Karine Jean-Pierre

“Once I have that positive attitude, I bring that into work and try to lift up everybody around me.”

“One part of my routine is going on long runs as often as possible.”

“As we've seen over the course of the Trump administration's tenure, words can prove just as destructive as laws.”

“I was a phone canvasser, and I was terrible at it. It's really hard to ask for money, especially over the phone.”

“Every person who stays silent on Donald Trump's racism, regardless of their own race or party, is betraying not just America's communities of color, but the very ideals on which this country was founded.”

“Coming from a working-class family, not having a lot of money, it's hard to get into politics because it's known for being for young people who come from financial wealth. So, I primarily ran up credit cards.”

“We were wrong when we defined 'civility' as saying the wrong things the right way.”

“I grew up being told to keep my problems inside. And that's what I did. But so many of my problems stemmed from thinking that my family would be better off without me.”

“I will never forget working in the White House for the first Black president.”

“Many people when they file their taxes, they count on the funds that they're going to get back from their tax returns.”

“I am one of those people... where statistically I am not supposed to be where I am today, statistically that's what I was told growing up. I am not supposed to be in the space having an office in the West Wing.”

“I've had a lot of jobs and titles while working in politics. But at the end of the day, one thing has always stayed the same: I'm an activist. And as an activist, it's important to have people to look up to. Labor leader and Civil Rights activistDolores Huerta is one of those people for me.”

“What is our civic duty when our system of civics is broken? When our politics are so partisan that we put our political gains over peoples' humanity? When we put political motivation over morals? What is our duty to a system of civics that no longer serves our people, but severs them from justice?”

“We were founded on the idea that all people are created equal, and while that notion of who counts as a person - who deserves equality - has evolved over time, the point remains: America was founded as bastion of freedom, and equality. That is the America I know.”

“Rep. Lewis had every reason in the world to be bitter and to feel hate. But he didn't. Maybe because he had so much reason to hate is why he knew better than to waste his time in bitterness. He had other marching orders to attend to.”

“I was the oldest of three and there was tons of pressure on me to succeed.”

“While working on the Obama campaign as the southern political director, I had become used to long hours and the incredibly fast-paced environment where anything could change in a moment. In fact, I learned not only to put up with it, but to love it.”

“AIPAC's values are not progressive values.”

“Being the oldest of three siblings, I had to take care of my siblings while my parents were working six, seven days a week.”

“Trump wants people like me and my family to be scared. He leads out of fear, because that's what he is: fearful, of who we are and what we are capable of when we use hope and love to guide us.”