Eric Adams

“The food we call soul food is slave food. We were forced to eat it.”

“If you committed a serious crime, you should not be allowed to own a gun.”

“The question was never whether stop, question and frisk should be allowed; it was how it should be done. Those who claimed it should be outlawed entirely reduced a nuanced issue to an either-or argument, and unwisely answered it with a blanket ban.”

“In school, we learn that we don't yell out, we wait. You raise your hand and wait for your chance.”

“We have to root out the weeds of hate and ensure it doesn't choke away the healthy flowers of diversity in our borough, city, and state.”

“I went from a D student to the dean's list.”

“I was beaten by police and sat in their precinct holding cell, certain that my future was already decided. And now I will be the person in charge of that precinct, and every other precinct, because I'm going to be the mayor of the City of New York.”

“Police have two rights that even the president does not have, the right to take liberty and to take life. Those are dear to America. And we must ensure that the highest level of scrutiny and standard goes to anyone who is given that right.”

“One day mom sat down and says, 'I'm moving my children to Queens. There was this quiet in the room and then everyone burst out laughing. Moving to Queens for us was like moving to Mars. It was like breaking out of poverty, the ultimate in luxury.”

“As an early advocate for neighborhood policing, I've been heartened to see the tangible impact of police officers spending less time in their station houses and more time on our street corners, developing collaborative relationships with residents and businesses that help us fight and deter crime.”

“Computer science education is important.”

“Our neighbors who have fallen on hard times can use basic sanitary items, such as soap, socks and undergarments; when we go shopping for ourselves, how about adding an extra item for someone in need?”

“This is not a socialist country; let's be clear on that. This is a country that believes: give people the opportunities and they will be able to exceed and excel in this country. And I believe in that is because that's what I saw in my personal journey and the journey of so many people who come to this country.”

“The real repercussions of a permanent criminal record - some lose their jobs, their housing, even their families - can go far beyond the primary policing objective.”

“There's absolutely no reason why we should continue poisoning our children's health with processed foods.”

“The best progressive policies are constructed by learning from past experiences while striving toward a more equitable future.”

“As an 18-year-old, I learned a valuable lesson when I attempted to cut costs and pumped leaded gas into my first car - a car that required unleaded gas only. It did not take long before I realized the gravity of my error.”

“During the debates for mayor, I was continually pressed on my position on the policing procedure known as 'stop and frisk' - which is actually in law enforcement known as 'stop, question and frisk' - and why I believed that, if used properly, it could reduce crime without infringing on personal liberties and human rights.”

“If we want to get diabetes under control, we have to get our diets under control.”

“We can save more lives with plant-based diet if people would only realize they are enslaved to fats, oil, sugar and things that are killing their body.”