Diana Taylor

“I define myself first and foremost as I've had a fairly successful career.”

“Always make sure that you can support yourself and that you always have a cushion. And never, ever, depend on anyone else for money.”

“As long as you know you have enough to live on, take some risks.”

“That is something about politics - you can't take it personally.”

“I hate 'girlfriend' because it sounds so temporary. It's very junior high.”

“Central Park is the most amazing gift. It's incredible. You find new spots, new people, new friends for the dogs.”

“I work for Governor Pataki. Period. End of story. I am very loyal to him.”

“It's absolutely astounding how enterprising people are.”

“The last time I checked, the president was supposed to sit down and figure out what he wanted and then get Congress to go along with it.”

“I have never really planned anything in my life.”

“I don't know how good a principal I would be. I kind of like being the second.”

“On the board of a financial institution, especially one that took TARP money, it has changed radically because the regulators have been vocal about what they want boards to do and how involved they want boards to be in the management of a company.”

“There are not very many people who go out and vote in primaries. So to get elected in a particular district, you have to appeal to the five people who vote in the primary.”

“There is no silver bullet for poverty alleviation.”

“They're hard workers, they're really smart but they're not very good about marching into their boss's offices and saying 'I need a raise!... Women tend to have the attitude that, 'if I put my head down, I work really hard, I'll get recognized.'”

“If I were to run for something, it would be something in New York, on the executive side.”

“Growing up, I imagined I would come to New York, get married, move to the suburbs and have kids. It just didn't happen that way.”

“I never had kids because there was never anyone I wanted to have kids with.”

“One of the great things about The New York Women's Foundation is we raise money and give it in grants to small community-based organizations focused on helping women help themselves - around domestic violence, economic security, education, and sexual rights.”

“It was the first fight I had with my father. My father basically said, why are you going to business school? You're just going to get married and have kids and you won't use your degree. And it's expensive. We had a knockdown, drag-out fight, which was great. Yeah. In the driveway. My father said, 'You're on your own.'”