Arthur Hardy Quotes (16 Quotes)

We need it for our psyche. It's like group therapy. We've likened this to a jazz funeral, we mourn on the way there, and rejoice on the way back. We've got to start rejoicing

We've never had this kind of coverage. It's a real opportunity for the rest of the city to show itself.

In a way, it's like New Year's Eve in Times Square after 911. People want something that says, 'We're back.' We need something other than Sheetrock and wet carpets.

We have no model for this. Will the city ever be back to normal We don't know. All I can tell you is we're going to enjoy this Mardi Gras.

The city government could have canceled this event, but they couldn't have put it on.

For those of us who live here, it's group therapy.

They're wild people. They don't try to be in any way politically correct or socially elite. They have a toilet-seat float, for God's sake. Dignity is not their thing.

Its not to say we dont understand the seriousness of our situation, but sometimes you have to laugh in order not to cry. Mardi Gras is group therapy for us.

Not having it would be like not having Christmas.

I always thought we would have Mardi Gras if we had a city.

We desperately need to let the world know we're alive and that we're open for business. We hope people see the devastation when they come, to better understand what we've been through.

We hope it will signify our comeback. The fact that we're down but not out. We're doing it for group therapy.

People seem to want to hug New Orleans right now, and this is one way they can do it. It's almost like a patriotism toward the city.

The worst is over. The thought of not doing Mardi Gras would be devastating, both financially and psychologically.

We cannot afford not to have Mardi Gras. That message would be -- New Orleans is closed for business.

It's probably the only entertainment event where the people who put it on pay for it and the audience gets a free ticket and we give free gifts to take home.