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Firsts Quotes

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Firsts Quotes

“Most children are given far too much praise for their early drawings, so much so that they rarely learn the ability to refine their first crude efforts the way their early attempts at language are corrected.”

Way Firsts Children Language Given Ability Effort Too Much Praise Drawing Crude

Book:Triskell Tales: Twenty-two Years of Chapbooks

Source: Triskell Tales: Twenty-two Years of Chapbooks

“We must strive for freedom if we strive for self-knowledge. The task of self-knowledge and of further self-development is of such importance and seriousness, it demands such intensity of effort, that to attempt it any old way and amongst other things is impossible. The person who undertakes this task must put it first in his life, which is not so long that he can afford to squander it on trifles.”

Ifs Way Firsts Persons Long Self Effort Impossible Development Demand Tasks Importance Strive Intensity Self Knowledge Self Development Seriousness Trifles Old Ways

Author:G. I. Gurdjieff

“The wise people are in New York because the foolish went there first, that's the way the wise men make a living.”

People Men Way Firsts Wise New York Foolish Wise People

Author:Finley Peter Dunne

“If a word is misspelled in the dictionary, how would we ever know? If Webster wrote the first dictionary, where did he find the words? Why is 'phonics' not spelled the way it sounds? How come abbreviated is such a long word?”

Ifs Knows Way Firsts Long Sound Dictionary Long Words

Author:George Carlin

“I did not see any way that I could possibly give birth to someone else and also give birth to myself. Far from feeling guilty, it was the first time that I had taken responsibility for my own life.”

Way Giving Firsts Feelings My Own Responsibility Taken Birth First Time Guilty My Own Life Feeling Guilty

Author:Gloria Steinem

“Do not finish your work too much. An impression is not sufficiently durable for its first freshness to survive a belated search for infinite detail; in this way you let the lava grow cool.”

Way Firsts Grows Too Much Infinite Details Impression Finishing Freshness Lava Belated

Book:Gauguin's Intimate Journals

Source: Gauguin's Intimate Journals

“I think no more than a week after I started writing I ran into the first block. It's hard to describe it in a way that will be understandable to anyone who is not a neurotic.”

Thinking Way Writing Firsts Hard Week Block Ran Neurotic

Book:Sweet Bird of Youth

Source: Sweet Bird of Youth

“I actually did trouble to read Marx first hand. I found it illuminating in so many ways; in particular, my perception of the relationship between people and the society in which they live was irreversibly altered.”

People Way Firsts Hands Found Trouble Particular Perception Altered Illuminating

Author:Tony Blair

“To take a journey of a thousand miles, you have to begin with the first step from the place where you stand; the romantic description of the journey and the things the body sees on the way and the description of the scenery are of no use unless you lift your foot and take the first step.”

Way Firsts Use Body Steps Journey Feet Thousand Travel Miles Lifts Description First Steps Scenery Thousand Miles Where You Stand Journey Of A Thousand Miles

Book:Blossoms of Friendship

Source: Blossoms of Friendship

“The character of greatness must be measured in two ways, else the measurement is flawed. First, and by far most popular of all, is by one's ability to succeed in times of trial where others may fail. But of no less importance, and perhaps foundational to any form of greatness, is one's willingness to start over in spite of failure, when success seems farthest away.”

Way Firsts May Two Character Seems Form Ability Failing Greatness Succeed Importance Trials Spite Willingness Flawed Starting Over Measurement Two Ways Ability To Succeed

Author:Guy Finley

“To do things in a way you want to do them, you will have to acquire the ability to think the way you want to think: this is the first step toward getting rich.”

Thinking Way Want Firsts Ability Steps Rich Acquire First Steps Get Rich Visualization

Book:Get Rich Collection

Source: Get Rich Collection

“In many ways, it was much, much harder to get the first book contract. The hardest thing probably overall has been learning not to trust people, publicists and so forth, implicitly.”

People Way Firsts Has Beens Book Literature Harder Hardest Contracts Hardest Thing Publicists

Author:Neil Gaiman

“The motif must always be set down in a simple way, easily grasped and understood by the beholder. By the elimination of superfluous detail, the spectator should be led along the road that the artist indicates to him, and from the first be made to notice what the artist has felt.”

Way Should Firsts Made Artist Felt Simple Understood Simplicity Details Spectators Superfluous Elimination Beholder Motifs Simple Ways

Author:Alfred Sisley

“The first author I remember being obsessed by, actually realizing 'I like the way he writes and I like the way he tells stories,' was C.S. Lewis and the 'Narnia' books.”

Way Writing Firsts Book Stories Remember Realizing Obsessed Narnia

Author:Neil Gaiman

“At first, students tend to freeze at the first effort. The breakthrough comes when they realize that they can make it better - can identify what their purposes were and realize better ways to achieve those purposes.”

Way Firsts Purpose Realizing Effort Teaching Achieve Students Breakthrough Better Ways Freeze

Author:M. H. Abrams

“This is tremendous. The labels have been saying all along that they can't compete with free, but there is a way to compete with free: high value content that's virus- free and gives people the chance to be first in line to buy expensive concert tickets. This is like loyalty clubs at the supermarkets.”

People Way Giving Firsts Has Beens Values Lines Chance Clubs Loyalty Labels Expensive Concerts Tickets Viruses Supermarkets

Author:Jonathan Potter

“The way I've been playing, I didn't really care who I was going to be playing first round.”

Way Firsts Care Rounds

Author:Tommy Haas

“You have to get something down, and then find ways of working in complexity and different layers of meaning... My first drafts are usually the ravings of a delusional fantasist.”

Way Firsts Different Down And Complexity Layers Delusional

Author:Peter Wolf

“When the next generation of content is developed, we have to think in a totally different way. Think about it more symbolically. The main story that you see on the TV screen is maybe like the living room of a house. But there are various other rooms in this house that you will otherwise never see. But if you use the Internet, you find out what's in the attic. And if you use the cell phone, you find out what's on the first floor. And on another medium, you find out what's in the cellar.”

“There is a certain way of searching for the truth in mathematics that Plato is said first to have discovered. Theon called this analysis.”

Way Firsts Said Certain Mathematics Analysis Plato

Book:The Analytic Art

Source: The Analytic Art

“It is a curious situation that the sea, from which life first arose, should now be threatened by the activities of one form of that life. But the sea, though changed in a sinister way, will continue to exist: the threat is rather to life itself.”

Source: The Sea Around Us

“Be sure that you first preach by the way you live. If you do not, people will notice that you say one thing, but live otherwise, and your words will bring only cynical laughter and a derisive shake of the head.”

People Ifs Way Firsts One Thing Laughter Saint Shakes Cynical Catholic Saint

Author:Carlo Borromeo

“Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country.... I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this.... It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating. None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me.”

“I remember as a ranger the first time I stood alone on Inspiration Point over at Canyon Station looking out over this beautiful land. I thought to myself how lucky I was that my parents' and grandparents' generation had the vision and the determination to save it for us. Now it is our turn to make our own gift outright to those who will come after us, 15 years, 40 years, 100 years from now. I want to be as faithful to my grandchildren's generation as Old Faithful has been to ours. What better way can we add a new dimension to our third century of freedom?”

“President Obama, by the way, is, I think, making his first presidential European trip. And while he's there in Europe, he plans to fire the CEO's of BMW and Volkswagen.”

Thinking Way Firsts President Fire Plans Europe Presidential President Obama Ceo Bmw Volkswagens

Author:David Letterman

“Way back last summer I asked some of the most outstanding educational minds in this Nation to tackle this problem. I gave them a single instruction: find out how we can best invest each education dollar so that it will do the most good. Your support and the support of every leading education group proves that they did their job better than I had hoped, because for the first time we have succeeded in finding goals which unite us rather than divide us.”

Way Mind Firsts Problem Jobs Lasts Nations Goal Education Support Groups Prove Findings Summer First Time Dollars Educational Divides Instruction Outstanding Last Summer

Author:Lyndon B. Johnson

“First, this law - the National Defense Education Act - ended years and years of debate about one controversial question: 'Shall the Federal Government, with all its massive resources, get directly involved in aiding American education?' The answer this law gave was a loud 'Yes!' - and thus we paved the way for a new era of support for education in America. This law, in fact, helped make possible more than 50 new education laws passed in my administration.”

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Lyndon B. Johnson, 1968-1969

“My Faith is larger than the Hills— So when the Hills decay— My Faith must take the Purple Wheel To show the Sun the way— 'Tis first He steps upon the Vane— And then — upon the Hill— And then abroad the World He go To do His Golden Will— And if His Yellow feet should miss— The Bird would not arise— The Flowers would slumber on their Stems— No Bells have Paradise— How dare I, therefore, stint a faith On which so vast depends— Lest Firmament should fail for me— The Rivet in the Bands”

Source: Emily Dickinson’s Poems: As She Preserved Them

“A man must first care for his own household before he can be of use to the state. But no matter how well he cares for his household, he is not a good citizen unless he also takes thought of the state. In the same way, a great nation must think of its own internal affairs; and yet it cannot substantiate its claim to be a great nation unless it also thinks of its position in the world at large.”

Thinking Men World Way Firsts Wells Matter States Use Care Nations Position Citizens Claims Affair Internals Household Great Nations Good Citizen Internal Affairs

Author:Theodore Roosevelt

“No sin is committed merely because a thought enters the mind, provided it is not made welcome. Perhaps we may use the figure that the thought first passes into an anteroom, where it stands before the mind acting as a judge. No matter how sordid or evil, it has not touched the personality with its infamy nor in any way laid guilt upon the soul unless and until the mind acting as judge admits it with a welcome. If the mind decides against it and dismisses it, the personality is not only unsullied but is, on the contrary, by this act of rejection stimulated and strengthened in moral power.”

Ifs Way Mind Firsts May Made Soul Matter Use Evil Sin Acting Moral Figures Judging Personality Guilt Committed Contrary Welcome Rejection Touched Infamy Power Of Thought

Author:Norman Vincent Peale

“The first time I ever saw Arnold Palmer, I said, There's a star. The first time I saw Jack Nicklaus, I said, Superstar. I feel the same way about Tiger Woods.”

Way Feels Firsts Said Stars Sports Saws First Time Woods Tigers Superstar

Author:Gary Player

“The First thing to understand about the universe is that no condition is "good" or "bad." It just is. So stop making value judgments. The second thing to know is that all conditions are temporary. Nothing stays the same, nothing remains static. Which way a thing changes depends on you.”

Knows Way Inspirational Firsts Reality Values Universe Religious Conditions Depends Judgment Remains Temporary Things Change Static Conversations With God

Book:Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue

Source: Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue

“The ecology of the valley was complex beyond our understanding, and it began to die as we went on manipulating it in ever more frantic ways. As it went dead and empty of the old life it became a place where no one wanted to live. In our right minds we want to seek out places that reek of complexity. Our drive to industrialize soured and undercut the intimacies that drew most people to country life in the first place.”

People Way Want Mind Firsts Country Wanted Dies Understanding Land Empty Complexes Intimacy Complexity Valleys Ecology Frantic Country Life Old Life Undercut

Author:William Kittredge

“You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down... So why bother in the first place? Just this: What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. In climbing, take careful note of the difficulties along your way; for as you go up , you can observe them. Coming down, you will no longer see them, but you will know they are there if you have observed them well.”

Ifs Knows Way Firsts Wells Doe Motivational Forever Difficulty Notes Careful Take Care Bother Climbing Summit Why Bother

Book:Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership

Source: Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership

“I think the violence is important. It all depends on the genre. Rambo was ultra-violent, and I think it worked. You have to give Stallone credit. You have to respect him for taking that shot, and taking the violence all the way. He was the first one to do that in a long time. It fricking worked.”

Thinking Way Giving Firsts Long Important Violence Depends Long Time Shots Credit Violent Genre Ultras Rambo

Author:Dolph Lundgren

“If you try to impose a rigid discipline while teaching a child or a chimp you are working against the boundless curiosity and need for relaxed play that make learning possible in the first place... learning cannot be controlled; it is out of control by design. Learning emerges spontaneously, it proceeds in an individualistic and unpredictable way, and it achieves its goal in its own good time. Once triggered, learning will not stop--unless it is hijacked by conditioning.”

Ifs Way Needs Trying Firsts Children Play Goal Teaching Achieve Design Discipline Curiosity Good Times Controlled Unpredictable Relaxed Conditioning Boundless Individualistic

Author:Roger Fouts

“I took some lessons as a kid but trained myself by ear. I did it the way jazz musicians used to learn years ago, which is to play records and slow them down to figure out the notes. At first I tried to imitate Red Garland, who was my favorite jazz pianist.”

Way Years Firsts Play Kids Used Records Figures Lessons Musician Red Years Ago Ears Jazz Notes My Favorite Jazz Music Pianist Jazz Musician Garlands

Author:Donald Fagen

“Europe were kind of the first ones to embrace my music; the kids from around the way would come out to my shows and really enjoy it.”

Way Firsts Kind Shows Kids Enjoy Europe Embrace

Author:Theophilus London

“Forget about sex. Just play first. Dance, sing, read to each other, breathe together - communicate. Don't count on sex to be the door to intimacy. It's the other way around: first develop intimacy skills. Then make love to enjoy them.”

Way Firsts Play Together Sex Enjoy Forget Doors Skills Communicate Breathe Intimacy Making Love

Author:Margot Anand

“If you align your priorities in such a way that puts people first, everything begins to make more sense.”

People Ifs Way Firsts Priorities

Author:Chalene Johnson

“The First Amendment provides the only kind of security system that can preserve a free government - one that leaves the way wide open for people to favor, discuss, advocate, or incite causes and doctrines however obnoxious and antagonistic such views may be to the rest of us.”

People Way Firsts Kind May Government Causes Views Security Wide Favors Doctrine Preserves Amendments First Amendment Obnoxious Free Government Security Systems

Author:Hugo Black

“For the first time since I began acting, I feel that I've found my place in the world, that there's something out of my own culture which i can express and perhaps help others preserve..i have found out now that the African natives had a definite culture a long way beyond the culture of the Stone age...an integrated thing, which is still unspoiled by western influences...I think the Americans will be amazed to find how many of the modern dance steps are relics of African heritage.”

“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool. So you have to be very careful about that. After you’ve not fooled yourself, it’s easy not to fool other scientists. You just have to be honest in a conventional way after that.”

Way Firsts Persons Easy Principles Honest Fool Scientist Careful Being Honest Conventional Fooled Conventional Ways

Book:Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman: Adventures of a Curious Character as Told to Ralph Leighton

Source: Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman: Adventures of a Curious Character as Told to Ralph Leighton

“On the third day the friends of Christ coming at daybreak to the place found the grave empty and the stone rolled away. In varying ways they realized the new wonder; but even they hardly realized that the world had died in the night. What they were looking at was the first day of a new creation, with a new heaven and a new earth; and in a semblance of the gardener God walked again in the garden, in the cool not of the evening but of the dawn.”

World Way Firsts Earth Night Found Heaven Christ Wonder Creation Garden Stones Empty Thirds Died Graves Evening Dawn Gardener Semblance New Earth Daybreak

Author:Gilbert K. Chesterton

“Songs start with my bringing in the basic riffs for what you might call a verse and a chorus, an A and a B part...whatever. And sometimes a C and even a D. That's kind of the easy, or at least easier part. The hard part is finding that special, perfect way to order things - how many times to do A before B and back and how the second verse differs from the first. That's all we got.”

Way Firsts Kind Sometimes Hard Might Song Order Easy Perfect Special Easier Findings Verses Chorus

Author:David First

“Those who first invented and then named the constellations were storytellers. Tracing an imaginary line between a cluster of stars gave them an image and an identity. The stars threaded on that line were like events threaded on a narrative. Imagining the constellations did not of course change the stars, nor did it change the black emptiness that surrounds them. What it changed was the way people read the night sky.”

Source: And Our Faces, My Heart, Brief as Photos

“I did get upset once, when we were hiking between pitches 15 and 16. Two women and a dog were trying to find their way down through the maze of trails below the First Summit and they asked us: 'Are you on the trail?' I let my indignity show: 'NO, we're on a CLIMB!'”

Way Trying Firsts Two Shows Dog Upset Climbs Hiking Trails Summit Mazes Indignity

Author:Andy Cairns

“Whenever you try to do good with someone else's money, you are committed to using force. How can you do good with somebody else's money, unless you first take it away from them? The only way you can take it away from them is the threat of force: you have a policeman, tax collector, who comes and takes it from them.”

Way Trying Firsts Force Taxes Threat Committed Policemen Collectors

Author:Milton Friedman

“Books are the way that we communicate with the dead. The way that we learn lessons from those who are no longer with us, that humanity has built on itself, progressed, made knowledge incremental rather than something that has to be relearned, over and over. There are tales that are older than most countries, tales that have long outlasted the cultures and the buildings in which they were first told.”

Way Firsts Long Made Book Country Humanity Culture Building Lessons Built Communicate Tales Learning Lessons

Book:The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction

Source: The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction

“You say men ought to be hung for the way they are executing the law; I say the way it is being executed is quite as good as any of its antecedents. It is being executed in the precise way which was intended from the first, else why does no Nebraska man express astonishment or condemnation? Poor Reeder is the only public man who has been silly enough to believe that anything like fairness was ever intended, and he has been bravely undeceived.”

Men Way Firsts Believe Doe Has Beens Enough Law Poor Ought Silly Fairness Hung Precise Condemnation Astonishment Executing Nebraska

Book:LINCOLN – Complete 7 Volume Edition: Biographies, Speeches and Debates, Civil War Telegrams, Letters, Presidential Orders & Proclamations: Including the Introduction by Theodore Roosevelt & 3 Biographies: The Every-day Life of the President, Lincoln by Carl Shurz and Abraham Lincoln by Joseph H. Choate

Source: LINCOLN – Complete 7 Volume Edition: Biographies, Speeches and Debates, Civil War Telegrams, Letters, Presidential Orders & Proclamations: Including the Introduction by Theodore Roosevelt & 3 Biographies: The Every-day Life of the President, Lincoln by Carl Shurz and Abraham Lincoln by Joseph H. Choate