Pramila Jayapal Quotes

I'm in the civil discourse business. I think it takes all kinds. And more power to everybody.

The reality is, we have had filled rooms wherever we've spoken, and in New Zealand, the left and the right have been coming together and saying, 'We believe in free speech.'

We need to in this country begin again to raise civil discourse to another level. I mean, we shout and scream and yell and get very little accomplished, but you can disagree very much with the next guy and still be friends and acquaintances.

You should be able to voice your opinion and respect the voice of the other side. You should be willing to educate yourself and know what it is you're dealing with.

I am totally down with disagreement. I don't like Haterade, but disagreement is wonderful. When someone disagrees, we try to reach common ground. That's good.

In politics, all candidates and volunteers are ambassadors to voters who expect better than parroting the politics of personal destruction. Being able to find common ground at the higher ground is what separates the stateswoman from the stuntwoman.

To disagree, one doesn't have to be disagreeable.

The world I want to live in is a world where everybody is a bit more uncertain about their arguments and is a bit more open to other people's arguments. I think that we can engage ideas without ad hominem attacks.

We may disagree on some things, but we can do so without being disagreeable.

Both times I was in India, I could not get people to listen to each other. I had to literally tell people to listen to each other and tell them that they can't get creative and find alternate solutions if they don't listen to each other. There's a lot of arguing and justifying.

Public discussion demands at least the profession of good faith.

It does not good to shout anyone down….There will be no shouting.

You can disagree without being disagreeable.

Embrace a diversity of ideas. Embrace the fact that you can disagree with people and not be disagreeable. Embrace the fact that you can find common ground - if you disagree on nine out of 10 things, but can find common ground on that 10th, maybe you can make progress. If you can find common ground, you can accomplish great things.

Elected officials need to stop with the name calling and hateful statements.

When I am contradicted it arouses my attention, not my wrath. I move toward the man who contradicts me: he is instructing me. The cause of truth ought to be common to both of us.

I get very very concerned when I hear people start characterizing their opponents as stupid. I still understand that because politics is a little rough and tumble at times, but I don’t buy it and when they start calling each other either crazy or evil. You and I, we don’t compromise with crazy people or evil people. And so, I don’t think that’s helpful. Generally speaking, just because someone disagrees with you doesn’t make them crazy or evil.

If you would convince others, seem open to conviction yourself.

A critical component of progress is engaging with people you don't agree with - everything else is the status quo.

Moderation and bipartisan consensus go hand in hand.

Through a respectful exchange of ideas and emphasis on shared goals, I am confident we can put many of our disagreements behind us to ensure a better future for all Americans.

Good governance requires working toward common ground. It isn't easy.

I think it's important to have conversation about things instead of shutting things down.

We cannot agree on everything but we must agree on the framework.

My hope is to create spaces where people of all stripes can come together and speak at a lower decibel level. We make more sense that way. We sound more like our real selves that way.