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Quote of the day by Zohran Mamdani: ‘What I don’t have in experience, I make up for in integrity…’
Zohran Mamdani's quote reminds us that integrity is a defining quality of leadership, that allows an individual to push for progress even without experience.
Zohran Kwame Mamdani is best known as the 112th mayor of New York City. Born on October 18, 1991, in Kampala, Uganda, he is the son of Indo-Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani and Indian filmmaker Mira Nair. Mamdani moved with his family to the Big Apple at the age of seven.
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After pursuing careers as a housing counsellor and a rapper, Mamdani first entered city politics as a campaign manager before being elected to the New York State Assembly in 2020. In 2024, he announced running for mayor of New York City as a Democratic Socialist, and the following year, won the election to become New York City's first Muslim and first Asian American mayor.
At a time when multiple states are in their election season, and politics seems to have taken centre stage in the country at the national level, today’s quote of the day celebrates a young leader who stands on a platform of progressiveness and has been the face of change halfway across the globe, while never losing touch with his desi roots.
The quote reads: “What I don’t have in experience, I make up for in integrity, and what you don’t have in integrity, you could never make up for in experience.”
What is the meaning of Zohran Mamdani’s quote?
Zohran Mamdani became mayor of New York City, the most populous city in the United States and one of the most important cities in the world, at the age of 33. And the path to City Hall has not been an easy one for him. He has been attacked over his left-wing political views, his religion, his ethnicity, and perhaps most prominently, his inexperience in an administrative role.
During the first New York mayoral election debate in October 2025, former New York governor and then-independent mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo called out Mamdani on stage, saying that he had no relevant experience and therefore was not fit to be elected to the office of the mayor.
Mamdani’s quote was his response to Cuomo. The words ring true with the message that when it comes to making meaningful contributions in any sphere, it is the strong moral code and ethics of an individual that are more likely to guarantee results, not just their previous experience.
An individual with only experience and without integrity will be encumbered by the knowledge of the way things have always been and not seek out avenues of progress. They are less likely to take a stand against the tide in order to push for something that might be the need of the hour. This will not be an issue for an individual with integrity but without experience.
Experience comes with the job, be it in any field. However, integrity is not something that can be acquired on the go. Therefore, when it comes to picking between the two qualities, the latter always trumps the former.
Relevance of Zohran Mamdani’s quote today
The state of a nation has always been heavily influenced by its leaders. And in a democratic society, it is the responsibility of the citizens to make the right choice in leadership. When the time comes to vote, many of us cast the ballot in favour of an individual who we believe has the necessary experience of being a political leader.
However, it might serve us better to ponder whether the person has the integrity to see through the job for which he is being appointed. The function of a leader is to represent the people and improve their quality of life. And in a world of ever-increasing socio-economic inequality, doing the job requires more integrity than experience.
