America under Barack Obama has become a defensive, reactive and weaker country both at home and abroad. Chris Christie More Quotes by Chris Christie More Quotes From Chris Christie The three top issues have to be restoring jobs and private sector job growth to our country, getting the entitlement mess under control, and restoring back to our country a sense of self-confidence that Americans can achieve whatever we want to achieve. Chris Christie self-confidence jobs country I am pro-life, I believe in exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. That's my position, take it or leave it. Chris Christie pro-life mother believe I am not going to make any commitments to the teachers union to do anything until they do something that's other than in their own self-interest. And everything they have done so far is in their self-interests, and that's it. Chris Christie self teacher commitment The message [of Donald Trump ] is that if anybody lives in those circumstances in this country, that's something that the government should be working to try to change. Chris Christie government trying country I would rather die than be in the United States Senate. I would be bored to death. Could you imagine me, banging around that chamber with 99 other people, asking for a motion on the amendment in the subcommittee? Forget it...You'd watch me just walk out and walk right into the Potomac River and drown. That would be it. Chris Christie leadership work reality I feel passionately about issues, and I don't hide my emotions from people. I am not a focus group-tested, blow-dried candidate or governor. Now that has always made some people, you know, uneasy. Some people like that style, some people don't. [...] But I am not a bully. Chris Christie issues party blow I believe we have become paralyzed, paralyzed by our desire to be loved. Now our founding fathers had the wisdom to know that social acceptance and popularity were fleeing, and that this country's principles needed to be rooted in strengths greater than the passions and the emotions of the times. Chris Christie believe country father And the greatest lesson that mom ever taught me though was this one. She told me there would be times in your life when you have to choose between being loved and being respected. Now she said to always pick being respected. Chris Christie lessons mom would-be They said it was impossible to touch the third rail of politics, to take on public-sector unions and to reform a pension and health benefits system that was headed to bankruptcy. But with bipartisan leadership, we saved taxpayers $132 billion dollars over 30 years and saved retirees their pensions. We did it. Chris Christie reform health years No parent at home is saying my gosh, if we can just get a higher minimum wage, all of our aspirations have been realized. Chris Christie minimum-wage parent home If you're sick, take your sick day. If you don't take your sick day, know what your reward is? You weren't sick - that was the reward. Chris Christie rewards sick ifs The truth was you can't continue to spend the kind of money our spending on all these entitlement programs. I think we need more people in public life who are willing to say, no, we can't afford certain things. No, we can't do certain things. Chris Christie people needs thinking And Donald Trump is not going to give in to the special interests in this country, like the teachers' union, who say that substandard education in our urban areas can only be fixed by giving it more money and that that's all they're going to do about it and not change the underlying problems that we have on violence. Chris Christie teacher giving country I don't compromise my principles for politics. Chris Christie compromise principles Our state is in crisis. Our people are hurting. Now is the time when we all must resist the traditional, selfish call to protect your own turf at the cost of our state. It is time to leave the corner, join the sacrifice, come to the center of the room and be part of the solution. Chris Christie selfish sacrifice hurt The President's biggest problem right now is he's gotta tell the truth. And we've seen this in New Jersey. I've told lots of hard truths in New Jersey that people didn't necessarily agree with, but they give you credit for looking them in the eye and telling them the truth. Chris Christie health eye leadership We need to support our police officers and make sure that community policing becomes something that becomes the standard across the country. Chris Christie support community country Everyone wants to demagogue everyone else. That may be good politics, but it's awful policy. Chris Christie awful want may Someone has to stay on the line and say, no, we can do this by cutting spending and reducing the size of government. That's what I was committed to doing. Chris Christie lines cutting government Here's what I know about political campaigns: no matter what you map out at the beginning, it's always different at the end. Chris Christie campaigns political different