Julian Castro Quotes

I had the blessing of opportunity. You need the folks in the boardroom who have consciences and the people in the streets who can picket at the right time.

- Julian Castro

I couldn't help but to think back to my classmates at Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio. They had the same talent, the same brains, the same dreams as the folks we sat with at Stanford and Harvard. I realized the difference wasn't one of intelligence or drive. The difference was opportunity.

- Julian Castro

My grandmother didn't live to see us begin our lives in public service. But she probably would have thought it extraordinary that just two generations after she arrived in San Antonio, one grandson would be the mayor and the other would be on his way - the good people of San Antonio willing- to the United States Congress.

- Julian Castro

The overwhelming success of San Antonio B-Cycle has proven that San Antonio is a model city for bike-sharing, and as we work toward creating a fitter city, the bike-share program encourages a more active and healthy lifestyle.

- Julian Castro

San Antonio is an ideal market for Major League Soccer. It's time that we put our best foot forward.

- Julian Castro

People are getting more active and living healthier in San Antonio, whether it's walking, cycling, or using our parks. We now have concrete evidence that our investments are paying off and positively impacting the health of our families and the overall quality of life in San Antonio.

- Julian Castro

This thing has been studied to death by Republicans and Democrats: several committees, including in Congress, that have all said, 'Yes, of course what happened was tragic, but Secretary Clinton was not in any way at fault,' and what you have here with these e-mails is basically a witch hunt.

- Julian Castro

I consider myself a pretty progressive person, and I think I have a track record that shows that. But I'm also not just going to do a policy because it's the liberal thing to do.

- Julian Castro

Hispanics have been among the biggest beneficiaries of the Affordable Care Act.

- Julian Castro

The destiny of the Latino community is interwoven with the destiny of the United States.

- Julian Castro

The number one way that we can address these long-term challenges of poverty, of education, is to invest in early childhood education.

- Julian Castro

Of all the fictions we heard last week in Tampa, the one I find most troubling is this: If we all just go our own way, our nation will be stronger for it. Because if we sever the threads that connect us, the only people who will go far are those who are already ahead.

- Julian Castro

We have a responsibility to protect public housing residents from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke, especially the elderly and children who suffer from asthma and other respiratory diseases.

- Julian Castro

And because he knows that we don't have an ounce of talent to waste, the president took action to lift the shadow of deportation from a generation of young, law-abiding immigrants called dreamers.

- Julian Castro

We believe that housing is a power platform to spark great opportunities in people's lives and help them achieve the American dream.

- Julian Castro

In the end, the American dream is not a sprint, or even a marathon, but a relay. Our families don't always cross the finish line in the span of one generation. But each generation passes on to the next the fruits of their labor.

- Julian Castro

Obviously I'm young and I'm also Hispanic, two important groups in this election. And I'm confident that I can do a good job in articulating why President Obama ought to be the candidate that Americans select for the next four years.

- Julian Castro

The prosperity of the United States and the prosperity of the Hispanic community, as the fastest-growing community, are one and the same. The destinies are one and the same.

- Julian Castro

Being the keynote speaker at the convention this year is an honor I don't take lightly. I know I've got some big shoes to fill. Two conventions ago, the keynote speaker was a guy named Barack Obama.

- Julian Castro

Technology has transformed how we live, learn and work, but not everyone has been able to participate in these developments.

- Julian Castro

First thing that I put up in my office here at City Hall was a poster from 1971 when my mother ran for city council.

- Julian Castro

Our families don't always cross the finish line in the span of one generation. But each generation passes on to the next the fruits of their labor.

- Julian Castro

I stand before you tonight as a young American, a proud American, of a generation born as the Cold War receded, shaped by the tragedy of 9/11, connected by the digital revolution and determined to re-elect the man who will make the 21st century another American century - President Barack Obama.

- Julian Castro

I want to be able to pick up a list of names of graduates from high schools and colleges in the city and to see that that list is longer than it was when I started in 2009.

- Julian Castro

As my family story shows, Latinos have been a blessing for USA for many generations. The future of America depends in part on the success of the Latino community, and this opportunity is just one more signifier of that.

- Julian Castro

The Tea Party definitely scored a significant victory with Senator Cruz's election in 2012 and scored victories in some statewide primaries. But to me, as the Tea Party gets stronger within the Republican Party in Texas, the prospect of a blue Texas becomes stronger and stronger.

- Julian Castro

Now, in Texas, we believe in the rugged individual. Texas may be the one place where people actually still have bootstraps, and we expect folks to pull themselves up by them. But we also recognize there are some things we can't do alone. We have to come together and invest in opportunity today for prosperity tomorrow.

- Julian Castro

I have learned in life that the best thing you can do to create a great future for yourself is don't forget what's in front of you. And so I'm trying to do a great job at HUD.

- Julian Castro

My grandmother, when she was young, would've walked past shops where some folks had out a sign that said, 'No Mexicans or dogs allowed.'

- Julian Castro

Even though I grew up and I didn't always like getting dragged to the meetings or the rallies or the speeches, I developed a very strong respect for participating in a democratic process.

- Julian Castro

My grandmother spent her whole life working as a maid, a cook and a babysitter, barely scraping by, but still working hard to give my mother, her only child, a chance in life, so that my mother could give my brother and me an even better one.

- Julian Castro

And my mother fought hard for civil rights so that instead of a mop, I could hold this microphone.

- Julian Castro

It's time to remove the stigma associated with promoting homeownership.

- Julian Castro

Some people are lucky enough to borrow money from their parents, but that shouldn't determine whether you can pursue your dreams.

- Julian Castro

My grandmother's generation and generations before always saw beyond the horizons of their own lives and their own circumstances. They believed that opportunity created today would lead to prosperity tomorrow.

- Julian Castro

Hopefully, in not a too distant future, we will see a Latino president, and who knows how's that going to happen. It's just a matter of time.

- Julian Castro

I believe that Secretary Clinton has said, has acknowledged, that that was not the best way to handle her emails back then... and has turned over all of the information and the emails and documents and now the server.

- Julian Castro

I wanted to be a quarterback. I used to like Johnny Unitas, the old quarterback for the Colts.

- Julian Castro

I grew up in a Texas where people would say, 'I didn't leave the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party left me.' Now, the reverse is happening. People are leaving the Republican Party because the Republican Party is going too far to the right in Texas. And that's a source of great potential support for Democrats.

- Julian Castro

Seven presidents before him - Democrats and Republicans - tried to expand health care to all Americans. President Obama got it done.

- Julian Castro

I'm a recovering politician.

- Julian Castro

There has been a great challenge in improving educational achievement. It's a long-term issue, not a short-term one. It includes everything from getting more parents involved to addressing issues of poverty and improving what happens in the classroom.

- Julian Castro

I see myself as a bridge-builder who can understand both sides.

- Julian Castro

We know that in our free market economy some will prosper more than others. What we don't accept is the idea that some folks won't even get a chance.

- Julian Castro

Growing up, when we would get dragged to these events, I didn't want to be there. Over time, as we got older, I developed a real appreciation of the importance of being involved in the democratic process.

- Julian Castro

We all understand that freedom isn't free. What Romney and Ryan don't understand is that neither is opportunity. We have to invest in it.

- Julian Castro

When it comes to letting people marry whomever they love, Mitt Romney says, 'No.'

- Julian Castro

Republicans are so far out to the right, it's pushing people into the Democratic Party.

- Julian Castro

It's a significant contribution if we can get immigration reform done.

- Julian Castro

The truth is that the dream of homeownership is out of reach for too many Americans.

- Julian Castro

What we see out there is an affordable housing crisis, particularly in the rental market in cities big and small, and we don't have the resources necessary to fill that gap.

- Julian Castro

The advantage that Democrats have is that they're a big-tent party.

- Julian Castro

Opportunity today, prosperity tomorrow.

- Julian Castro

Mitt Romney, quite simply, doesn't get it.

- Julian Castro

My family's story isn't special. What's special is the America that makes our story possible. Ours is a nation like no other, a place where great journeys can be made in a single generation. No matter who you are or where you come from, the path is always forward.

- Julian Castro

I understand Spanish better than I speak it.

- Julian Castro

My mother dreamed dreams for Joaquin and for me long before we could dream them for ourselves.

- Julian Castro

The only part of my mother's experience that still gets to me is the way she and people like her were looked down upon for asking America to be America, for asking for full and equal participation in our democracy.

- Julian Castro

If you're willing to work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to move up.

- Julian Castro

I wanted more people from my city to be able to have the kind of opportunity that I had.

- Julian Castro