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"This Rural America Thing Is A Joke" And Other Classic Koch Quotes
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Feb 1, 2013
Modified Feb 1, 2013
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Feb 1, 2013
Modified Feb 1, 2013
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Ed Koch was known for being outspoken, and the former mayor leaves behind quite a few quotables touching on everything from his fierce love for New York, to diet tips, to movie reviews. Here some of Koch's best lines, collected from a few places:
On politics:
"If you agree with me on 9 out of 12 issues, vote for me. If you agree with me on 12 out of 12 issues, see a psychiatrist."
"You punch me, I punch back. I do not believe it's good for one's self-respect to be a punching bag."
"I was defeated because of longevity, not because Yusuf Hawkins was murdered six weeks before the election, although that was a factor. People get tired of you. So they decided to throw me out."
"Jews and other supporters of Israel would be crazy" to vote for Jesse Jackson.
On weight loss:
"The best way to lose weight is to close your mouth - something very difficult for a politician. Or watch your food - just watch it, don't eat it."
On New York:
"Have you ever lived in the suburbs? It's sterile. It's nothing. It's wasting your life, and people do not wish to waste their lives once they've seen New York! ... This rural American thing — I’m telling you, it’s a joke."
(After buying a burial plot in Manhattan) "I don't want to leave Manhattan, even when I'm gone. This is my home. The thought of having to go to New Jersey was so distressing to me."
"At age 88, I wake up every morning and say to myself, 'Well, I'm still in New York. Thank you, God.'"
"There was always a love-hate relationship with New York in the rest of the country, but I made them feel more love than hate."
On sports (well, when the Giants wanting a parade in NYC after winning the 1987 Super Bowl):
"If they want a parade, let them parade in front of the oil drums in Moonachie."
On his bridge:
"It's not soaring, beautiful, handsome, like the George Washington or the Verrazano. It's rugged, it's hard working - and that's me."
On writing:
"I know many writers who first dictate passages, then polish what they have dictated. I speak, then I polish—occasionally I do windows.”
On film:
"I wish 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' was on every night. I might not go to another movie."
(Review of Wall-E for The Villager) “This is your Captain speaking. Take cover, take cover. Don’t leave your home to see this flick. It is toxic.”
(Review of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps) "I was thinking of giving you a stock tip, but fortunately for you, I don’t have any. My money is managed by professionals; otherwise, I would have lost it all a long time ago."
And his self-penned epitaph:
"He was fiercely proud of his Jewish faith. He fiercely defended the City of New York, and he fiercely loved its people. Above all, he loved his country, the United States of America, in whose armed forces he served in World War II."
Tagged
ed koch
edward koch
Politics
quotes
race baiting
wall-e
Rebecca Fishbein
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