Jesse White

“George Dunne stuck his neck out for me in the '70s, when it wasn't a very popular thing to do.”

“I was a public aid recipient for about nine years as a kid, and this time of year was always tough sledding, so I just committed myself to doing something good for someone at Thanksgiving, and especially Christmas.”

“You cannot just expect a promotion to come from the sky.”

“I just thank the people who took part in our graduated drivers task force, who came with their thoughts and ideas as to how we can best keep our roads safe, and it has paid off.”

“I remember when we were called 'colored,' and Dr. King would always tell young people not to get upset at what people called you. He said if it is not the name your mother gave you, then smile, keep walking, and that's exactly what we did.”

“This is a great country, and it's a melting pot. People shouldn't judge other people by the color of their skin, their church, or the area where they reside.”

“I find it reprehensible that anyone would seek to denigrate the legacy of Dr. King in any way.”

“There are some basic rules if they want to join the tumbling team. No drinking, no smoking, no swearing, no drugs and, most of all, no belonging to a gang. I read the riot act to them the minute they want to join. I tell them there's only one gang they can belong to if they want to be with me and that's Jesse White's gang.”

“The youngsters who live in housing projects are some of the most talented and nicest kids you'll find anywhere. But they're right on the cutting edge - they could go either way. You have to work with them, guide them, and mold them like a piece of clay.”

“My top goal as your Secretary of State is to save lives by reducing fatal traffic crashes. When I established the Teen Driver Safety Task Force, the goal was to improve Illinois' graduated driver licensing law and, even more importantly, to save lives.”

“I never traced my roots, man. I only know that I'm a brother with a big heart - and that somebody brought my roots over here by way of boat.”

“We try to instill a sense of fair play, a sense of honesty.”

“You don't jump out of an airplane and stop halfway. It's all the way.”

“You cannot imagine how many people called, how many letters, how many emails. Every place I go, people ask me, 'Please, don't quit.'”

“I've never looked down on anyone who uses the system, but I believe that it's a temporary station in life and that we should all work toward getting off it. And once we get off it, we should pay back to that system.”

“When you give young people an opportunity to use their time wisely, we support them, and when we do that, we support ourselves.”

“After being away at college and in the Army, I never considered living anywhere else. I loved Chicago then, and I love Chicago now.”

“I speak very quickly, even for an elected public servant. So if I fast-talk you, I'm not trying to mislead you.”

“I'm the longest-serving secretary of state in Illinois, but I also want to go down in history as one of the best they've ever had. I will work every day toward that.”

“There are a lot of young people out there who need to start using their idle time in a positive way. Parents need to play an important role in making sure their children succeed in school.”