Many of us have been touched by the magic of a great teacher. I know I have.

For many young people, the minimum wage is a stepping stone to higher employment levels.

When I was young, I had minimum wage jobs as a busboy, flipping burgers and parking cars.

Incremental increases in the minimum wage won't address the underlying skills and investment gaps in Illinois.

Illinois will only get economically healthy if we stop focusing on growing minimum wages and start focusing on growing everyone's wages.

For every challenge we face - unemployment, poverty, crime, income growth, income inequality, productivity, competitiveness - a great education is a major component of the solution.

Great teaching requires incredible talent and dedication, strong intellectual ability and interpersonal skill, real discipline and empathy.

When my mother was young, only two professions were open to women ; teaching and nursing. She chose nursing, but the teaching profession was full of talented women like her, confined there in part because they had few career options.

To restore our public schools, we must put an end to the selfish agenda of the union bosses.

Big problems usually come from big sources.

Those who want low taxes and healthy job creation know that an unnecessary dollar going to these unions is a dollar that cannot reduce the tax burden on homeowners, small businesses, and job creators.

Those who value a strong safety net for our neediest citizens see that every extra dollar spent on these unions is a dollar that cannot go to help the sick, the elderly, and the vulnerable.

Government employees deserve to be treated fairly, but they do not deserve a significantly better deal than average Illinoisans get in their own jobs.

Government unions should not be allowed to influence the public officials they are lobbying, and sitting across the bargaining table from, through campaign donations and expenditures.

The people of Illinois sent me to Springfield to end the era of unbalanced budgets and runaway debt.

We cannot accept the status quo of throwing more taxpayer money into a broke and broken system.

Government pensions are among the largest cost drivers for state and local governments.

If Republicans and Democrats commit to working together, we can reach a bipartisan, common-sense agreement to reverse Illinois' economic decline and set the stage for a bright economic future.

Let's put Illinois back on the road to prosperity.

I'm a business guy. I'm not a politician.

We need to focus on reducing property taxes. We need to focus on education funding. We need to focus on getting term limits on elected officials.

I don't like to pay lip service. I don't frankly like to talk about stuff.

I like to do things that get results. Results are all that matters.

Our government workers should be treated fairly and appropriately. They should have a decent retirement, but not a gold-plated system where they can retire multimillionaires in their 50s.

The government union bosses are the most powerful politicians in Springfield.

We have to be bold, tough, and fundamentally change government because Springfield is broken.

I just want the state fixed, and I just want to do the right thing for the taxpayers.

I'll be willing to do things that politicians won't do. Because I don't care who I upset.

I certainly don't need a job. Getting re-elected is not on my Top 10 list.

These political consultants love business guys who've never been in politics to try and take advantage of them. I get that.

We have a moral duty to have an efficient government.

The tax money belongs to the taxpayers. It doesn't belong to the bureaucracy. And government is not a welfare system.

I want to do something that I'm proud of and that I can look back on with pride of accomplishment.

Money's important, but it isn't a motivator for me.

Frankly, I would never ask a supporter to bet big on me if I wouldn't bet big on myself. It wouldn't be fair.

There are plenty of examples of very wealthy people who have run for office and failed, certainly in Illinois.

The fact is that politics in Illinois is a blood sport. It's really rough. It's really nasty.

We've talked through the fact that our family will be attacked. Our family will be dragged through the mud. My businesses that I've helped build and create will be attacked and dragged through the mud. That's politics. I don't spend a lot of time worrying about it or thinking about it.

My wife and I believe that there's nothing we do together as a community that's more important than education.

Given my venture capital background, I know the tech sector well.

Success is all about persistence and doing the right thing for the long term.

I will advocate moving the Illinois minimum wage back to the national minimum wage.

Crisis creates opportunity.

Crisis creates leverage to change.

I've got to pick my fights at the right time.

I don't care what the headline is. I want the results.

We must find a way to balance our tradition as a state welcoming of refugees while ensuring the safety and security of our citizens.

I'm very thoughtful and disciplined with my money.

I like to spend money on investments.

I think we've got to be competitive here in Illinois. It's critical we're competitive. We're hurting our economy by having the minimum wage above the national. We've got to move back to the national.