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As I climbed the electoral ladder - from state assemblyman to mayor of Woodbridge and finally to governor of New Jersey - political compromises came easy to me because I'd learned how to keep a part of myself innocent of them.

James McGreevey

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James McGreevey
Age: 67
Born: 1957
Born: August 6
Lobbyist
Politician
Jersey City
New Jersey
James Edward McGreevey
Easy
Governors
Compromises
Keep
Jersey
Electoral
Political
Compromise
Climbed
Part
Innocent
Mayor
States
Finally
Mayors
Learned
Ladder
Came
Ladders
State
Governor

More quotes by James McGreevey

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I try to be grateful for the abundance of the blessings that I have, for the journey that I'm on and to relish each day as a gift.
James McGreevey
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We need to have a purpose in this life. I'm pleading with you, I'm begging with you to do the right thing. And do it not for the sake of how it will impact your own lives, but only for the sake of doing the right thing.
James McGreevey
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The arc of American history almost inevitably moves toward freedom. Whether it's Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation, the expansion of women's rights or, now, gay rights, I think there is an almost-inevitable march toward greater civil liberties.
James McGreevey
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At different points in my life, I had grappled with the idea of going into the priesthood - in high school or law school. Where it ends, I'm not quite sure. Perhaps it ends with death, grappling with one's spirituality.
James McGreevey
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My truth is that I am a gay American.
James McGreevey
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Throughout my life, I have grappled with my own identity, who I am. As a young child, I often felt ambivalent about myself in fact, confused.
James McGreevey
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I've never been much for self-revelation. In two decades of public life, I always approached the limelight with extreme caution. Not that I kept my personal life off-limits rather, the personal life I put on display was a blend of fact and fiction.
James McGreevey
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We need to seek wise leaders who will seek common ground among Americans instead of dividing us further for political gain. As citizens, we must embrace those who embrace ideas, thoughtfulness, civility and kindness to others no matter what their political beliefs.
James McGreevey
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I'm enjoying prison ministry, particularly with the women in Hudson County Jail who have suffered tremendously in their lives.
James McGreevey
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Civil union is less than marriage. Marriage is a sacred and valued institution and ought to be afforded equal protection.
James McGreevey
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I'm on the board of a national group called Faith in America. It's designed to fight religious-based bigotry.
James McGreevey
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Of all my false identities, the strategies in my campaign to be accepted, being a sworn Republican is the hardest to explain. In my later political life, I can only be described as a Kennedy Democrat, eager to pursue equitable treatment for the least fortunate.
James McGreevey
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For me, living in the closet corroded my ability to have an honest, open relationship with my God, my loved ones, my constituency and myself.
James McGreevey
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I realized that my truest passion was for helping people change through faith in a higher power. That meant, for me, belonging to the church. Using my abilities to bring Christian doctrine to a postmodern world.
James McGreevey
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I am resigning because my secret leaves the governor's office vulnerable.
James McGreevey
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No relief was forthcoming from my then-Catholic faith, which said the practice of homosexuality was a 'mortal sin' subject to damnation.
James McGreevey
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More than anything else I recall being, or trying very deliberately to be, a perfect child. Not a Goody Two-shoes, but a kid who did good, who worked hard and met every expectation. I strove to achieve in the excessive way that psychotherapists tend to regard with concern.
James McGreevey
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To be able to love and live in freedom means to be able to make godly decisions. To make godly decisions we have to surrender our egos and all the falsity and shame that goes with it.
James McGreevey