David Lammy Quotes

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David Lammy

Profession : Politician

Birth : July 19, 1972

A good life depends on the strength of our relationships with family, friends, neighbours, colleagues and strangers.

David Lammy

A good society is characterised not just by liberty but by mutual respect and responsibility. When this breaks down it takes a lot more than police officers to put things right.

David Lammy

I remember singing as a chorister in Peterborough Cathedral, having won a music scholarship to go to school there, and realising for the first time in my life what true excellence was.

David Lammy

Unemployed people should be treated as potential to be realised, not a problem to be solved.

David Lammy

Mum was born in 1938 in Guyana and came to Britain at the end of the 60s. She settled in Tottenham, north London, and worked for London Transport and then as a home help, a care assistant and finally a local authority officer. Bringing up five children singlehandedly with little money can't have been easy, but she did it with tremendous style.

David Lammy

People who have no stake in society are the least likely to have respect for it.

David Lammy

You can't be in business with international development and not understand basic issues of colonialism, postcolonialism and white privilege.

David Lammy

My father was a taxidermist, not a run-of-the-mill profession for a West Indian immigrant. Having given up on becoming a vet, he settled for working with dead animals rather than live ones. Dad was a true craftsman, an artist.

David Lammy

The great thing about running is that so often you wake up and you think: 'I really don't feel like this.' And even when you're up and out, that first kilometre is tough. But then once you get to 3km and you're getting to the end of the run, it's really fantastic.

David Lammy

I have very eclectic tastes. I love soul and Motown; I listen to some rap - Stormzy, Tinie Tempah, Drake. I also love classical music, American country and the folk tradition. I often start the day with gospel on my way to work. The only thing I have never got into is punk.

David Lammy

The pressures of being an MP mean free time is a very rare luxury.

David Lammy

Separate but equal is a fraud.

David Lammy

I know what to say, how to say it, how to bring profile to the issues I care about and people want to listen to me.

David Lammy

A loving family matters. So do male role models.

David Lammy

In Britain, we ought to be in a position where doctors and therapists are able to prescribe mindfulness, acupuncture, osteopathy de rigueur, and it not only be available in certain fantastic surgeries in London and Brighton.

David Lammy

From closing the digital divide to after-school activities and eating well, we cannot afford to ignore the link between deprivation and underachievement.

David Lammy

I'm a prolific tweeter. It allows me to respond to the news of the day or comment on something Jacob Rees-Mogg has said on behalf of my constituents.

David Lammy

From protecting consumers to establishing common standards and promoting free trade, the E.U. plays a central role. And nation states alone cannot tackle common threats such as climate change without the co-ordination that the E.U. and other supranational institutions provide.

David Lammy

When I make a contribution in debates and in our public life, the House wants to hear what I say. It goes quiet - it wants to know what my opinion is.

David Lammy

Throughout her life my mother, Rose, prayed for good health. My father left when I was 12 and money was tight, so she couldn't afford to take time off work. I have a younger sister and three older brothers, and she used to panic that we'd be taken into care if she wasn't able to look after us.

David Lammy