Gavin Newsom

“Guys like me don't necessarily progress very far, which is fine.”

“If, in this country, a simple majority of people can start stripping away the rights of a protected class in the minority, that's a pretty alarming thing.”

“If you distill the essence of everything, what life is about, every single one of us is given a short moment in time on this planet, and we all have one universal need and desire, and that is to be loved and to love. And to deny that for your own political expediency, I don't want to live in that column. It ain't worth it.”

“The kind of cynical politics of divide and conquer, that's shameful stuff, and I don't know - people live their life like that, but I don't know how they look back and feel good about themselves.”

“Sometimes I will make CliffsNotes of my CliffsNotes.”

“Historically, San Franciscans have not valued street trees as much as other communities have.”

“I'm much more optimistic about this next generation because this is the first global generation.”

“The people that are serving you gas, the people that are in your restaurants serving you, the firefighters, and police officers are members of the gay and lesbian community. They're members of our broader community.”

“A mistake that a lot of us have made, related to those who advocate for gun safety legislation, is that we try to process it through our legislative bodies, and that's where the NRA's strength lies.”

“City government can and must help San Franciscans prepare for emergencies in order to avoid tragedy where possible and minimize loss of life and property when emergencies occur.”

“There was a lot of hype about social media in President Obama's first campaign. It was important, but it wasn't as important as I think people let on.”

“I'm really more of an executive.”

“Do I support a driver's license for everybody? The answer is yes.”

“People always thought I'd never get elected outside San Francisco; I was always more worried that I'd never get elected again inside San Francisco.”

“As goes California, so goes the rest of the nation.”

“One of the defining dynamics of 2008 has been the emerging wave of new, young voters getting involved and storming the gates of the traditional political establishment.”

“At the end of the day, there's not a day that goes by without a mass shooting.”

“I made bad decisions. That being said - the question is, does the public care about that?”

“As Mayor of San Francisco, I will work hard to ensure that, in the event of natural or man-made disasters, San Franciscans are prepared and our City is protected.”

“Good people can disagree.”