David Lammy Quotes

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David Lammy

Profession : Politician

Birth : July 19, 1972

Reading international law at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London was a wonderful experience. With its incredibly diverse student population, I began to immerse myself in the ways social, legal and political forces contribute to human rights and freedoms.

David Lammy

Being in opposition takes some getting used to. As a former minister, you don't just lose your job and the enormous resources of the civil service, you also have to watch programmes that you were involved in being gradually dismantled.

David Lammy

Music, dance, literature and the visual arts open up a rich and intensely rewarding world. It is a world that should not be the preserve of the few.

David Lammy

Universities are not like supermarkets: their job is to serve the country, not just the customers who happen to walk through their doors.

David Lammy

Fathers matter.

David Lammy

It is the responsibility of all of us to create a culture that encourages and enables fathers to spend more time with their families.

David Lammy

A workplace culture where fathers are encouraged to take paternity leave would result in stronger families, a more equal labour market and a better economy.

David Lammy

I love to run outdoors, being outside, enjoying nature, looking up through the trees, being out among the elements... I don't think there's a better way to start the day.

David Lammy

I like the state of being self-aware, it's interesting when you start to look at your own habits.

David Lammy

At school, I was frequently subjected to racial abuse.

David Lammy

Prejudice is not just a personal sentiment - it can be institutional too.

David Lammy

Family policy is not a zero-sum game: any gain for dads need not come at the expense of mums.

David Lammy

Dads are not a risk to be managed, but a resource to be used for the benefit of the whole family.

David Lammy

Active dads make a positive contribution: they are good for children and they are good for mothers.

David Lammy

Leadership is about tough choices.

David Lammy

For me, a hoodie is like a pair of slippers or pyjamas - something comfortable and well-worn that you can wear unthinkingly. Unless, of course, you happen to be a black male.

David Lammy

I spend much of my time in a suit and tie with my top button done up and my sensible shoes neatly polished. When it comes to work, my appearance is about communicating professionalism and confidence.

David Lammy

I love the theatre and Miller is one of my all-time favourite playwrights. 'All My Sons' is a very socialist play, which exposes the lack of empathy that can accompany capitalism when it is left unchecked.

David Lammy

When I was a young child and before he had left us for the U.S., my father would give me Mark Twain novels. In the characters, the weather and the context, my father must have seen many parallels to his own youth in the Caribbean in the 1930s and 40s.

David Lammy