149 Quotes by Valerie Jarrett

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.

I vividly remember early on in my career when I was eight months pregnant, working literally around the clock, and worrying that each trip to the restroom or my need to catch the occasional catnap was causing my colleagues to question whether I could keep up.

I know it may be hard to imagine given how broken and gridlocked our politics truly are, but from the White House to, yes, Congress, the government is filled with hard-working, idealistic public servants working incredibly hard on tough issues, trying to make people's lives better and move the country, and our world, forward.

Each generation has an obligation to pick up the baton. We want young people to feel a sense of responsibility to take that baton and run with it.

Some people might have different ideas about what progress looks like, and some are cynical and place their short-term political interests ahead of what is good for our country. But many of them aren't cynical and try hard to do their best.

Throughout the health-insurance reform process, we have had a frequent and consistent dialogue with the business community - small, medium, and large - to analyze and evaluate the impact that reform would have on them. It has been a very instructive and productive dialogue.

I had a very good friend who was two years older than I was, and she was in law school, and she said, 'It's a great thing to do when you have no idea what you want to do.' And she was right. I learned a lot, I practiced law for 10 years. I've never looked back once I stopped practicing law, but it was a really good experience.

When I finished law school, I had a 10-year plan. My plan was to go to a law firm, fall madly in love, have a baby by the time I was 30, make partner, and live happily ever after.

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