"To me, what defines a New Yorker is the edge that one develops from having actually lived here. Once you have it, it doesn't go away, and everywhere else in the world feels like it is in slow motion"
About this Quote
The second sentence is the payoff: once you’ve got the edge, the rest of the world becomes “slow motion.” That’s not just bragging about pace; it’s a worldview that reframes impatience as superiority. If everyone else moves slower, you don’t have to ask whether you’re rushing, missing, or steamrolling. You’re simply calibrated correctly. It’s a neat psychological trick, and it’s culturally legible in an era that confuses urgency with importance.
Context matters: this is a brand-adjacent identity statement from a businessman whose public persona is built on dominance, dealmaking, and insider access. “New Yorker” becomes a shorthand for intensity and entitlement at once - the hard shell of grit, the soft center of exceptionalism. The line works because it flatters anyone who’s felt addicted to the city’s friction, while quietly granting the speaker authority in rooms that might otherwise see him as just another heir.
Quote Details
| Topic | Life |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Jr., Donald Trump. (2026, January 15). To me, what defines a New Yorker is the edge that one develops from having actually lived here. Once you have it, it doesn't go away, and everywhere else in the world feels like it is in slow motion. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/to-me-what-defines-a-new-yorker-is-the-edge-that-173263/
Chicago Style
Jr., Donald Trump. "To me, what defines a New Yorker is the edge that one develops from having actually lived here. Once you have it, it doesn't go away, and everywhere else in the world feels like it is in slow motion." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/to-me-what-defines-a-new-yorker-is-the-edge-that-173263/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"To me, what defines a New Yorker is the edge that one develops from having actually lived here. Once you have it, it doesn't go away, and everywhere else in the world feels like it is in slow motion." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/to-me-what-defines-a-new-yorker-is-the-edge-that-173263/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.




