Quote Queen

Melvin Van Peebles Shankbone NYC 2010 (Photo credit: david_shankbone)

Saint Francis de Sales – 1567 – Clergyman

“Have patience with all things, But, first of all with yourself.”

Jules Michelet – 1798 – Historian

“You are one of the forces of nature.”

Count Basie – 1904 – Musician

“If you play a tune and a person doesn’t tap their feet, don’t play the tune.”

Jack Buck – 1924 – Celebrity

“You can’t get a job without experience and you can’t get experience until you have a job.  Once you solve that problem, you are home free.”

Thomas S. Monson – 1927 – Clergyman

“Work will win when wishy washy wishing won’t.”

Princess Margaret – 1930 – British Royalty

“I have always had a dread of becoming a passenger in life.”

Melvin Van Peebles – 1932 – Actor

“I make a film like I cook for friends.  I hope they like it, but if they don’t, I’m prepared to enjoy it all by myself.”

Wilt Chamberlain – 1936 – Athlete

“If you have ability in a certain area, why not capitalize on it and improve it and use it?”

Kenny Rogers (Photo credit: Eva Rinaldi Celebrity and Live Music Photographer)

Kenny Rogers – 1938 – Musician

“You gotta know when to hold ’em, know what to fold ’em, know when to walk away, know when to run.”

Jackie DeShannon – 1944 – Musician

“Ignorance is a kind of bliss.”

Glenn Hughes – 1952 – Musician

“Listen to your inner-voice:  Surround yourself with loving, nurturing people.  Fall in love with your art and find yourself. Music is the great communicator.”

Kim Cattrall – 1956 – Actress

“Really rejoice in being yourself.  Have your own drumbeat.”

John Howe – 1957 – Artist

“Character is power; it makes friends, draws patronage and support and opens the way to wealth, honor, and happiness.”

Jim McMahon – 1959 – Athlete

“Yes, risk-taking is inherently failure-prone.  Otherwise, it would be called sure-thing-taking.”

Mohammed VI of Morocco – 1963 – Moroccan Royalty

“I may appear to be full of myself because I always want better.”

Serj Tankian – 1967 – Musician

“Pretending that we live doesn’t make us alive.”

Sergey Brin – 1973 – Businessman

“Solving big problems is easier than solving little problems.”

English: Shirley Booth Español: Shirley Booth (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Benjamin Harrison – 1833 – 23rd President of the United States

“Great lives never go out; they go on.”

Edgar Guest – 1881 – Poet

“I want to be able, as days go by, always to look myself straight in the eye.”

Shirley Booth – 1907 – Actress

“There is an audience for every play; it’s just that sometimes it can’t wait long enough to find it.”

Al Lopez – 1908 – Coach

“Do what you love to do and give it your very best.  Whether it’s business or baseball, or the theater, or any field.  If you don’t love what you’re doing and you can’t give it your best, get out of it.  Life is too short.  You’ll be an old man before you know it.”

Jacqueline Susann – 1918 – Author

“I don’t think any novelist should be concerned with literature.”

Ron Paul – 1935 – Politician

“Setting a good example is a far better way to spread ideals than through force of arms.”

Eckhard Pfeiffer – 1941 – Businessman

“Today is either the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning.  Today we are making history.”

Isaac Hayes – 1942 – Musician

“If you enjoy the fragrance of a rose, you must accept the thorns which it bears.”

Sylvester McCoy – 1943 – Actor

“I don’t relax.  I sit down and contemplate all the energetic things I should do.”

Rajir Gandhi – 1944 – Statesman

“For some days, people thought that India was shaking.  But there are always tremors when a great tree falls.”

Connie Chung – 1946 – TV Journalist

“I think men are allowed to be fat and bald and ugly and women aren’t.  And it’s just not – there is no equality there.”

Connie Chung By Phil Konstantin (Photo credit: Officer Phil)

Robert Plant – 1948 – Musician

“Does anyone remember laughter?”

Greg Bear – 1951 – Writer

“Science fiction works best when it stimulates debate.”

Al Roker – 1954 – Entertainer

“In the pregnancy process I have come to realize how much of a burden is on the female partner.  She’s got a construction zone going on in her belly.”

Fred Wilson – 1961 – Businessman

“When I see people laughing at ideas and companies we have backed, I smile.  It means we are going to make a lot of money on that investment.”

James Rollins – 1961 – Author

“Growing up with three brothers and three sisters, I was the storyteller of the family … what my mother called ‘The Liar.'”

Greg Egan – 1961 – Scientist

“Widespread caffeine use explains a lot about the twentieth century.”

Fred Durst – 1970 – Musician

“To walk around with an ego is a bad thing.  To have confidence in yourself is a great thing.”

John Carmack – 1970 – Scientist

“Focus is a matter of deciding what things you’re not going to do.”

Amy Adams – 1974 – Actress

“I’m one of seven kids.  That’ll keep your ego in check.”

Andrew Garfield – 1983 – Actor

“I’ve realized that at the top of the mountain, there’s another mountain.”

English: James Nasmyth, 1808 – 1890. Inventor of the steam hammer. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

John Dryden – 1631 – Poet and Dramatist

“Words are but pictures of our thoughts.”

Samuel Richardson – 1689 – Novelist

“Calamity is the test of integrity.”

James Nasmyth – 1808 – Inventor

“Our history begins before we are born.  We represent the hereditary influences of our race, and our ancestors virtually live in us.”

Bernard Baruch – 1870 – Economist and Advisor to Presidents

“Most of the successful people I’ve known are the ones who do more listening than talking.”

Orville Wright – 1871 – Printer, Publisher, and Airplane Inventor

“No flying machine will ever fly from New York to Paris.”

Coco Chanel – 1883 – Fashion Designer

“Fashion changes.  Style remains.”

Leonid Kulik – 1883 – Mineralogist

“The results of even a cursory examination exceed all the tabs of eyewitnesses and my wildest expectations.”

Ogden Nash – 1902 – Author

“A family is a unit composed not only of children but of men, women, an occasional animal, and the common cold.”

Malcolm Forbes – 1919 – Publisher

“Being right half the time beats being half-right all the time.”

Gene Roddenberry – 1921 – Screenwriter, Producer, and Aviator

“These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise.  Its five year mission … to boldly go where no man has gone before.”

Willie Shoemaker – 1931 – Jockey

“Desire is the most important factor in the success of any athlete.”

Story Musgrave – 1935 – Physician and Astronaut (Franklin Story Musgrave)

“I had no books as a child.  I had real machines, and I went out to work in the fields.  I was driving farm machinery at five, and fixing it at age seven or eight.  It’s no accident that I worked on Hubble 50 to 60 years later.”

Jack Canfield – 1944 – Author

“Self-esteem is made up primarily of two things:  feeling lovable and feeling capable.”

English: Story Musgrave (M.D.), NASA Astronaut (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

William Clinton – 1946 – 42nd President of the United States

“We must teach our children to resolve their conflicts with words, not weapons.”

Lee Ann Womack – 1966 – Musician

“I’ve learned the lesson that when you’re in the middle of something that seems overwhelming, or you’re in a bad situation and it seems like it’s the end of the world or whatever, then you learn that it’s not.”

Matthew Perry – 1969 – Actor

“After I got my first laugh on stage, I was hooked.”

Jase Robertson – 1969 – Celebrity

“You can talk any redneck into a challenge.  That’s why so many rednecks die in strange ways.”

Aarti Sequeira – 1978 – Chef

“So many of the recipes that I come up with have a story.  I’m a blogger.  It flowed very naturally out of me, but I also knew this was a way to set my recipes apart.  A, they are always using interesting ingredients but B, there is always a story behind it.”

Rosalynn with her husband and daughter Amy on the south lawn in front of the White House, July 24, 1977 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Meriwether Lewis – 1774 – Explorer

“The weather became so intensely cold that we sent for all the hunters who had remained out with Captain Clarke’s party, and they returned in the evening several of them frostbitten.”

Marshall Field – 1834 – Businessman

“Good will is the one and only asset that competition cannot under sell or destroy.”

Jean Guitton – 1901 – Philosopher

“Originality exists in every individual because each of us differs from the others.  We are all primary numbers divisible only by ourselves.”

Shelley Winters – 1920 – Actress

“I’m not overweight.  I’m just nine inches too short.”

Rosalynn Carter – 1927 – Wife of President Jimmy Carter

“A leader takes people where they want to go.  A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to go.”

Marge Schott – 1928 – Businesswoman

“It’s only money, honey.”

Roman Polanski – 1933 – Director

“I can only say that whatever my life and work have been, I’m not envious of anyone – and this is my biggest satisfaction.”

Roberto Clemente – 1934 – Athlete

“I want to be remembered as a ballplayer who gave all I had to give.”

Robert Redford – 1937 – Actor

“Never revisit the past, that’s dangerous.  You know, move on.”

Martin Mull – 1943 – Actor

“Having children is like having a bowling alley installed in your brain.”

Paula Danziger – 1944 – Author

“The books are funny and sad, and that’s what people respond to.”

Patrick Swayze – 1952 – Actor

“What winning is to me is not giving up, is no matter what’s thrown at me, I can take it.  And I keep going.”

Elayne Boosler – 1952 – Comedian

“I am thankful the most important key in history was invented.  It’s not the key to your house, your car, your boat, your safety deposit box, your bike lock, or your private community.  It’s the key to order, sanity, and peace of mind.  The key is ‘Delete.'”

Ma Jian – 1953 – Writer

“Only when you are aware of the uniqueness of everyone’s individual body will you begin to have a sense of your own self-worth.”

Brian Michael Bendis – 1967 – Artist

“You’re as good as the people you’re with.”

Malcolm-Jamal Warner at National Black Theater Festival (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Edward Norton – 1969 – Actor

“Life, like poker has an element of risk.  It shouldn’t be avoided.  It should be faced.”

Malcolm-Jamal Warner – 1970 – Actor

“I never wanted to look back on my career and be embarrassed about work that I chose to do.”

Nicole Krauss – 1974 – Author

“I think of novels as houses.  You live in them over the course of a long period, both as a reader and as a writer.”

Andy Samberg – 1978 – Comedian

“That is a strange phenomenon, people pretending to be other people.”

Julia Marlowe as Galatea in a U.S. production (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

William Carey – 1761 – Clergyman

“I can plod.  I can preserve in any definite pursuit.  To this I owe everything.”

Davy Crockett – 1786 – Pioneer

“Be always sure you’re right, then go ahead.”

Henry Drummond – 1851 – Writer

“To love abundantly is to live abundantly, and to love forever is to live forever.”

Julia Marlowe – 1866 – Actress

“The inability to listen and to depict in the countenance what others have said has spoiled many a good actress.”

Samuel Goldwyn – 1882 – Producer

“Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.”

Marcus Garvey – 1887 – Publisher

“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”

Harry Hopkins – 1890 – Diplomat

“We shall tax and tax, and spend and spend, and elect and elect.”

Mae West – 1893 – Actress

“Too much of a good thing can be wonderful.”

John Hay Whitney – 1905 – Publisher

“To be fair is not enough anymore.  We must be ferociously fair.”

Maureen O’Hara – 1920 – Actress

“I was born into the most remarkable and eccentric family I could possibly have hoped for.”

Larry Rivers – 1923 – Musician

“Any art communicates what you’re in the mood to receive.”

V. S. Naipaul – 1932 – Novelist (Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul)

“That element of surprise is what I look for when I am writing.  It is my way of judging what I am doing – which is never an easy thing to do.”

Maureen O’Hara (Photo credit: signerlaraine)

Robert De Niro – 1943 – Actor

“Time goes on.  So whatever you’re going to do, do it.  Do it now.  Don’t wait.”

Millard Drexler – 1944 – Businessman

“I like to prove things wrong.”

Larry Ellison – 1944 – Businessman

“I have had all the disadvantages required for success.”

Robin Cousins – 1957 – Professional Ice Skater

“Advice for anybody – enjoy what you’re doing, enjoy the process of learning and don’t be impatient.”

Eric Schlosser – 1959 – Journalist

“Different people, in good faith, can look at the same fact and interpret it differently.  But that’s where an interesting conversation begins.”

Sean Penn – 1960 – Actor

“There’s a lot of mediocrity being celebrated, and a lot of wonderful stuff being ignored or discouraged.”
Jim Courier – 1970 – Athlete

“I think all of us are shaped by the choices we make.”

Giuliana Rancic – 1974 – Journalist

“A lot of us think we’re invincible … but we have to start putting ourselves on the to-do-list.”

Arthur Cayley Portrait (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Arthur Cayley – 1821 – Mathematician

“As for everything else, so for a mathematical theory:  beauty can be perceived but not explained.”

Gabriel Lippmann – 1845 – Scientist

“Life is short and progress is slow.”

Francis Darwin – 1848 – Scientist

“In science, the credit goes to the man who convinces the world, not to whom the idea first occurs.”

Jules Laforgue – 1860 – Poet

“Oh, what a day-to-day business life is.”

Amos Alonzo Stagg – 1862 – Athlete

“Winning isn’t worthwhile unless one has something finer and nobler behind it.”

E. F. Schumacher – 1911 – Economist

“Never let an inventor run a company.  You can never get him to stop tinkering and bring something to market.”

Charles Bukowski – 1920 – Author

“An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way.  An artist says a hard thing in a simple way.”

Bill Copeland – 1929 – Athlete

“Not only is women’s work never done, the definition keeps changing.”

Ted Hughes – 1930 – Poet

“What happened in the heart simply happens.”

Frank Gifford – 1930 – Athlete

“Gray skies are just clouds passing over.”

Kathie Lee Gifford – 1953 – Entertainer

Madonna at her ‘Confessions’ Tour at Wembley Arena. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“If I could learn to treat triumph and disaster the same, then I would find bliss.”

William F. DeVault – 1955 – Poet

“A quote is just a tattoo on the tongue.”

Madonna – 1958 – Entertainer (Madonna Louise Ciccone)

“I sometimes think I was born to live up to my name.  How could I be anything else but what I am having been named Madonna?  I would either have ended up a nun or this!”

Steve Carell – 1963 – Actor

“Nothing to me feels as good as laughing incredibly hard.”

Lillian Gordy Carter (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Napoleon Bonaparte – 1769 – French Dictator

“Now we are in a fix.  Peace has been declared.”

Florence Harding – 1860 – Wife of President Warren Harding

“I have only one real hobby – my husband.”

Ethel Barrymore – 1879 – Actress

“The best time to make friends is before you need them.”

Edna Ferber – 1885 – Novelist

“A closed mind is a dying mind.”

Lillian Gordy Carter – 1898 – Mother of President Jimmy Carter

“If I had one wish for my children, it would be that each of them would reach for goals that have meaning for them as individuals.”

Julia Child – 1912 – Chef

“Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.”

Paul Rand – 1914 – Designer

“Simplicity is not the goal.  It is the by-product of a good idea and modest expectations.”

William J. Johnston – 1918 – United States Soldier

“A chrysanthemum by any other name would be easier to spell.”

Robert F. Goheen – 1919 – Educator

English: Robert F. Goheen when he first came to Princeton in 1936 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“If you feel you have both feet planted on level ground, then the university has failed you.”

Lukas Foss – 1922 – Composer

“Most people think an artist tries to be original, but originality is the last thing that develops in the artist.”

Phyllis Schlafly – 1924 – Activist

“Bite us once, shame on the dog; bite us repeatedly, shame on us for allowing it.”

Robert Bolt – 1924 – Playwright

“The law is not a ‘light’ for you or any man to see by; the law is not an instrument of any kind.  The law is a causeway upon which so long as he keeps to it a citizen may walk safely.”

Oscar Peterson – 1925 – Musician

“If you have something to say of any worth then people will listen to you.”

Nicolas Roeg – 1928 – Director

“In life, we all learn from everyone.”

Stanley Milgram – 1933 – Psychologist

“It is easy to ignore responsibility when one is only an intermediate link in a chain of action.”

Vernon Jordan – 1935 – Businessman

“Every company, every boardroom in which I sit, has a plan, and they have objectives, goals, and a process.  And to make it work, the pressure and incentive have to come from the top.”

Jim Dale – 1935 – Musician

“There is no spray can called ‘Instant Stardom,’ only talent can keep you at the top.”

Judy Biggert – 1937 – Politician

“As children, many of us were taught never to talk to strangers.  As parents and grandparents, our message must change with technology to include strangers on the Internet.”

Stephen Breyer – 1938 – Judge

“Independence doesn’t mean you decide the way you want.”

Linda Ellerbee – 1944 – Journalist

“People are pretty much alike.  It’s only that our differences are more susceptible to definition than our similarities.”

Jimmy Webb – 1946 – Composer

“The creative processes are so mysterious.”

Andres Serrano – 1950 – Photographer

“An artist is nothing without his or her obsessions, and I have mine.”

Princess Anne – 1950 – British Royalty

“Golf seems to be an arduous way to go for a walk.  I prefer to take the dogs out.”

Debi Mazar – 1964 – Actress

“A hero is somebody who is selfless, who is generous in spirit, who just tries to give back as much as possible and help people.  A hero to me is someone who saves people and who really deeply cares.”

Debra Messing – 11968 – Actress

“When you’re passionate about something, you want it to be all it can be.  But in the endgame of life, I fundamentally believe the key to happiness is letting go of that idea of perfection.”

Anthony Anderson – 1970 – Actor

“Be ready for when your time comes.  You will have that window of opportunity, so seize the moment and capitalize on it.”

Ben Affleck – 1972 – Actor

“All I do, really is go to work and try to be professional, be on time and be prepared.”

Kerri Walsh – 1978 – Athlete

“I think the Number 1 thing that helps me get through every single day is the support of my friends and my family.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon (1802-1838) by Maclise (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Walter Scott – 1771 – Novelist

“For success, attitude is equally as important as ability.”

Letitia Elizabeth Landon – 1802 – Poet

“An apt question is like a lamp which flings its light over the whole sentence.”

John Galsworthy – 1867 – Author

“If you do not think about your future, you cannot have one.”

Pierre Schaeffer – 1910 – Composer

“Sound is the vocabulary of nature.”

Wellington Mara – 1916 – Businessman

“In trying to scramble out of a hole, it sometimes digs deeper.”

Russell Baker – 1925 – Journalist

“Don’t try to make children grow up to be like you, or they may do it.”

Earl Weaver – 1930 – Coach

“Coaches are an integral part of any manager’s team, especially if they are good pinochle players.”

Steve Martin – 1945 – Comedian and Actor

“A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.”

Danielle Steele – 1947 – Author

“A bad review is like baking a cake with all the best ingredients and having someone sit on it.”

Gary Larsen – 1950 – Cartoonist

“Great moments in science:  Einstein discovers that time is actually money.”

Debbie Meyer – 1952 – Athlete

“Believe in yourself, not only in swimming, but in life itself.  You always have to have fun.  You have to have an open mind.  If you’re not enjoying it, don’t do it.  Life’s too short.”

Marcia Gay Harden – 1959 – Actress

“I love it when ugliness is beautiful.  I love character flaws.”

Magic Johnson – 1959 – Athlete (Earvin Johnson, Jr.)

“All kids need is a little help, a little hope and somebody who believes in them.”

Susan Olsen – 1961 – Actress

“If you were a kid actor, if you had any plans of being an actor as an adult, you were really barking up the wrong tree.”

Sarah Brightman – 1961 – Musician

“Anything can happen to anyone at any time and you shouldn’t just live through the days, or you lose them.  You should do what you can to enjoy every moment.”

Emmanuelle Beart – 1965 – Actress

“Beauty is not something you can count on.  Usually, when people say you are beautiful, it is when there is a harmony between the inside and the outside.”

Catherine Bell – 1968 – Model

“I’m a firm believer in doing things that scare you.”

Halle Berry – 1968 – Actress

“After all, everybody has secrets and there are some things that nobody knows about you but only you, right?”

Jill Bennett – 1975 – Actress

“Never marry a man who hates his mother because he would end up hating you.”

Tim Tebow OPENSports.com (Photo credit: OPEN Sports)

Benjamin Cohen – 1982 – Journalist

“The truth is that most small businesses will not succeed and you need to be emotionally prepared for this.”

Mila Kunis – 1983 – Actress

“Always have a backup plan.”

Tim Tebow – 1987 – Professional Football Player

“You just try to be nice to everybody and treat them all the same.  Treat them how you would want to be treated.”

Ben Hogan (Photo credit: Steve and Sara)

Felix Adler – 1851 – Educator

“The family is the school of duties – founded on love.”

Burt Lahr – 1895 – Actor

“After The Wizard of Oz I was typecast as a lion, and there aren’t all that many parts for lions.”

Alfred Hitchcock – 1899 – Author

“The more outrageous a subject can get, the more I like it.”

William Bernbach – 1911 – Businessman

“The most powerful element in advertising is the truth.”

Ben Hogan – 1912 – Golfer

“As you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses, for you only get to play one round.”

Frederick Sanger – 1918 – Scientist

“It is like a voyage of discovery into unknown lands, seeking not for new territory but for new knowledge.  It should appeal to those with a good sense of adventure.”

George Shearing – 1919 – Musician

“You know, when you’ve established a certain thing, what can you do?  You’re stuck with it.”

Bernard Manning – 1931 – Comedian

“I once bought my kids a set of batteries for Christmas with a note on it saying, toys not included.”

Frederick Sanger, the fourth (and only living) person to win two Nobel Prizes (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Lee R. Raymond – 1938 – Businessman

“It is important to remember that all business has an impact on the lives of real people.”

Bobby Clarke – 1949 – Athlete

“I’ve discovered that the less I say, the more rumors I start.”

Dan Fogelberg – 1951 – Musician

“My grandfather gave me my first guitar, an old acoustic with palm trees and dancing girls painted on it.”

Herb Ritts – 1952 – Photographer

“Regardless of whether you speak the language or are familiar with a culture, the picture should hold up.”

Scott Hamilton – 1958 – Athlete

“Always try to maintain complete tolerance and always make an effort to give people more than they expect.”

Danny Bonaduce – 1959 – Actor

“I am a proud participant of the Spencer Tracy School of Acting:  Know your lines, don’t bump into the furniture.”

William Thomas – 1968 – Athlete

“Anyone who thinks they’re important is usually just a pompous moron who can’t deal with his or her own pathetic insignificance and the fact that what they do is meaningless and inconsequential.”

Alan Shearer – 1970 – Athlete

“The fans have what they want.  They want entertainment, they want passion, and they want commitment.”

English: Edith Hamilton (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Robert Southey – 1774 – Poet

“It is with words as with sunbeams – the more they are condensed, the deeper they burn.”

Katharine Lee Bates – 1859 – Author

“Love planted a rose, and the world turned sweet.”

Julius Rosenwald – 1862 – Businessman

“Do not be fooled into believing that because a man is rich he is necessarily smart.  There is ample proof to the contrary.”

Edith Hamilton – 1867 – Writer

“Faith is not belief.  Belief is passive.  Faith is active.”

Christy Mathewson – 1880 – Athlete

“You can learn little from victory.  You can learn everything from defeat.”

Radclyffe Hall – 1880 – Poet

“You’re neither unnatural, nor abominable, nor mad; you’re as much a part of what people call nature as anyone else.”

Cecil B. DeMille – 1881 – Producer

“The person who makes a success of living is the one who sees his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly.  That is dedication.”

Mathewson in NY Giants uniform (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

George Soros – 1930 – Businessman

“I chose America as my home because I value freedom and democracy, civil liberties and an open society.”

Jean Nouvel – 1945 – Architect

“Each new situation requires a new architecture.”

Dominique Swain – 1980 – Actress

“Things that bring out your emotions are what should be in the theaters and in books.  That’s what art is.  It makes you feel things.”