I have as my shield ever before me that public service is the noblest — Ed Koch

"Yet how do you govern in a city where everyone thinks he or she is the best and can do it better than you? You do it by conveying that you are giving everything you have, and you demonstrate that what you are doing is what they would be doing if they were in your place. You become their hand on the wheel of government. People want to touch you, praise you, harangue you, love you and hate you. And as Mayor, you must be able to accept it all and at the same time not become overwhelmed by the praise or overcome by the abuse."

"It is not possible to remake the world. You can fix parts, but you cant remake the world."

"I am Mayor of a city that has more Jews than live in Jerusalem, more Italians than live in Rome, more Irish than live in Dublin, more blacks than live in Nairobi and more Puerto Ricans than live in San Juan. It is a tremendous responsibility, but there is no other job in the world that compares with it. Every day is new. Every day is dangerous. Every day is filled with excitement. Every day has the possibility of accomplishing some major success that will impact positively on the lives of the citizens of the City of New York. Every day I am both humbled and made even more proud than the day before."

"I remember walking down Eighth Street one Friday morning, and being stopped by one of my constituents, an elderly lady who approached me, wanting to talk. "Howm I doing?" I said, in what was becoming the signature greeting of my political career. "Congressman," she said, "youre doing just terrible. How could you support those yellow-bellies? My grandson is in Vietnam, and here you are supporting those yellow-bellies in Canada." "Maam," I said, as gently as I could manage. "I dont want to try and persuade you, but let me tell you my position. I think the war is wrong. I think that ultimately we have to bring our boys home. Weve ruined too many lives, the draft dodgers and the deserters among them. It is time to heal. Now, I understand you see things differently, and I hope your grandson is okay, but this is my position. I hope youll ultimately agree with me, but its not necessary that you do. We will never agree on everything." Then I added, "But other than that, how else am I doing?" "Other than that, youre doing wonderful," she said, and we both laughed."

"Incidentally, my "Howm I doing?" phrase grew out of my first term as a Congressman. I used to come home to New York every Friday when Congress was not in session, and hand out literature at the twenty-five major subway and bus stops in my district. Every Friday morning, Id be at one of them. I wanted to stay in touch with my constituents and give them the opportunity to talk to me, so I did not miss a week. Typically, I would hand out a reprint of some statement I had made in Congress that week and include a little box telling people to write to express their opinion and help me to implement my suggestions. I asked them to send me copies of their letters, and thats how I communicated with them. Hundreds of my statements were copied in letters in the course of a week, as a direct result of my bus and subway stops; the originals were sent to the President, or his Cabinet members, among others. Of course, my constituents were not always happy to see me, particularly at seven oclock in the morning when they were running to catch the subway. They had other things on their minds than communicating with their Congressman. Most of them were in such a hurry that they probably saw me as an impediment. Perhaps they thought I was crazy; after all, it wasnt an election year- what the hell did I think I was doing? I was trying to get attention, but it wasnt easy. When I first started, I would say, "Good morning," and people would rush by me, into the subway. A few would say, "Good morning," but that was about it. I dont think they were being rude, just indifferent, distracted. Then one morning, just to vary the routine a little, I said, "Im Ed Koch, your Congressman. Howm I doing?" And people responded. They actually stopped. Sometimes they told me I was doing lousy, but they always stopped. And they talked to me, and I listened."

"You dont have to be born in New York City to be a New Yorker. You have to live here for six months. And if at the end of the six months you walk faster, you talk faster, you think faster, youre a New Yorker."