Janet Mock Quotes

I was very proud and grateful to be the first African-American woman in the position. I thought it said a lot about our country that we had back-to-back African-American Secretaries of State, Colin Powell and then me. I also thought it said a lot about President Bush that he didn't see limits on the highest ranking diplomat in terms of color. It's a hard job, but really the best one in government.

I think that is a really good message, especially for young girls to hear. The fact that someone like me from the western suburbs of Sydney could become an actress in movies who didn't look like a regular actress, and that I can make it I think gives a lot of hope to other girls who are really creative and don't necessarily follow the standard of what some people consider beauty to be.

I think that’s a responsibility that I have, to push possibilities, to show people: “This is the level that things could be at.”

The exceptionalism of a black U.S. President is not important to me. It's what he does - and who he has at the table.

There is a lot of work to be done to make sure our leaders reflect the people they are supposed to represent. The more diverse a group of decision makers is, the more informed the decision will be. Until we achieve full representation, we all should understand we are falling short of the ideals of our country.

You can't inspire people with facts. They need a cause. They need a symbol.

I think that the society and our democracy are mature enough to place emphasis on the quality and the value of the individual politician, rather than their gender. Some people will find it fashionable to have a woman leader, but I think the reason people chose me as the leader of this country is because my policies and my values suit the needs of Taiwan today. We represent people who want to have change in the society.

So I think (Obama) definitely has convinced people that he stands for change and for hope, and I can't wait to see what he stands for.

Donald Trump loves America. He wants it to be the greatest place on earth. He thinks political people have made it the mess that it is. And he's been very open and up front about how he goes about accomplishing things, and that's totally ignored.

We need to have points of view from lots of different types of people. People who have different backgrounds, different parts of the world, who maybe perceive gender differently. We're in this time where we have social media, we have the ability to share so much, that I think that we need to create more space and more opportunity for people that are just outside of the typical cliched binary roles.

I find it so important now to be a role model and a figure. And I know that may sound strange to some people, but most important is my connection with my fans and the connection that they breed with one another.

You can only inspire when you give people a new way of looking at the world in which they live.

What really made me want to get involved in politics was seeing the rise of the antichrist Donald Trump. I started to see how he was energizing the country, but he was energizing the country in total opposite ways than Barack did. He wasn't bringing people together; he was literally tearing people apart. He literally wants to build a wall while I feel like Barack Obama's rise actually built bridges.

I think Obama did have a pitch, and it was he was gonna take care of you, and he was gonna fix everything that was wrong. And he personally was gonna guarantee you that things are gonna be okay. And he personally was gonna guarantee that the country be loved again. And he personally was gonna do all these wonderful things.

I think there will be great leaders emerging from the State of Mississippi. The people that have the experience to know and the people not interested in letting somebody pat you on the back and tell us "I think it is right." And it is very important for us not to accept a compromise and after I got back to Mississippi, people there said it was the most important step that had been taken.

Your courage draws people out of complacency into their destiny.

I love what I do because I get to talk to the people who change the game: the influencers, visionaries who make things happen in music and culture. That's inspiring to me.

I don't care about convincing the people who think I'm naive or an idiot. I'm interested in how do I inspire the people who are open-minded that there's a different way of seeing the world.

I wake the dead. I bring Jackie Robinson and the Roosevelts to life. Who do you think Im trying to wake up?

I was influenced by the political environment of our country that has just gained freedom from British colonialism. And the seminal figures in that environment were Mahatma Gandhi, who had been assassinated shortly after I was born, but nevertheless dominated the collective psyche of the country. And of course there were other statesmen who were very much part of the culture we knew as well as looked upon by society as leaders, and mentors, and people that inspires us to have a vision for idealism.

I think the best way that we can bring people together is through change in Washington, D.C.

I don't think it's always a sign of respect for persons (inside or outside of fiction) to pretend to be able to represent, to have access to, their multi-dimensionality at every moment. That doesn't imply people aren't multi-dimensional.

Leadership is about moving people from where they are to where you hope they'll go.

I think now you see a lot more British films from the perspective of, I guess what would be considered "new" British people - people of color, Asian people. I think that's what's happening now, whereas 20 years ago it couldn't happen because it was still predominantly, "British film is about middle-class white families and what they do."

Young people - there's been very little places in positions of authority in law enforcement for young people's skill sets, but the truth is we need them.