Mark Takano Quotes

There is kind of a typical experience as a premier. You go in, you win a couple, you get out. Go serve on boards, take your head out of the political ringer and take on a much more private life.

How could an actor become president?

I got to be White House chief of staff, ten years of congressman, secretary of defense, vice-president. If you're a political junkie like I obviously am - that was - every one of those was just a tremendous experience. I'm very comfortable with what I did and why I did it and how I did it. And I'll let others judge whether they liked it or not.

I was always accused of being too stiff. In 1974, when I ran my first primary race for state rep, I was chief aide to the speaker of the House, I knew the issues and understood state government. But what I found out the hard way is that you can know all the ins and outs but people want to know you, your family.

I loved being governor. It was a blast. Eight years was enough. But it was certainly one of the greatest thrills in my life to be able to serve the people of Florida. I miss that from time to time.

People just want to hear some common sense... and I bring to bear the experience in local government and state government and national government - I was the first woman in history on the Senate Finance Committee - not to mention the diplomatic international experience.

There's nothing in my background that would have said I was destined to be a senior politician.

If I can go from burglar for the government to talk show host, you can go from entertainer to congressman.

The idea of being in the State Department was exciting. On the other hand, I always had in the back of my mind going into politics. If I stayed in Washington, I might end up a government hack.

I've been a speaker. I've been a majority leader. I've been a minority leader. Those are the sort of things I don't need any more.

I'm not driven to get back into politics. It's not on my top five things to do before I die, but saying that, I may be in politics in the next year or the next ten years. I've been on the front line for 12 years, four in state government, eight on the national level.

Well, I spent 23 years in politics, and bits of that were fun.

I'm not going to become an MP and I'm not going to be London Mayor. I have no political ambitions.

I have been a civil servant and a politician for over 30 years.

I have absolutely no political ambitions.

If ever I left the House of Commons it would be because I wanted to spend more time on politics.

I was also a congressman. I had decided to run for office and had become a congressman with Queen Latifah.

I would never run for president.

I have absolutely no interest in running for president again.

I'm not interested in Vice President. I'm hanging around Arizona. I'm running again for Sheriff.

I'm not running, I'm not planning on running, and I've got nothing new on that story.

I'm not particularly interested in running for president.

Statesmen are grocers, ambitious clowns.

I have as much experience in the Congress as Jack Kennedy did when he sought the presidency.

A lot of people have been asking whether I would ever go into politics. I'm not sure I would.