Michael Bloomberg quotes

Michael Bloomberg is an American businessman, politician, and philanthropist, best known as the founder of Bloomberg L.P. He served three terms as the mayor of New York City and is recognized for his impact on business, media, and urban governance. He continues to be an influential public figure and advocate for global causes such as climate change and public health. Here are 140 of his quotes:

We've shown the world that New York can never be defeated, because of its dynamic and diverse population and because it embodies the spirit of enterprise and the love of liberty. And because no matter who you are, if you believe in yourself and your dream, New York will always be the place for you.

Michael Bloomberg

There will be ups, there will be downs, there will be sideways. I can just tell you I have been hired, I have been fired, I have been lauded, I have been vilified. I've said some of the most brilliant things that just by accident appeared on my tongue, and I've said some of the dumbest things that you could imagine. But each day - even the day that I knew I was going to be fired - I looked forward to because I've always believed that tomorrow was going to be the best day of my life.

Michael Bloomberg

...[W]e're paying more for the privilege of getting sick and dying early. Once again, it makes no sense. And once again, no one in Washington is talking about how to fix it.

Michael Bloomberg

When you go to Washington now, you can feel a sense of fear in the air – the fear to do anything, or say anything, that might affect the polls, or give the other side an advantage, or offend a special interest.

Michael Bloomberg

In 1975, Congress passed a law requiring fuel efficiency standards to double over 10 years, with incremental targets that auto manufacturers were required to meet. That was the responsible approach, and it worked. But since 1985, we've done nothing - even as technology has moved at light speed.

Michael Bloomberg

Any friend of fossil is a friend of mine. ... We've got to do everything we can to get people out of their automobiles and into mass transit.

Michael Bloomberg

Progress is not inevitable. It's up to us to create it.

Michael Bloomberg

I know that many Irish-born New Yorkers are caught in the trap of our federal immigration policies. If we are going to continue to attract the best and the brightest - and Ireland has more than its fair share - we need to inject some common sense into our immigration laws, and I'm doing my best to make that case in Washington.

Michael Bloomberg

Most gun dealers follow the law and run honest businesses. But the statistics show that 1 percent of dealers sell more than half of all illegal guns. Why isn't the federal government going after them? Here's one reason: unlike mayors, members of Congress don't get a phone call in the middle of the night when a cop is shot and killed. They don't deliver the eulogies.

Michael Bloomberg

The press really is not doing its job of holding [the candidates'] feet to the fire. ... The tough questions are not what are you in favor of, but how are you going to get it through Congress?

Michael Bloomberg

We all know that election reform takes time. That's because those who have benefited from the system are the ones who fight hardest to preserve it. So if we're going to succeed, we need an independent coalition of citizens who believe in reform, who believe that our election laws should treat every voter equally, who believe that low levels of competition and participation are not healthy for democracy. The Independence Party is helping to build that coalition and I am happy to join you in doing so.

Michael Bloomberg

When you come in to court as a plaintiff or as a defendant, it is terribly important that you look up at the bench and feel that that person represents you and will understand you, that that person is reflective of our community and of our society.

Michael Bloomberg

No place epitomizes the American experience and the American spirit more than New York City.

Michael Bloomberg

Government by three men in a room has turned New York State into a national symbol of governmental dysfunction. Enough is enough!

Michael Bloomberg

Even though New York is the safest big city in the nation, there are still far too many illegal guns on our streets. Nearly all of them arrive from out of state – and most are sold by a small group of rogue gun dealers who refuse to obey federal laws.

Michael Bloomberg

Leading from the front: It's what built America. But these days, the federal government isn't at the front – it's cowering in the back corner of the room, ducking responsibility and hoping no one notices.

Michael Bloomberg

Neither party has God on its side, a monopoly on good ideas, or a lock on any single fiscal, social, or moral philosophy.

Michael Bloomberg

We need to inject some old-fashioned American values and common-sense, practical thinking into our energy policy.

Michael Bloomberg

What you've got to do is be honest. Say what you believe. Give it to them straight. Just don't wuss out.

Michael Bloomberg

Despite its potential, the federal government has restricted funding for creating new cell lines – putting the burden of any future research squarely on the shoulders of the private sector. Government's most basic responsibility, however, is the health and welfare of its people, so it has a duty to encourage appropriate scientific investigations that could possibly save the lives of millions.

Michael Bloomberg

We're the world's second home, the place where every religion is practiced and every culture is celebrated.

Michael Bloomberg

My father, a bookkeeper who never earned more than $11,000 a year in his life, sat there, writing out a $25 check to the NAACP. When I asked him why, he said discrimination against anyone is discrimination against us all. And I never forgot that. Indeed, his philanthropy was a gift, not just to that organization, but to me.

Michael Bloomberg