Best Could Have Been Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings Page 3

“Around the time of the Terran Caesar Augustus, a Martian artist had been composing a work of art. It could have been called a poem, a musical opus, or a philosophical treatise; it was a series of emotions arranged in tragic, logical necessity. Since it could be experienced by a human only in the sense in which a man blind from birth might have a sunset explained to him, it does not matter which category it be assigned.”

Source: Stranger in a Strange Land

“I like watching films that are 94 minutes as a spectator. I think it's rare that you don't come out, even from a good film, thinking I wish it could have been a little bit shorter.”

Thinking Littles Has Beens Film Wish Bits Minutes Little Bit Could Have Been Spectators Good Films

Author:Guy Jenkin

“A canteen I remember vividly, and maybe one other thing, I can't remember. And I knew then that he had bought them in an army surplus store that day and he wanted to maybe enhance himself in my eyes, and say, "Well, yes, I have been in the army." Or [he] simply just didn't want to disappoint me. It could have been one or the other. But I knew that he had lied to me. And this filled me with a tremendous sort of anger towards him. At the same time, knowing he was trying to please me, so feeling good about him.”

Want Trying Wells Has Beens I Can Feelings Eye Wanted Remember Knowing Please Army Filled Stores Feel Good Could Have Been Lied Disappoint Surplus Please Me Lied To Me Canteen

Author:Paul Auster

“I could have been a Judge, but I never had the Latin for the judgin'. I never had it, so I'd had it, as far as being a judge was concerned... I would much prefer to be a judge than a coal miner because of the absence of falling coal.”

Has Beens Fall Judging Concerned Absence Latin Coal Could Have Been Miners Coal Miners

Author:Peter Cook

“There’s nothing more humbling than seeing your best quotes in a list, and thinking they could have been written by a coma patient with a keyboard and spasms.”

Thinking Has Beens Written Seeing Patient Lists Could Have Been Keyboards Humbling Coma

Author:Scott Adams

“The first record I bought myself could have been 'Oh Lonesome Me' by Don Gibson or 'Wake Up Little Susie' by the Everly Brothers.”

Firsts Littles Has Beens Records Brother Wake Up Could Have Been Lonesome Everly Brothers

Author:John Oates

“Opting for gold shoes could have been considered downright cocky, but I was confident and never doubted my ability to deliver gold medals to match my shimmering footwear.”

Has Beens Ability Gold Shoes Medal Could Have Been Doubted Cocky Gold Medals Footwear Gold Shoes

Author:Michael Johnson

“The military's own report says that one-third of deaths and casualties could have been avoided if proper body armor and vehicle armor had been provided from the start of the war.”

Ifs Has Beens War Body Military Thirds Reports Vehicle Could Have Been Avoided Armor Casualties

Author:John Olver

“There is a very good chance I could have been a screw-up for the rest of my life.”

Has Beens Chance Very Good Screws Could Have Been Screw Ups Good Chance

Author:Brandon Thomas

“I am the very slave of circumstance And impulse borne away with every breath! Misplaced upon the throne misplaced in life. I know not what I could have been, but feel I am not what I should be let it end.”

Knows Feels Should Has Beens Ends Circumstances Breaths Slave Impulse Thrones Could Have Been Misplaced

Book:Delphi Complete Works of Lord Byron (Illustrated)

Source: Delphi Complete Works of Lord Byron (Illustrated)

“I'm glad that that era of stand-up is over, because I think it adversely affected a lot of people who could have been really, really great comedians. Because they unconsciously or subconsciously stifled their wild impulses, and were thinking about the five clean minutes for The Tonight Show, or the 20-minute sitcom pitch as a stand-up act.”

People Thinking Has Beens Shows Five Minutes Clean Glad Eras Impulse Comedian Tonight Affected Really Great Could Have Been Sitcom

Author:Patton Oswalt

“I was an actor when I was a teenager and it could have been the direction that I headed in. But music and my relationship with music is quite deep, and it really is the nucleus of my creativity. So I gave up acting so I could pursue music fully, and I never thought about really going back. And then [director] Lee Daniels met me and wanted to work with me, and that's how it started.”

Has Beens Wanted Actors Acting Creativity Mets Directors Music Is Pursue Teenager Could Have Been Gave Up Nucleus

Author:Lenny Kravitz

“After a year's research, one realizes that it could have been done in a week.”

Years Has Beens Done Realizing Week Research Could Have Been

Author:William Henry Bragg

“It could have been worse. I could have been born black.”

Has Beens Black Born Could Have Been

Author:Stevie Wonder

“If I thought that any poem of mine could have been written by anyone else, either a contemporary or a forerunner, I should suppress it with a blush; and I should do the same if I ever found I were imitating myself. Every poem should be new, unexpected, inimitable, and incapable of being parodied.”

Ifs Should Has Beens Found Written Mines Contemporary Unexpected Incapable Could Have Been Imitating Forerunners

Author:Robert Graves

“Early on, I settled on the first-person strategy as a way to deal with exposition and world-description issues. As long as the book is, it could have been far longer had I gone with an omniscient third-person narrator, or multiple point-of-view characters, since either of those would have enabled me to impart much more detailed information about the history and geography of the world.”

“The first step to get people interested in history is to wonder how things could have been different.”

People Firsts Has Beens Different Wonder Steps First Steps Could Have Been

Author:Gavriel David Rosenfeld

“I probably complained more when I was younger. The movie industry can be frustrating but I think sometimes I could have been more helpful, approaching a film as a partnership rather than being critical of a director's ignorance. I wasn't sensitive to the fact that it's very hard to direct.”

Thinking Has Beens Sometimes Hard Facts Film Ignorance Industry Directors Direct Critical Sensitive Helpful Partnership Frustrating Could Have Been Movie Industry

Author:Val Kilmer

“Sometimes you have to look into a mirror and look at the worst you could have been if you're ever going to know the best you were meant to be.”

Ifs Knows Looks Has Beens Sometimes Worst Mirrors Meant To Be Could Have Been Were Meant To Be

Author:Christopher Plummer

“If he had had no education, maybe Basho could have been a much greater poet.”

Ifs Has Beens Greater Poet Could Have Been

Author:Nanao Sakaki

“With all the opportunities I had, I could have done more. And if I'd done more, I could have been quite remarkable.”

Ifs Has Beens Done Opportunity Remarkable Could Have Been

Author:Katharine Hepburn

“What could have been simply bizarre, sentimental or contrived here becomes an utterly absorbing love story. [...] This is early days in the festival, but Rust and Bone has to be a real contender for prizes, and, the odds will be shortening to vanishing point for Cotillard getting the best actress award.”

Has Beens Real Stories Bones Actresses Love Story Prize Awards Odds Sentimental Bizarre Festivals Could Have Been Absorbing Rust Vanishing Vanishing Point

Author:Peter Bradshaw

“Marx's theory that only capitalists benefit from capitalism and workers are exploited was completely wrong. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Workers earned more as economies grew.”

Has Beens Economy Theory Grew Benefits Capitalism Workers Capitalist Could Have Been

Author:Kenneth Rogoff

“I could have been, and may one day well be a high school English teacher, because I've been given so much I just feel like I have to give something back. The fact that some people consider my work to be good or strong, it's nice, but I know in my heart that if it's not coming - oftentimes it's probably not coming from the best place.”

People Ifs Knows Giving Feels Wells Heart May Has Beens Facts School Strong Given Teacher Nice My Heart One Day High School Be Good Could Have Been Best Place English Teacher School English

Author:James McBride

“There's always male roles I want to play. I'm so annoyed when I watch movies and go, "That could have been played by a woman."”

Want Has Beens Play Roles Watches Males Could Have Been Annoyed Watch Movie

Author:Jennifer Lawrence

“I don't regret not coming out early. A lot of people felt that I could have been a lottery pick, but we'll never know.”

People Knows Has Beens Felt Regret Picks Coming Out Could Have Been Lottery Don't Regret

Author:Michael Finley

“I could have been a Vincent Young y'all know nothing about. I was on the wrong road, and it was a hard, hard time.”

Knows Has Beens Hard Young Hard Times Could Have Been Wrong Road

Author:Vince Young

“As a player leaving early, you always look back and wonder what could have been. But you have to be happy with your decisions, because you ultimately have to live with them.”

Looks Has Beens Decision Wonder Player Leaving Could Have Been

Author:Gilbert Arenas

“There was a possibility I could have been out of the NBA. It's taught me something that was a little deeper than basketball. I'm talking about life decisions.”

Littles Has Beens Decision Talking Possibility Taught Basketball Deeper Nba Could Have Been Life Decision

Author:Lamar Odom

“Jim Courier did a great job of showing the rest what is possible. He could only hit forehands, but almost every one could have been a winner. But Jim struggled when others learned to hit the ball just as hard. Many look at Andy Roddick as being a similar animal, and it could well be in a few years everybody hits the ball as hard as him.”

Years Wells Looks Has Beens Hard Jobs Animal Balls Winner Could Have Been Great Job

Author:Todd Martin

“Every hour spent investigating a drug user or seller is an hour that could have been used to find a missing child.”

Children Has Beens Used Hours Missing Drug Users Could Have Been Prohibition Sellers Investigating Drug Prohibition Restitution

Author:Randy Barnett

“At the beginning of my TV and movie stuff, I would be really critical of myself, but I've gotten better and better. There's always little things that I think, "Oh, that could have been whatever," but most of the time I'm able to let go and watch like an audience member.”

Thinking Littles Has Beens Would Be Able Stuff Watches Audience Tvs Letting Go Members Critical Little Things Could Have Been

Author:Mireille Enos

“I felt like I could get away with calling it Black Hours. That could easily be the most depressing record ever written, but because there is this sense of fun throughout the whole thing I felt like I could get away with it. Like "5 A.M."; that song's in a minor key and I'm just wailing away and it could have been just wallowing depression, but it's not.”

Has Beens Whole Song Fun Felt Black Hours Records Written Keys Calling Get Away Minors Depressing Could Have Been Wailing Wallowing Most Depressing

Author:Hamilton Leithauser

“Everyone on the Commission assumes that 9/11 resulted from a lack of government action. No one in Washington has raised the question of whether our shortcomings, brought to light by 9/11, could have been a result of too much government.”

Has Beens Light Government Action Results Too Much Assuming Raised Could Have Been Shortcomings

Author:Ron Paul

“I have set a standard, and I'm going to stick to the standard. I may have been able to grow faster and maybe my business could have been bigger, but because I really feel very serious about my subject, I really want to be hands-on.”

Want Feels May Has Beens Hands Able Grows Subjects Serious Standards Bigger Sticks Faster Could Have Been

Author:Martha Stewart

“I lost the love of all the homosexuals in the world by saying that Princess Diana was trash and got what she deserved. She could have been Queen of England - and she was swanning about Paris with Arabs. What disgraceful behavior. Going about saying she wanted to be the queen of hearts. The vulgarity of it is so overpowering.”

World Heart Has Beens Wanted Lost Behavior England Queens Paris Princess Homosexual Trash Could Have Been Vulgarity Diana Disgraceful Overpowering Queen Of England Queen Of Hearts

Author:Quentin Crisp

“Don't waste time thinking about what could have been when you could be thinking about what could be.”

Thinking Has Beens Waste Wasting Time Could Have Been Don't Waste Time

Author:Christopher Jones

“I've kind of gotten more timid. I used to be fearless - at a certain point I didn't care about what anybody thought. I had all the answers and I could have been as bad as I wanted to be. But nowadays I just want to be good and make people happy.”

People Want Kind Has Beens Care Wanted Used Certain Answers Be Good Used To Be Fearless Could Have Been Making People Happy

Author:Ariel Pink

“President Obama, when he was elected, he could have been a unifying figure. He could have chosen to be a leader on race relations and bring us together. And he hasn't done that, he's made decisions that I think have inflamed racial tensions that have divided us rather than bringing us together.”

Thinking Has Beens Made Done Together President Decision Race Leader Figures Relation Chosen Tension Divided President Obama Could Have Been Race Relations Unifying Racial Tension

Author:Ted Cruz

“It is an odd fact of evolution that we are the only species on Earth capable of creating science and philosophy. There easily could have been another species with some scientific talent, say that of the average human ten-year-old, but not as much as adult humans have; or one that is better than us at physics but worse at biology; or one that is better than us at everything. If there were such creatures all around us, I think we would be more willing to concede that human scientific intelligence might be limited in certain respects.”

“Eradications are special. Zero is a magic number. You either do what it takes to get to zero and you're glad you did it; or you get close, give up and it goes back to where it was before, in which case you wasted all that credibility, activity, money that could have been applied to other things.”

Giving Has Beens Numbers Cases Magic Special Activity Giving Up Glad Zero Could Have Been Credibility

Author:Bill Gates

“What happened to you could have been worse - it could have happened to me.”

Has Beens Happened Could Have Been

Author:Ashleigh Brilliant

“I am never happy with what I do, so I try not to watch stuff that is filmed with me in it because I am always like, "Oh, I could have done that a little bit better," or, "I could have done that differently - that riff could have been a little better."”

Trying Littles Has Beens Done Stuff Bits Watches Little Bit Could Have Been

Author:Josh Young

“There's been a certain amount of opportunism in the wake of the Paris attacks in 2015, when there was almost a reflexive assumption that, "Oh, if only we didn't have strong encryption out there, these attacks could have been prevented." But, as more evidence has come out - and we don't know all the facts yet - we're seeing very little to support the idea that the Paris attackers were making any kind of use of encryption.”

Ifs Knows Kind Littles Has Beens Ideas Facts Use Certain Strong Support Seeing Amount Evidence Paris Assumption Could Have Been Encryption Opportunism

Author:Matt Blaze

“Photography could have been invented in color. Colors existed.”

Has Beens Color Photography Could Have Been

Author:Jean-Luc Godard

“I realize now that I've hoped to be great - as an actress, as a mother - because I want to embody the greatness of women who didn't get to be all they could have been. Their dignity, their courage, and their brilliance make me strive to be better. They're a part of me.”

Want Has Beens Mother Realizing Greatness Dignity Strive Actresses Could Have Been Brilliance

Author:Salma Hayek

“I'm happy with my career but I could have been happier if I could have been treated like a champion should have been treated because management and fighters take advantage of fighters.”

Ifs Should Has Beens Careers Advantage Should Have Management Treated Fighter Champion If I Could Could Have Been Should Have Been

Author:Larry Holmes

“Our past as well as our future. It could have been completely destroyed when we were brought to the New World as slaves. They even took away our drums. And I don't want to talk about all those negative things going on. But its music is more present in our lives than ever. Blues, samba, calypso, reggae, jazz, salsa, Africa is everywhere.”

World Want Wells Has Beens Past Our Lives Music Is Negative Jazz Slave Destroyed Our Future New World Our Past Could Have Been Reggae Salsa Samba Calypso

Author:Randy Weston

“I perhaps could have been somewhat better. One of the interesting things about playing competitive sports as a child is that you confront your own limitations rather starkly at a certain point.”

Children Has Beens Certain Sports Interesting Limitation Could Have Been Interesting Things Competitive Sports

Author:David Foster Wallace

“I did write a number of reports on my political experiences, but there were many omissions, and I feel bad about that because it was work that was interesting and had I written more about it, it could have been useful.”

Feels Writing Has Beens Political Interesting Numbers Written Reports Could Have Been Omission

Author:Grace Paley

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