Valerie Jarrett

“Given the daunting challenges that we face, it's important that president elect Obama is prepared to really take power and begin to rule day one.”

“We have programs that are outdated and no longer effective - we need to get rid of those programs.”

“One miscalculation I made is I did not fully appreciate that the Republicans in Congress were going to just say no to everything. Even when there are ideas that have traditionally been bipartisan.”

“When you compare the relatively modest tax that will ensue from prohibiting companies from receiving a subsidy and deducting that subsidy, the benefits dramatically outweigh the costs.”

“Let's put in place programs to ensure that all of our children are reading by third grade.”

“We have every confidence that people within the White House have behaved appropriately.”

“I realize that I was being the kind of parent that I thought my daughter needed. I was a good role model for her on what a working mom can do.”

“We wouldn't take a gun away from a law-abiding citizen. We wouldn't take a gun away from anyone.”

“The United States is a great, great country, but it's not the only country, and we can learn a great deal beyond our own shores.”

“Many of our advances in science and technology were seeded through government.”

“We don't want to get distracted by looking back; we need to move forward.”

“I will admit that I often spend weekends after each 'House of Cards' season is released binge-watching the show for hours. But I watch it because it is entertaining, not because it reminds me of my day-to-day.”

“In any given day, our administration has about 2 million employees, and things happen. We put in process procedures to make sure if there has been any wrongdoing, there will be appropriate consequences, and we will move on.”

“I wasn't burdened by a personal history of prejudice. It's part of why I thought Barack could win.”

“I saw a complete lack of courage in Washington to tackle some of our biggest challenges.”

“Every woman needs to know when she's being discriminated against and what the reasons are why she isn't getting equal pay so we can close that pay gap.”

“People are struggling. They're trying to make ends meet, and they're looking for Washington to deliver for them. And they don't feel that that's been happening as quickly as it should. We share that frustration. There's no one more frustrated than President Obama.”

“Our whole philosophy is one of transparency.”

“The last six months of the Bush administration lost four million jobs and the first six months of the Obama administration lost another four million before any initiatives of the president could take action.”

“Please be assured that as we move along through the implementation of health insurance reform, making sure that we find efficiencies within the existing system, is foremost on the President's mind.”