DONNA BRAZILE

Jesus was a community organizer, Pontius Pilate was a governor. And perhaps they should understand the role of a community organizer is to help people in distress.

If I could have gotten my way at an early age, I would have entered the priesthood, but my mother informed me that I could not become a priest because I was a girl. It really was the biggest blow to my ego, because it was my calling. When she told me I'd have to be a nun, I looked at her and said, 'I'm not following anyone.'

I grew up within New Orleans; my greatest concern is rising water. But I think life is a process of moving items from the 'scared of' to the 'not scared of' list.

My mama told me it's not what they call you - it's what you answer to.

I've appeared three times on 'The Good Wife.' I'm proud of being associated with the show. 'Time' magazine called it 'the best thing on TV outside cable.' Did I mention that I also appear on cable?

I think it's important in a democracy such as ours that we have multiple sources to get news and information and utilize the media only if we want to get a different opinion.

I was motivated to be different in part because I was different.

Because of my faith and my imagination, I was able to enjoy my childhood, even though it was tough.

We have done a poor job educating people about education. Only when we have clarified that can we talk about how best to achieve it.

Fear is one of the worst, and most limiting, emotions in life.

A campaign is about defining who you are - your vision and your opponent's vision.

Since Bush has been in office, African-American women have fallen behind in terms of income and wages.

Politics is a rough and tumble business. It's not for the faint-hearted. I've got bruises and cuts from being in the political arena. But by and large, I understand how to navigate the process.

Look, Congress has allocated more money to finance the upcoming Iraqi elections than it has for the American elections. There's something wrong with that.

I am ashamed of some of Democrats in my own party.

If you're not out front defining your vision, your opponent will spend gobs of money to define it for you.

Failure. It doesn't exist. 'Failure' is just what happens when we lose perspective.

The 2000 election exposed some ugly history in our country.

On every show that I have been on, I have played myself.

We are not post-racial. And in many ways we don't even know how to have a conversation about being post-racial. Until we get out of that old-school way of thinking about race and opportunity and the ability to transcend some of the past of this country, then we're going to be stuck in the 20th-century conversation about race.

People don't trust government, they don't trust Wall Street, they don't trust the church, they don't trust the media.

I thought acknowledging praise meant you were arrogant, but I've learned that knowing your strengths enables you to make use of them.

If you rely on the media for your information, to educate yourself about the candidates and what issues are facing the country, then you get just part of the equation. I think it's important that we as citizens of this democracy take the responsibility to get as much information as possible before we go into the voting booth.

Watching 'Scandal' is a fun and exciting guilty pleasure, which is how I imagine most real scandals start out.

Every member of my family was displaced by Katrina.