Think about Kennedy. Think about Carter. Think about Clinton. Think about Obama. They've all been in their forties and from outside Washington, or underdogs in one way or another. I just think that Americans are looking everywhere, saying, 'Hey, show me some authenticity. Show me somebody who's practical. Show me people who run things.'

The questions that consume me, that keep me up at night, are the people that are sleeping on the streets.

I'll never stop listening to police officers over politicians.

We need to make sure teachers are in schools and that children have teachers.

I think our communication strategy has been very disciplined as being a back-to-basics mayor and about focusing on making City Hall work and jumpstarting our economy.

I want to be high-profile with the average Angeleno. I want to be out there holding office hours on a curb in Boyle Heights.

I have to spend my time worrying about poor families at the expense of helping businesses, or vice versa. To me, I really see that's the bridge I need to build.

It is the responsibility, I think, of anybody in elected office to look for opportunities to help serve their people.

I won't let anybody, even the most powerful person in this country, trample our values or our Constitution. And no matter who's in the White House, I am incredibly vigilant about that and will continue to fight that fight.

Withdrawing federal funds to prevent radiological or biological terrorist attack - that doesn't just hurt Los Angeles: that hurts America.

I look forward to working with the White House in areas like infrastructure, where President Trump says he wants to spend a trillion dollars. Great - we'd love to start right here in Los Angeles.

I always say, as a leader, you've got to know when to get out of the way.

The problem with the Democratic Party is, we're like, 'If we just get another presidential candidate in there, everything will be OK.' We should be focusing on school boards, city council races, state legislatures.

Mayors in any city are pretty non-partisan people where it's problem solvers.

I always thought Grover Cleveland was from Cleveland.

I'd hate to see new housing building accelerating while taking down buildings where there's 50 people living in rent-stabilized apartments.

The struggle of African Americans is everybody's struggle.

Los Angeles has all the ingredients of success... but we need to start with our education system.

Tax cuts that actually go to working-class, middle-class people, I'm not opposed to.

Cities are those laboratories of democracy that states used to be.

My wife and I are foster parents.

I'm pretty skinny, and I can sleep at the drop of a hat. So, take that middle seat in economy and save the money for other things you can do.

L.A. is a great city to get lost in. The best thing to do is to drive in any direction, find a strip mall, and go from one store to the next. I guarantee you will see a collision of cultures you never imagined.

I have an incredible compass. You can put me back in a country I haven't been in 20 years and say, 'Get me from point A to point B,' and I'll take you there.