Quote Queen

Hugh Hefner (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hugh Hefner – 1926 – Publisher and Editor

“Life is too short to be living somebody else’s dream.”

Tom Lehrer – 1928 – Musician

“If a person feels he can’t communicate, the least he can do is shut up about it.”

Nathaniel Branden – 1930 – Psychologist

“Live with integrity, respect the rights of other people, and follow your own bliss.”

Jim Fowler – 1932 – Scientist

“I don’t want to save a creek for the creek’s sake, but what’s in it for human beings.”

Paul Krassner – 1932 – Journalist

“For years, reality has been nipping at the heels of satire.  Now, it’s finally caught up.  I don’t need to make this stuff up.”

Carl Perkins – 1932 – Musician

“If it weren’t for the rock in its bed, the stream would have no song.”

Aulis Sallinen – 1935 – Composer

“These days people wallow in enormous masses of sound.”

Sam Ewing – 1949 – Athlete

“Hard work spotlights the character of people:  some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.”

English: Actor Dennis Quaid prepares for a VIP flight with the US Navy (USN) Blue Angels. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dennis Quaid – 1954 – Actor

“I could never hold a job for more than three months, which works out well because that’s how long a movie shoots.”

Marc Jacobs – 1963 – Fashion Designer

“I love to take things that are everyday and comforting and make them into the most luxurious things in the world.”

Paulina Porizkova – 1965 – Model

“When I model I pretty much go blank.  You can’t think too much or it doesn’t work.”

Jesse McCartney – 1987 – Musician

“If you really want it, you need to really work for it.”

Portrait of Harvey Cushing by Doris Ullman, 1920s (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Harvey Cushing – 1869 – Scientist

“A physician is obligated to consider more than a diseased organ, more even than the whole man – he must view the man in his world.”

Mary Pickford – 1892 – Actress and Producer

“Supposing you have tried and failed again and again.  You may have a fresh start any moment you chose, for this thing we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.”

Ilka Chase – 1903 – Actress

“You can always spot a well informed man – his views are the same as yours.”

Sonja Henie – 1912 – Ice Skater and Actress

“Jewelry takes people’s minds off your wrinkles.”

Betty Ford – 1918 – Wife of President Gerald Ford

“I have an independent streak.  You know, it’s kind of hard to tell an independent woman what to do.”

Kofi Annan – 1938 – Secretary General of United Nations

“If one is going to err, one should err on the side of liberty and freedom.”

Catfish Hunter – 1946 – Baseball Player (James Augustus Hunter)

English: President George W. Bush, Former President Gerald Ford and Betty Ford greet the media at the end of his visit in Rancho Mirage, California, Sunday, April 23, 2006. Français : Président américain George W. Bush avec l’ancien président Gerald Ford et sa femme Betty Ford. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Winning isn’t everything.  Wanting to win is.”

Barbara Kingsolver – 1955 – Novelist

“The truth needs so little rehearsal.”

Evan Davis – 1962 – Economist

“Nice guys finish last, but we get to sleep in.”

Julian Lennon – 1963 – Son of John Lennon

“On the one hand, I’ve had such a normal upbringing with my mum, who has kept me grounded, but on the other, the wild experiences through my dad.”

Robin Wright Penn – 1966 – Actress

“If you get enough sleep, cut back on cigarettes and red meat, you look better the next day.”

English: Billie Holiday, Downbeat, New York. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

William Wordsworth – 1770 – Poet

“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.”

William Ellery Channing – 1780 – Writer

“Every human being is intended to have character of his own; to be what no others are, and to do what no other can do.”

Marjory Stoneman Douglas – 1890 – Journalist

“All we need, really, is a change from a near frigid to a tropical attitude of mind.”

David Low – 1891 – Cartoonist

“Making a cartoon occupied usually about three full days, two spent in labour and one in removing the appearance of labour.”

Walter Winchell – 1897 – Journalist

“Gossip is the art of saying nothing in a way that leaves practically nothing unsaid.”

Billie Holiday – 1915 – Singer (Eleanora Fagan)

“If I’m going to sing like someone else, then I don’t need to sing at all.”

Ravi Shankar – 1920 – Sitarist

“Pop changes week to week, month to month.  But great music is like literature.”

Jackie Chan (Photo credit: neonbubble)

Wayne Rogers – 1933 – Actor

“When you’re in the movie business you have a start date and a stop date.”

Jerry Brown – 1938 – Politician

“Inaction may be the biggest form of action.”

Francis Ford Coppola – 1939 – Director and Writer

“Anything you build on a large scale or with intense passion invites chaos.”

Sir David Frost – 1939 – Broadcaster and Businessman

“Television is an invention that permits you to be entertained in your living room by people you wouldn’t have in your home.”

Robert Metcalfe – 1946 – Engineer

“The Internet will catastrophically collapse in 1996.”

Janis Ian – 1951 – Musician

“Once you’re halfway home, you know that you can probably get the rest of the way there.”

Jackie Chan – 1954 – Actor

“The ads all call me fearless, but that’s just publicity.  Anyone who thinks I’m not scared out of my mind whenever I do one of my stunts is crazier than I am.”

Tony Dorsett – 1954 – Athlete

“To succeed, you need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you.”

Christopher Darden – 1956 – Lawyer

“I chose to go to law school because I thought that someday somehow I’d make a difference.”

Russell Crowe – 1964 – Actor

“People accuse me of being arrogant all the time.  I’m not arrogant.  I’m focused.”

Jack Black – 1969 – Actor

“You must never underestimate the power of the eyebrow.”

Lowell Thomas -Historically significant public domain photograph (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Rose Schneiderman – 1882 – Labor Activist and Social Reformer

“You have nothing that the humblest worker has not a right to have also.”

Lowell Thomas – 1892 – News Commentator and Writer

” Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can.”

Donald Wills Douglas – 1892 – Aircraft Industrialist

“Dream no small dream; it lacks magic.  Dream large.  Then make the dream real.”

Ram Dass – 1931 – Psychologist

“If you think you’re free, there’s no escape possible.”

Merle Haggard – 1937 – Country Music Singer and Songwriter

“To me, the word ‘rules’ was just something to rhyme with fools.”

Billy Dee Williams – 1937 – Actor and Writer

“Failure’s not a bad thing.  It builds character.  It makes you stronger.”

John Sculley – 1939 – Businessman

“I have found that I always learn more from my mistakes than from my successes.  If you aren’t making some mistakes, you aren’t taking enough chances.”

Neal Boortz – 1945 – Journalist

English: Billy Dee Williams at the 2011 Phoenix Comicon in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Freedom isn’t for wimps.”

Marilu Henner – 1952 – Actress

“Like it or not, the world evolves, priorities change, and so do you.”

Clayton Christensen – 1952 – Businessman

“You may hate gravity, but gravity doesn’t care.”

Michele Bachmann – 1956 – Politician

“We’re running out of rich people in this country.”

Frank Black – 1965 – Musician

“But the truth is that critics are by definition critical.  That’s their job.”

This screenshot shows Spencer Tracy as Dr. Jekyll conducting his experiments. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Booker T. Washington – 1856 – Educationist

“No race can prosper till it learns there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem.”

Spencer Tracy – 1900 – Actor

“This mug of mine is as plain as a barn door. Why should people pay 35 cents to look at it?”

Melvyn Douglas – 1901 – Actor

“Don’t make excuses and don’t talk about it.  Do it.”

Richard Eberhart – 1904 – Poet

“Style is the perfection of a point of view.”

Bette Davis – 1908 – Actress

“To look back is to relax one’s vigil.”

Goddard Lieberson – 1911 – Businessman

“Show me an orchestra that likes its conductor and I’ll show you a lousy conductor.”

Gregory Peck – 1916 – Actor

“Tough times don’t last, tough people do, remember?”

Robert Bloch – 1917 – Writer

Cropped screenshot of Bette Davis from the trailer for the film The Letter. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“The man who can smile when things go wrong has thought of someone else he can blame on it.”

Frank Gorshin – 1933 – Actor

“The finer the bait, the shorter the wait!”

Colin Powell – 1937 – Military Leader

“You can’t make someone else’s choices.  You shouldn’t let someone else make yours.”

Dean Kamen – 1951 – Inventor

“I don’t want to think about how many people have thought or still think that I’m crazy.”

Krista Allen – 1972 – Actress

“Life is too short not to do a little practical joking.”

Kim Collins – 1976 – Athlete

“Strive for continuous improvement, instead of perfection.”

Maya Angelou (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Lawrence Barrett – 1836 – Actor

“An actor is a sculptor who carves in snow.”

Remy de Gourmont – 1858 – Novelist

“If the secret of being a bore is to tell all, the secret of pleasing is to say just enough to be – not understood, but divined.”

Tris Speaker – 1888 – Athlete

“Luck is the great stabilizer in baseball.”

Robert E. Sherwood – 1896 – Playwright

“We all come from our own little planets.  That’s why we’re all different.  That’s what makes life interesting.”

Muddy Waters – 1915 – Musician (McKinley Morganfield)

“If you got something you don’t want other people to know, keep it in your pocket.”

Maya Angelou – 1928 – Writer and Singer (Marguerite Johnson)

“The caged bird sings with a fearful trill / of things unknown but longed for still / and his tune is heard on the distant hill / for the caged bird sings of freedom.”

Clive Davis – 1932 – Businessman

“You’ve got to seize the opportunity if it is presented to you.”

Kitty Kelley – 1942 – Journalist

“A hero is someone we can admire without apology.”

Craig T. Nelson – 1944 – Actor

“When there’s that forgiveness present and compassion, it just helps you live so much easier.”

English: Actor Robert Downey Jr. promoting the film “Iron Man” in Mexico City (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Christine Lahti – 1950 – Actress

“After doing so many different roles, if you don’t stretch yourself, there’s no excitement left.”

John Hannah – 1951 – Athlete

“The greatest ability in business is to get along with others and influence their actions.  A chip on the shoulder is too heavy a piece of baggage to carry through life.”

David E. Kelley – 1956 – TV and Film Writer

“The more lawyers there are, the more people are out there to encourage others not to go to law school.”

Robert Downey, Jr. – 1965 – Actor

“The lesson is that you can still make mistakes and be forgiven.”

Jill Scott – 1972 – Musician

“To be a queen of a household is a powerful thing.”

David Blaine – 1973 – Magician

“We are all capable of infinitely more than we believe.”

Heath Ledger – 1979 – Actor

“If you are just safe about the choices you make, you don’t grow.”

A portrait of Washington Irving. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

John Lyly – 1553 – Writer

“He that loseth his honesty hath nothing else to lose.”

George Herbert – 1593 – Poet

“A lean compromise is better than a fat lawsuit.”

Washington Irving – 1783 – Author (Geoffrey Crayon)

“A kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles.”

John Burroughs – 1837 – Author

“A man can fail many times, but he isn’t a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.”

Otto Weininger – 1880 – Philosopher

“All genius is a conquering of chaos and mystery.”

Herb Caen – 1916 – Journalist

“A man begins cutting his wisdom teeth the first time he bites off more than he can chew.”

Marlon Brando – 1924 – Actor

“Never confuse the size of your paycheck with the size of your talent.”

Doris Day – 1924 – Actress (Doris Von Kappelhoff)

“The really frightening thing about middle age is the knowledge that you’ll grow out of it.”

Helmut Kohl – 1930 – Politician

“Peace must be more than the absence of war.”

Jane Goodell – 1934 – Ethologist

Otto Weininger 1903 – Das ofizielle Porträt, vom Original-Verlag verbreitet (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“The greatest danger to our future is apathy.”

Jan Berry – 1941 – Musician

“When the darkness comes, keep an eye on the light – whatever that is for you – no matter how far away it seems.”

Wayne Newton – 1942 – Singer

“I believe that fate is choices – it’s not chance.”

Richard Thompson – 1949 – Musician

“The best thing you’ve got going for you is individuality.”

Eddie Murphy – 1961 – Actor

“I’ve always had confidence.  It came because I have lots of initiative.  I wanted to make something of myself.”

Picabo Street – 1971 – Olympic Skier

“I’m not following anybody’s tracks, I’m making my own, baby.”

Aries Spears – 1975 – Actor

“To sustain longevity, you have to evolve.”

Amanda Bynes – 1986 – Actress

“People have a preconceived notion about who I am and it’s interesting.  It’s like picking who you want to win for the Oscars and not seeing the movie.”

Nicholas Murray Butler (1862-1947) (Photo credit: Political Graveyard)

Giacomo Casanova – 1725 – Celebrity

“It is only necessary to have courage, for strength without self-confidence is useless.”

Hans Christian Anderson – 1805 – Writer

“Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale.”

Emile Zola – 1840 – Novelist

“I am an artist … I am here to live out loud.”

Nicholas M. Butler – 1862 – Philosopher

“An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less.”

Walter Chrysler – 1875 – Inventor

“The real secret of success is enthusiasm.”

Max Ernst –  1891 – Artist

“All good ideas arrive be chance.”

Irene Mayer Selznick – 1907 – Producer

“I’d like to grow very old  as slowly  as possible.”

Sir Alec Guinness – 1914 – Actor

“Who is more foolish?  The fool or the fool that follows it?”

Kenneth Tynan – 1927 – Critic

“A critic is a man who knows the way but can’t drive the car.”

English: Sir Alec Guinness portrait (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Serge Gainsbourg – 1928 – Poet

“Ugliness is in a way superior to beauty because it lasts.”

Marvin Gaye – 1939 – Singer

“I sing about life.”

Penelope Keith – 1940 – Actress

“Shyness is just egotism out of its depth.”

Don Sutton – 1945 – Athlete

“Luck is the by-product of busting your fanny.”

Sue Townsend – 1946 – Novelist

“Live with all of your senses.”

Daniel Okrent – 1948 – Editor

“I’m afraid we’ll see reporters stop chasing quotes around the same time dogs stop chasing cars.”

Christopher Meloni – 1961 – Actor

“I never find sincerity offensive … so, be sincere.”

Jenny Craig – 1971 – Celebrity

“A change in bad habits leads to a change in life.”

William Harvey (Photo credit: Stifts- och landsbiblioteket i Skara)

William Harvey – 1578 – Physician who discovered the circulation of blood

“All we know is still infinitely less than all that remains unknown.”

John Wilmot – 1647 – Writer

“Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children, and no theories.”

Otto von Bismarck – 1815 – Leader

“A journalist is a person who has mistaken their calling.”

Agnes Repplier – 1855 – Writer

“It has been wisely said that we cannot really love anybody at whom we never laugh.”

Edmond Rostand – 1868 – Poet and Playwright

“A pessimist is a man who tells the truth prematurely.”

Wallace Beery – 1885 – Actor

“I never let anyone sucker me, not even for a nickel.”

Howard Scott – 1890 – Scientist

John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester (Photo credit: lisby1)

“A criminal is a person with predatory instincts without sufficient capital to form a corporation.”

Alberta Hunter – 1895 – Musician

“Put your faith in God and confidence in yourself.”

Abraham Maslow – 1908 – Psychologist

“If you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.”

Alan Perlis – 1922 – Scientist

“Don’t have good ideas if you aren’t willing to be responsible for them.”

Anne McCaffrey – 1926 – Author

“A good story is a good story no matter who wrote it.”

Debbie Reynolds – 1932 – Actress (Mary Frances Reynolds)

“I gave it all that I had, and it’s gratifying that others seem to be receiving it so well.”

Ali Mac Graw – 1938 – Actress

“I want to be a person who makes a quiet difference.”

Bijou Phillips – 1980 – Actress

“I can’t change the world.  I have to fix me.”

English: Andrew Marvell (1621-1678) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Rene Descartes – 1596 – Mathematician

“Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it.”

Andrew Marvell – 1621 – Writer

“Gather the flowers, but spare the buds.”

Joseph Haydn – 1732 – Composer

“There was no one near to confuse me, so I was forced to become original.”

Nikolai Gogol – 1809 – Writer

“It is no use to blame the looking glass if your face is awry.”

William Morris Hunt – 1824 – Artist

“The mission of art is to represent nature not to imitate her.”

John Lafarge – 1835 – Artist

“The past, though it cannot be relived, can always be repaired.”

Andrew Lang – 1844 – Poet

“An unsophisticated forecaster uses statistics as a drunken man uses lampposts – for support rather than for illumination.”

Jack Johnson – 1878 – Athlete

“Don’t let your dreams be dreams.”

Octavio Paz – 1914 – Poet

“Love is an attempt at penetrating another being, but it can only succeed if the surrender is mutual.”

Leo Buscaglia – 1924 – Author

“A single rose can be my garden … a single friend, my world.”

John Fowles – 1926 – Novelist

“The most important questions in life can never be answered by anyone except oneself.”

English: Nikolai Gogol. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Gordie Howe – 1928 – Athlete

“All hockey players are bilingual.  They know English and profanity.”

John Jakes – 1932 – Writer

“Be yourself.  Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish.”

Richard Chamberlain – 1934 – Actor

“Nothing is secret once you tell anyone.  If you want to keep it quiet – don’t tell a soul.”

Herb Alpert – 1935 – Musician

“I confess that I listen to my own music for my own pleasure.”

Judith Rossner – 1935 – Novelist

“Writers are the lunatic fringe of publishing.”

Marge Piercy – 1936 – Writer

“Never doubt that you can change history.  You already have.”

Christopher Walken – 1943 – Actor

“I don’t need to be made to look evil.  I can do that on my own.”

Enrique Vila-Matas – 1948 – Novelist

“I long to journey endlessly, always in search of something new.  Always alert.”

Al Gore – 1948 – Vice President of the United States

“Fear is the most powerful enemy of reason.”

Craig McCracken – 1971 – Artist

“There’s a lot you can do without words.”