Valerie Jarrett

“For those that are working part time, in small businesses, or who are unemployed and do not currently have health insurance, we want to make sure that you are covered.”

“As we try to compete in this global marketplace, we need to rebuild our infrastructure. We need to rebuild our schools. We need to make sure that teachers and first responders and veterans who are coming home from serving our country so proudly have jobs waiting for them.”

“No one will be forced to take the public option. The word option means choice.”

“No child should be expelled from preschool. And so we are calling on school districts around the country to end that practice. That benefits every child.”

“I don't know how to code. I should know how to code.”

“If you're in a family unit... and the boys are having a particularly hard time, the impact on the entire family is troublesome.”

“One of the problems I have with the administration is that they're not tough enough. They are waiting for BP to say, 'Oh, we've got a new plan to stop the oil leak.' They need to stop it, contain it, clean it up.”

“The long term sustainable growth in job creation comes from the private sector. It is important that the Obama administration partner with the private sector and come up with the best possible ideas for creating jobs.”

“I just worry a lot. I'm a worrier. Michelle and Barack are really dear to me. I mean, I love them. And I don't want to see them get hurt. Just the nature of politics is hurtful. So every time they are hurt, I get hurt. It's a lot to ask of people, and it's a lot to see your friends go through. It's hard not to get emotional.”

“We have to tell the stories of the everyday Americans who are adversely impacted by these policies. That's how we were able to keep the Affordable Care Act from being repealed. People told their stories; people showed up at Town Hall.”

“I'm always trying to improve. I think I take criticism constructively.”

“Barack's mother was very important to him, but he spent a great deal of his life living in a different place. So, as all kids do, you always have a fantasy of what perfection would be. And my guess is that Michelle's childhood was his idea of perfection. It allowed him to anchor himself with her and with her family.”

“When you break glass ceilings, you're going to get minor scrapes by a shard or two from the glass.”

“Sexual orientation and gender identity are not a choice, and anyone who knows me and my work over the years knows that I am a firm believer and supporter in the rights of LGBT Americans.”

“I want spend some time continuing to be a force for good.”

“When you are in local government, you are on the ground, and you are looking into the eyes and hearts of the people you are there to serve. It teaches you to listen; it teaches you to be expansive in the people with whom you talk to, and I think that that engagement gives you political judgment.”

“To know the first lady is to love Michelle.”

“Employers who recognize the importance of investing in their workforce have a more productive workforce, a more efficient workforce, a more loyal workforce, less turnover, and, in the private sector, more profitable.”

“Working parents, working families, and expectant workers are vital members of our workforce. Ensuring their success is how we maintain our global economic advantage.”

“I didn't think I'd even know a president of the United States, let alone work in the White House. Even though my parents always said you can do whatever you want to do, I never dreamed of this kind of an opportunity.”