Christine Gregoire Quotes

“It's our responsibility to pass on what we inherited, not to squander it, but to build on it.”

— Christine Gregoire

“When nearly a third of our high school students do not graduate on time with their peers, we have work to do. We must design our middle and high schools so that no student gets lost in the crowd and disconnected from his or her own potential.”

— Christine Gregoire

It is up to us to live up to the legacy that was left for us, and to leave a legacy that is worthy of our children and of future generations.

— Christine Gregoire

Education exposes young people to a broader world, a world full of opportunity and hope.

— Christine Gregoire

“Surely no issue unites us more than our appreciation for our military personnel who are bringing aid to devastated countries, defending us against terrorism, and fighting to make a free election possible in Iraq.”

— Christine Gregoire

“We are thinking ahead to long-term care, aware that many folks don't plan ahead and won't be ready. We want to see to it that people will have choices.”

— Christine Gregoire

“We need to take advantage of the opportunity we have now to create a vision and become great.”

— Christine Gregoire

“I want to work on respecting individuals' dignity. Equal rights, that's where my heart is. That means equal rights and benefits, and that's what we need.”

— Christine Gregoire

“One of the most powerful tools for empowering individuals and communities is making certain that any individual who wants to receive a quality education can do so.”

— Christine Gregoire

“Education can lift individuals out of poverty and into rewarding careers.”

— Christine Gregoire

“We must work to help all families and all communities realize their dream of a better future.”

— Christine Gregoire

“Education is the foundation upon which we build our future.”

— Christine Gregoire

“We can seize this time and do it our way and in the process be proud of ourselves and prosper as well.”

— Christine Gregoire

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

— Christine Gregoire

Truly, the challenges we face are not Democratic challenges or Republican challenges. In fact, they are not political challenges at all; they are fiscal challenges, and educational challenges, and the challenges of figuring out how to take care of each other.

— Christine Gregoire

“I'm free. I'm free to say what I feel.”

— Christine Gregoire

“It is time for us to turn a corner and come together, put our differences behind us and focus on the future.”

— Christine Gregoire

“We've established a Washington State Academy of Sciences that will enable us to make decisions based on science about what is right for our state, meaning the quality of our lives will get better.”

— Christine Gregoire

We all leave personal legacies for the people we know and love.

— Christine Gregoire

In the field of health care, we are giving people access to insurance who have not had it before.

— Christine Gregoire

It was very constraining, much more than I ever would have thought, to run for governor.

— Christine Gregoire

“There is just no reason why the richest nation in the world can't provide health care to all its people.”

— Christine Gregoire

I couldn't do that as attorney general. Why? Because they are my clients. You can't say they're not doing what they ought to be doing when you are the attorney general.

— Christine Gregoire

“I will never be able to create a budget from scratch with the amount of time that I have, but my instructions remain the same: Give me a budget that has no new revenue.”

— Christine Gregoire

“It's been said that government doesn't create jobs, business does. For the most part, this is true. But government creates the environment in which businesses can excel and expand.”

— Christine Gregoire

“Parents who have fought fiercely for the rights of their much-loved Gay and Lesbian children should not have to worry that their children will be treated differently. As a mother, I can tell you that there is no prouder moment than watching your children grow up, fall in love, and commit to that love in front of their families and friends. I want that same joy for every parent and every child.”

— Christine Gregoire

“We cannot say to one couple that their love is deserving of marriage and to another that their love should only be called a partnership. 'Separate but equal' is never equal. Children of same-sex couples should not grow up wondering why their family is treated differently from other families”

— Christine Gregoire

“All of us basically want the same things: opportunity for our children, and prosperity for our families and communities.”

— Christine Gregoire

“The US government should not be in the business of discrimination.”

— Christine Gregoire

“We have lots of studies about what's wrong with our education system. We need to accept responsibility, be bold, find solutions and move forward to make education a centerpiece of our economic development.”

— Christine Gregoire

Vernon Reis opened the world to me through books. He taught me that while I was physically firmly planted in blue-collar Auburn, Washington in the 50s and early 60s, intellectually I could go anywhere, explore anything, and sample exciting new ideas simply by opening a book.

— Christine Gregoire

“We can leave our legacy only if we are willing to change - to go beyond partisan labels, and to solve the problems facing Washingtonians.”

— Christine Gregoire

“If we want unity, we must all be unifiers. If we want accountability, each of us must be accountable for all we do.”

— Christine Gregoire