me built upon - particularly Bloomberg. But the foundation was essential because if it hadn't occurred, we would have been another Detroit.
CityMeProudFoundationEdgeBeen
I was drafted into the Army when I was 19 and came out at age 22. Most people that I knew didn't think they'd come home alive. I didn't think I would either, so I was happy when I did.
HomeAgeHappyPeopleThinkArmy
Copyright © 2024 QuotesDict Ed Koch quotes