Donna Shalala Quotes

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Donna Shalala

Profession : Public Servant

Birth : February 14, 1941

We know the parental support, community support, makes a difference. It's not just the metrics of testing and putting pressure on the schools and on the teachers.

Donna Shalala

But for me, it is when a student has died. I find the death of a young person the most difficult and painful of times. To explain it to other young people, to see a bright future snuffed out, is just awful. I am haunted by those deaths.

Donna Shalala

I've spent my whole life with people underestimating me.

Donna Shalala

You can't have a university without having free speech, even though at times it makes us terribly uncomfortable. If students are not going to hear controversial ideas on college campuses, they're not going to hear them in America. I believe it's part of their education.

Donna Shalala

I have to admit, in January and February I was in an absolute fuzz. I had no one on board. It wasn't that I didn't know what I was doing, but we didn't have all the pieces put together.

Donna Shalala

Higher education is one of few areas where this country competes with the rest of the world and wins. The best of American higher education outstrips any in the world. Look where the rest of the world goes for higher education, for graduate degrees. They come here.

Donna Shalala

In fairy tales, the children are saved by caring adults. We need more caring adults in the lives of our children.

Donna Shalala

You don't want to destroy the energy that comes out of a campaign.

Donna Shalala

What you really remember at the beginning was that you have to throw a budget together. We made some terrible mistakes at the beginning in my own budget that took us at least a year to catch up on.

Donna Shalala

We have to mainstream everybody. No matter what their circumstances when they were growing up. Part of that is knowing that after they're finished with school, everybody in this country gets up and goes to work.

Donna Shalala

We can't afford as a nation - not because of money but because of our social fabric - to have large numbers of people who are not working.

Donna Shalala

We are living longer, and we need to live better.

Donna Shalala

The government is fully capable of delivering services. Even complex services.

Donna Shalala

The dog doesn't know the difference between Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, so I have to walk the dog early those days too.

Donna Shalala

Sure, it is apparent that presidents are looking at polls, but they are also stepping up on issues. President Clinton stepped up on tobacco. He shaped the polls on the tobacco issue.

Donna Shalala

In every community, whether large or small, there are people who lead in their community in easy and difficult times.

Donna Shalala

I'm pretty disciplined and am almost always on schedule.

Donna Shalala

I'll be one of the spokespeople, one of the people who sells the Administration's plans.

Donna Shalala

I try to deal with my serious reading before work.

Donna Shalala

I think President Bush tried to step up on Social Security even though the polls showed that was unpopular. He has not been successful and backed off, but I admire people who take on big problems.

Donna Shalala