Chirlane McCray Quotes

What I always wanted to do when I was a kid was to speak out and help people which I continue to do afterwards.

I have to tell you, I'm proudest of my life off the court. There will always be great basketball players who bounce that little round ball, but my proudest moments are affecting people's lives, effecting change, being a role model in the community.

I feel like my role is to be one of those voices who reaches the youth.

To me I think leadership is activism. It's giving back to your community, it's investing in oneself, and you know women and children.

In fact, I have the privilege of traveling around our country and meeting people all over the country who are making a huge difference in the lives of their neighbors and themselves. That's what I'm really fortunate to be able to do.

I'm fighting hard to make the world a better place, and you can, too. Get involved with your community, be a leader, set an example, be passionate, be your best.

I want to contribute to sport and the community in a positive way.

Service is an opportunity for young women to really empower themselves.

It's important for Oklahoma to have people in a position to make a difference. The only way we can do that is to have people in key places.

I've been able to meet a lot of vets at different functions and events, and it just hit me that I should step it up a notch, and I have a lot of peers who feel the same way.

To see that I have this huge platform now, and so many people are listening to what I have to say, it really makes me want to orientate toward something that would really educate people, create awareness, do something more than just show them a cute outfit or what I'm having for lunch.

Teaching university students affords me the opportunity to demonstrate to young adults that they don't have to be perfect to make contributions to their country.

A lot of what I do around Houston is to find ways to lift people through literacy. It's become part of our family culture. Everyone in our family has found some way and capacity to serve. You don't necessarily need to be President or First Lady to serve and help.

You want to help people and make the world a better place in whatever way you can. I've tried to share the things I've learned, and for me it really is all about being a role model.

If I can inspire one person to actually administer change, to want to inspire change, I will follow that person.

One way or another, I want to be a positive force for the people of Louisiana and the United States of America in whatever way I can serve.

Our job is to make change. Our job is to connect to people, to interact with them in a way that leaves them better than we found them, more able to get where they'd like to go. Every time we waste that opportunity, every page or sentence that doesn't do enough to advance the cause is waste.

I believe to be a leader is to enable others to embrace a vision, initiative or assignment in a way that they feel a sense of purpose, ownership, personal engagement, and common cause. I was very affected as a child by my father's positive example as a civic leader who inspired others to share his commitment to improving our community.

That's the beauty of education, kids taking lessons out of the classroom and back into their own world where they can positively affect their family, their friends, and their greater community.

It's important to be active in the causes that are important to you... That's how we make changes in this world.

I support organizations that help people do better for themselves and the community.

I had the opportunity at Duke to start doing things in the community, and it's something I continue to do even 20 years later.

Giving back, doing motivational speeches and stuff like that, that's always made me feel good. If you repeatedly go out there, and you are the change that you want to see, then that's what you are.

I'm sure I'll be doing something of social or political worth the rest of my life.

Exercise your purchasing power as a consumer, volunteer and bring joy to those in need, and share your experiences, tell your stories, and inspire others along the way.