David Dinkins's Quotes

We have not always agreed, but I have said repeatedly and publicly many times that Al Sharpton has never counseled violence, but he gets blamed for a whole lot of that.

Well, I'm not sure, but of one thing I am certain: History judges one differently than contemporary observers, and so I think that as time passes, I hope that not me personally so much, but our administration will be seen for some of the things that we accomplished.

Some of us claim that New York City is the capital of the country, indeed the capital of the world. Now, that may be a bit much for those who don't come from New York, but clearly we are an important city for reasons of our cultural advantages.

And I tell people I'm in charge of children, children I haven't even met yet.

And, as a matter of fact, I am the chairman of the Amadou Diallo Foundation.

As a matter of fact, even when I finished law school, I had no notion of public service then.

But I make the observation that no one of us would do things exactly alike.

But the courts have dismissed the lawsuits against me and Lee Brown.

I finished law school in '56, but I was working two jobs.

I haven't committed a crime. What I did was fail to comply with the law.

I love children, and most of my involvement now has to do with children or youth programs.

I went to Israel when the missiles were falling there.

In 1975 I was among a group of blacks who formed the Black Americans in Support of Israel Committee.

My mother came here to New York. She and my grandmother were domestics, cooking, cleaning for other people.

The people really are what make New York City great.

There is no point in me worrying about what Bloomberg or Badillo will do.

This is about these particular candidates in this particular year. That's what motivates me.

Well, I think I am a very, very lucky person. I'm very fortunate.

Well, I was about six or seven, and my mother and father separated.

You can't twist Al Sharpton's arm.