Quote Queen

Anna Letitia Barbauld – 1743 – Poet

“The dead of midnight is the noon of thought.”

Charles W. Chesnutt – 1858 – Novelist

“There’s time enough, but none to spare.”

Giorgio Morandi – 1890 – Artist

“Everything is a mystery, ourselves, and all things both simple and humble.”

Lillian Hellman – 1905 – Dramatist

“People change and forget to tell each other.”

Errol Flynn – 1909 – Actor

“It isn’t what they say about you, it’s what they whisper.”

Aime Cesaire – 1913 – Poet

“Poetic knowledge is born in the great silence of scientific knowledge.”

Orlando Aloysius Battista – 1917 – Scientist

“An error doesn’t become a mistake until you refuse to correct it.”

Chet Atkins – 1924 – Musician

“Once you become predictable, no one’s interested anymore.”

Audie Murphy – 1924 – Soldier

“Lead from the front.”

Eric Dolphy – 1928 – Musician

“When you hear music, after it’s over, it’s gone, in the air.  You can never capture it again.”

Olympia Dukakis – 1931 – Actress

“Winning is everything in Hollywood.”

Wendy Craig – 1934 – Actress

“One rose says more than a dozen.”

Lionel Richie – 1949 – Musician

“Greatness comes from fear.  Fear can either shut us down and we can go home, or we fight through it.”

Paul Muldoon – 1951 – Poet

“For whatever reason, people, including very well-educated people or people otherwise interested in reading, do not read poetry.”

John Goodman – 1952 – Actor

“TV is the best babysitter.”

Robert Craig – 1953 – Author

“I love the fact that you collaborate with your readers when you write a book.”

Robert Rodriguez – 1968 – Director

“Creative people are notoriously the slowest to adopt new technology.”

Josh Lucas – 1971 – Actor

“Always do something different.  Always different things.”

Sandra Oh – 1971 – Actress

“Becoming an actor?  If it’s not a calling, don’t do it.  It’s too hard.”

King James I – 1566 – Royalty

“Smoking is hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, and dangerous to the lungs.”

Thomas Fuller – 1608 – Clergyman

“He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every man has need to be forgiven.”

Blaise Pascal – 1623 – Philosopher

“Do you wish people to think well of you?  Don’t speak well of yourself.”

Charles Spurgeon – 1834 – Clergyman

“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”

Sam Walter Foss – 1858 – Poet

“Seek not for fresher founts afar, just drop your bucket where you are.”

Elbert Hubbard – 1859 – Writer

“Your friend is the man who knows all about you, and still likes you.”

Jose Rizal – 1861 – Writer

“He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination.”

Clarence Stein – 1882 – Architect

“The house itself is of minor importance.  Its relation to the community is the thing that really counts.”

Wallis Simpson – 1895 – Royalty

“Never explain, never complain.”

Moe Howard – 1897 – Actor

“Only fools are positive.”

Lou Gehrig – 1903 – Baseball Player

“The ballplayer who loses his head, who can’t keep his cool, is worse than no ballplayer at all.”

Lester Cole – 1904 – Writer

“Forgive your enemies, but first get even.”

Abe Fortas – 1910 – Judge

“Judging is a lonely job in which a man is, as near as may be, an island entire.”

Julius Schwartz – 1915 – Editor

“Not too many people know who the editor is.”

Joshua Nkomo – 1917 – Politician

“All I’m trying to do is not join my ancestral spirits just yet.”

Pauline Kael – 1919 – Critic

“In the arts, the critic is the only independent source of information.  The rest is advertising.”

Gena Rowlands – 1930 – Actress

“I can never have a poker face.  Anybody looking at me can tell exactly what I’m thinking.”

Tobias Wolff – 1945 – Writer

“Memory is funny.  Once you hit a vein the problem is not how to remember but how to control the flow.”

Salman Rushdie – 1947 – Novelist

“A book is a version of the world.  If you do not like it, ignore it; or offer your own version in return.”

Phylicia Rashad – 1948 – Actress

“Acting’s not about nose jobs and liposuction.  It’s about being truthful to what you’re doing.”

Paula Abdul – 1962 – Musician

“Keep the faith, don’t lose your perseverance and always trust your gut instinct.”

Sadie Frost – 1965 – Actress

“Having money has given me a certain freedom, but being in the public eye has taken away a lot.”

Joichi Ito – 1966 – Businessman

“Money creates a power relationship between the payer and the payee.”

Lara Spencer – 1969 – Journalist

“Finding your style is like putting puzzle pieces together.”

Robin Tunney – 1972 – Actress

“Actors love mental disorders, dialects, and corsets.  Give them one of the three and they’re happy.”

Brian McBride – 1972 – Athlete

“Basically I say a few prayers before a game and let that direct me, not superstitions.”

Poppy Montgomery – 1975 – Actress

“Every rule should be broken at least one time.”

Zoe Saldana – 1978 – Actor

“Glamour is about feeling good in your own skin.”

Mia Maestro – 1978 – Actress

“If you’re always strict with yourself, life gets miserable.  And we’re supposed to enjoy life.”

Paul Dano – 1984 – Actor

“Everything you do, every experience that you have, enlightens you a little bit or worsens you.”

Ivan Goncharov – 1812 – Novelist

“It is a trick among the dishonest to offer sacrifices that are not needed, or not possible, to avoid making those that are required.”

Auberon Herbert – 1838 – Writer

“You will not make a man wiser by taking freedom or action from him.  A man can only learn when he is free to act.”

Carolyn Wells – 1862 – Author

“Advice is one of those things it is far more blessed to give than to receive.”

Raymond Radiguet – 1903 – Author

“Originality consists in trying to be like everybody else and failing.”

Robert Mondavi – 1913 – Businessman

“How beautiful it is to excel, and the goodness of giving from your heart.”

Sammy Cahn – 1919 – Musician

“The popular song is America’s greatest ambassador.”

Red Adair – 1915- Celebrity

“If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.”

Phil Crosby – 1926 – Businessman

“You have to lead people gently toward what they already know is right.”

Jerzy Kosinski – 1933 – Novelist

“The principles of true art is not to portray, but to evoke.”

Gail Godwin – 1937 – Novelist

“None of us suddenly becomes something overnight.  The preparations have been in the making for a lifetime.”

Lou Brock – 1939 – Athlete

“Show me a guy who’s afraid to look bad, and I’ll show you a guy you can beat every time.”

Roger Ebert – 1942 – Critic

“Your intellect may be confused, but your emotions will never lie to you.”

Paul McCartney – 1942 – Musician

“I used to think anyone doing anything weird was weird.  Now I know it is the people that call others weird that are weird.”

Bill Keller – 1949 – Editor

“Choosing my favorite moment in journalism would be like picking a favorite among my children.  I can’t pick one favorite.”

Chris Van Allsburg – 1949 – Author

“The idea of the extraordinary happening in the context of the ordinary is what’s fascinating to me.”

Richard Powers – 1957 – Novelist

“I don’t mind arguing with myself.  It’s when I lose that it bothers me.”

Barbara Broccoli – 1960 – Producer

“Never give up, have the passion.  Don’t be afraid.”

Alison Moyet – 1961 – Musician

“When you have a creative mind, it doesn’t stop going.”

Dan O’Brien – 1966 – Athlete

“Take pride in exactly what it is you do and remember it’s okay to fail as long as you don’t give up.”

Ray LaMontagne – 1973 – Musician

“You have to believe in yourself before anybody else believes in you.”

Blake Shelton – 1976 – Musician

“To me, what makes an artist is a unique personality that they’re not afraid to let show.”

David Giuntoli – 1981 – Actor

“Fame for fame’s sake is never a good road to go down.”

Richard Madden – 1986 – Actor

“I try to live honestly in every aspect of my life, which can make things a bit more complicated, right?”

Renee Olstead – 1989 – Actress

“The biggest ingredient in a best friend is someone whose actions you respect and who you can truly be yourself around.”

Charles Gounod – 1818 – Composer

“Musical ideas sprang to my mind like a flight of butterflies, and all I had to do was to stretch out my hand to catch them.”

Henry Lawson – 1867 – Writer

“Beer makes you feel the way you ought to feel without beer.”

Carl Van Vechten – 1880 – Writer

“The cat, it is well to remember, remains the friend of man because it pleases him to do so and not because he must.”

Igor Stravinsky – 1882 – Composer

“I haven’t understood a bar of music in my life, but I have felt it.”

M. C. Escher – 1898 – Artist

“We adore chaos because we love to produce order.”

Charles Eames – 1907 – Designer

“The real questions are:  Does it solve a problem?  Is it serviceable?  How is it going to look in ten years?”

John Hersey – 1914 – Writer

“Journalism allows its readers to witness history; fiction gives its readers an opportunity to live it.”

Kingman Brewster, Jr. – 1919 – Educator

“There is no greater challenge than to have someone relying on you; no greater satisfaction than to vindicate his expectation.”

Rod Paige – 1933 – Politician

Newt Gingrich (Photo credit: Talk Radio News Service)

“Character is one of the most precious parts of you.  You can’t get involved in things that will damage your character.”

William Lucking – 1941 – Actor

“Don’t even think of acting as a profession unless not doing it would cause you to sicken and waste away.”

Barry Manilow – 1943 – Singer (Barry Alan Pincus)

“You say something stupid and the next morning you’re in the headlines.”

Burt Rutan – 1943 – Scientist

“Testing leads to failure, and failure leads to understanding.”

Newt Gingrich – 1943 – Politician

“Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.”

Tommy Franks – 1945 – Soldier

“No one hates war like a soldier hates war.”

Jello Biafra – 1958 – Musician

“For every prohibition you create, you also create an underground.”

Greg Kinnear – 1963 – Actor

“I’ve never had a clear road map.  When things come along, I benefit.”

Tory Burch – 1966 – Designer

“One of my greatest talents is recognizing talent in others and giving them the forum to shine.”

Jason Clarke – 1969 – Actor

“As an actor, the first thing you learn in drama school is you never judge.”

Will Forte – 1970 – Actor

“My life is littered with bad decisions.”

Venus Williams – 1980 – Athlete

“You have to believe in yourself when no one else does – that makes you a winner right there.”

Kendrick Lamar – 1987 – Musician

“It’s easy to forget who you are.”

Giovanni Boccaccio – 1313 – Author

“People tend to believe the bad rather than the good.”

Geronimo – 1829 – Statesman

“While living I want to live well.”

Stan Laurel – 1890 – Actor

“Another fine mess you’ve gotten me into.”

Barbara McClintock – 1902 – Scientist

“If you know you are on the right track, if you have this inner knowledge, then nobody can turn you off…no matter what they say.”

Enoch Powell – 1912 – Politician

“If my ship sails from sight, it doesn’t mean my journey ends, it simply means the river bends.”

John Tukey – 1915 – Scientist

“Far better an approximate answer to the right question, which is often vague, than the exact answer to the wrong question, which can always be made precise.”

Katharine Graham – 1917 – Businesswoman

“A mistake is simply another way of doing things.”

Isabelle Holland – 1920 – Writer

“As long as you don’t forgive, who and whatever it is will occupy rent-free space in your mind.”

Idries Shah – 1924 – Author

JOYCE CAROL OATES (Author -Novelist) / Book Reading & Signing Event 2008 – Bryant Park, Manhattan NYC – 07/23/08 (Photo credit: asterix611)

“Enlightenment must come little by little – otherwise it would overwhelm.”

John Shelby Spong – 1931 – Clergyman

“Whatever diminishes life is evil, and whatever enhances life is good.”

Erich Segal – 1937 – Novelist

“True love comes quietly, without banners or flooding lights,  If you hear bells, get your ears checked.”

Joyce Carol Oates – 1938 – Novelist

“In love there are two things – bodies and words.”

Phil Mickelson – 1970 – Golfer

“The object of golf is not just to win.  It is to play like a gentleman, and win.”

Tupac Shakur – 1971 – Musician

“My mama always used to tell me:  ‘If you can’t find somethin’ to live for, you best find somethin’ to die for.'”

John Cho – 1972 – Actor

“With acting, you are a small part of the creative process, and sometimes it is hard to feel like you are making an impact.”

Ben Rattray – 1980 – Businessman

“Some charaties treat donors like cash machines.  Until now there hasn’t been any effective way for them to provide a more personal or interactive giving experiences.”

Rachel Jackson – 1767 – Wife of 7th President Andrew Jackson

“Believe me, this country (Florida) has been greatly overrated.  One acre of our fine Tennessee land is worth a thousand here.”

Erik Erikson – 1902 – Psychologist

“What was Freud’s Galapogos, what species fluttered what kinds of wings before his searching eyes?  It has often been pointed out derisively:  His creative laboratory was the neurologist’s office, the dominant species hysterical ladies.”

Saul Steinberg – 1914 – Cartoonist and Artist

“I am among the few who continue to draw after childhood is ended, continuing and perfecting childhood drawing and without the traditional interruption of academic training.”

Herbert Simon – 1916 – Mathematical Social Scientist

“Everyone designs who devises courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones.”

Morris K. Udall – 1922 – Congressman

“Lord, give us the wisdom to utter words that are gentle and tender, for tomorrow we may have to eat them.”

Mario Cuomo – 1932 – Governor of New York

“You campaign in poetry.  You govern in prose.”

Waylon Jennings – 1937 – Country Music Singer and Musician

“Don’t ever try and be like anybody else and don’t be afraid to take risks.”

Karen Morrell – 1954 – Educator and Author

“Win from within.”

Helen Hunt – 1963 – Actress

“I think that all of us are 5-year-olds and we don’t want to be embarrassed in the schoolyard.”

Courtney Cox – 1964 – Actress

“A lot of my humor comes from anger.  It’s like, you’re not gonna pull one over on me – which is pretty much my motto always.”

Ice Cube – 1969 – Songwriter, Actor, and Director (O’Shea Jackson)

“I think the worst thing you can do about a situation is nothing.”