Quotes by Gail Collins

[Ella Baker]s second defining characteristic was her dislike of top-down leadership... She felt leaders were not appointed but the rose up. Someone will rise. Someone will emerge. It was an attitude Baker shared with some of the older women in the movement.

How did I make a living? I havent. I have eked out an existence. - Ella Baker

Pandering candidates often promise that they can make the pain go away.

The Tea Party people say theyre angry about socialism, but maybe theyre really angry about capitalism. If theres a sense of being looked down upon, its that sense of failure thats built into a system that assures everyone they can make it to the top, but then reserves the top for only a tiny fraction of the strivers.

Bin Laden wasnt all that central to the terrorist network any more, but taking him down created a kind of national catharsis. Its been a really, really long time since we had something to celebrate that didnt involve a sports team. Id rather it had been a non-death-related occasion, but well take what we can get.

How do you give smart, accomplished, ambitious women the same opportunities as men to reach their goals? What about universal preschool and after-school programs? What about changing the corporate mind-set about the time commitment it takes to move up the ladder? What about having more husbands step up and take the major load?

I admired the way McCain worked on campaign finance reform. I admired the way Nancy Pelosi stiffened the Democrats spine during the health care debate. I admire the way Barack Obama has raised a dog in the White House without ever putting it on the roof of the car for a vacation drive.

Texas is a great place to be rich and a terrible place to be poor. Its got the highest percentage of people without health insurance in the country. If you get injured on the job, good luck getting workers comp. And God help you if youre poor and mentally ill.

Despite my excellent mood, I dont have any sympathy for Romney. If hed been a good candidate he wouldnt have had a different campaign for every month on the calendar.

Gay rights is just a matter of time. Look at the polls. Worrying about gay marriage, let alone gay civil unions or gay employment rights, is a middle-age issue. Young people just cant see the problem. At worst, gays are going to win this one just by waiting until the opposition dies off.

The IRS targeting certain groups for harassment because of their politics would be unfair. If we found out the NSA was keeping special tabs on everyone who worshiped at a mosque or took a Bible trip through the Middle East, youd have an uprising.

If you live in a place that you perceive to be a crowded place, you appreciate government; you see it as this thing that protects you against crime, that keeps order, that makes sure that nobody puts a massage parlor next to your house, that keeps other peoples dogs from pooping on the sidewalk.