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Impossible Quotes

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Impossible Quotes

“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.”

IfsWayFirstsPersonsLongSelfEffortImpossibleDevelopmentDemandTasksImportanceStriveIntensitySelf KnowledgeSelf DevelopmentSeriousnessTriflesOld Ways
Author:G. I. Gurdjieff
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“It seems that it is impossible to live without discovering the purpose of your life. And the first thing which a person should do is to understand the meaning of life. But the majority of people who consider themselves to be educated are proud that they have reached such great height that they cease to care about the meaning of existence.”

PeopleShouldFirstsPersonsSeemsCarePurposeExistenceImpossibleProudMajorityCeaseEducatedHeightMeaning Of LifeDiscoveringGreat Heights
Author:Leo Tolstoy
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“There are two threats to reason, the opinion that one knows the truth about the most important things and the opinion that there is no truth about them. Both of these opinions are fatal to philosophy; the first asserts that the quest for truth is unnecessary, while the second asserts that it is impossible. The Socratic knowledge of ignorance, which I take to be the beginning point of all philosophy, defines the sensible middle ground between two extremes.”

KnowsFirstsTwoImportantReasonPhilosophyOpinionImpossibleMiddleIgnoranceTruth IsImportant ThingsThreatExtremesSensibleQuestsUnnecessaryMiddle GroundTwo ExtremesSocratic
Author:Allan Bloom
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“The American system demands success, and in order to succeed we must first believe that we can. Yet our society, with its intolerance of failure and poverty, traps millions of people in positions where any kind of success seems impossible to contemplate, and in which failure itself is a kind of passive rebellion against their own misery and the social system which created it in the first place. To succeed it is necessary to accept the world as it is and rise above it.”

PeopleWorldFirstsBelieveKindSeemsOrderSocialAcceptingPovertyMillionsImpossiblePositionSucceedDemandMiseryOur SocietyRebellionContemplatingIntolerancePassiveTrapsRise AboveSocial SystemsOrder To SucceedRise Above It
Author:Michael Korda
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“Our initial sensory data are always "first derivatives," statements about differences which exist among external objects or statements about changes which occur either in them or in our relationship to them. Objects and circumstances which remain absolutely constant relative to the observer, unchanged either by his own movement or by external events, are in general difficult and perhaps always impossible to perceive. What we perceive easily is difference and change and difference is a relationship.”

FirstsDifficultDifferencesImpossibleEventsMovementObjectsCircumstancesConstantStatementsDataPerceiveRelativeOur RelationshipObserversInitialsSensoryDerivatives
Book:Communication: The Social Matrix of Psychiatry
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“When, about fifteen years ago, I walked into Arshile's studio for the first time, the atmosphere was so beautiful that I got a little dizzy and when I came to, I was bright enough to take the hint immediately. If the bookkeepers think it necessary to make sure of where things and people came from, well then, I came from 36 Union Square. I am glad that it is about impossible to get away from his powerful influence.”

PeopleIfsThinkingYearsFirstsWellsLittlesEnoughBeautifulPowerfulImpossibleInfluenceFirst TimeYears AgoUnionsStudiosGladAtmosphereGet AwaySquaresFifteenHintsFifteen YearsDizzyBookkeepers
Author:Willem de Kooning
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“Our works are the mirror wherein the spirit first sees its natural lineaments. Hence, too, the folly of that impossible precept, Know theyself; till it be translated into this partially possible one, know what thou canst work at.”

KnowsLifeFirstsSuccessSpiritNaturalWorkImpossibleMirrorsFollySuccess In Life
Book:Sartor Resartus: The Life and Opinions of Herr Teufelsdröckh in Three Books
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“A proper record shop reminds us why we got into this in the first place - a place to be reminded of old friends, still in their spots on the shelves, a source of unexpected magic and lucid memories - a place that reminds us that music is more than dumb file sharing and the management of dead data by faceless sociopathic corporations, but a storehouse of dreams, both possible and impossible.”

FirstsStillsDreamMemoriesRecordsImpossibleMagicSourceMusic IsManagementSpotsDataDumbCorporationsShopsUnexpectedShelvesFilesOld FriendsPossible And ImpossibleFacelessFile Sharing
Author:Max Richter
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“There are but three ways for a man to revenge himself of the censure of the world,--to despise it, to return the like, or to endeavor to live so as to avoid it; the first of these is usually pretended, the last is almost impossible, the universal practice is for the second.”

MenWorldWayFirstsLastsThreePracticeImpossibleReturnUniversalRevengeEndeavorDespiseCensureThree Ways
Book:The Works of Jonathan Swift ...: With Cop'ous Notes and Additions
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“Every time I start on a new book, I am a beginner again. I doubt myself, I grow discouraged, all the work accomplished in the past is as though it never was, my first drafts are so shapeless that it seems impossible to go on with the attempt at all, right up until the moment - always imperceptible, there, too, there is a break - when it is has become impossible not to finish it.”

FirstsBookMomentsSeemsPastGrowsBreakDoubtImpossibleGoes OnAccomplishedDiscouragedBeginnersNew Books
Book:Force of Circumstance: Hard times
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“All this [Soviet labor camp for political prisoners] brings about one marked change in your physical appearance; by the end of your first year, you will have what are known as 'zek's eyes.' The look in a zek's eyes is impossible to describe, but once encountered, it is never forgotten. When you emerge, your friends, embracing you, will exclaim: 'Your eyes! Your eyes have changed!' And not one of your tormentors will be able to bear your scrutiny. They will turn away from it, like beaten dogs.”

YearsFirstsLooksEndsEyeAblePoliticalTurnsKnownImpossibleDogChangedBearsLaborPrisonForgottenAppearancePrisonerCampsSovietBeatenScrutinyPhysical AppearancePolitical Prisoners
Author:Irina Ratushinskaya
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“These missiles [Cruise and Pershing II] represent a new generation of missiles whose deployment will help give NATO first-strike capability. With this first-strike strategy, the West believes it could attack Russian military installations with such effectiveness that serious retaliation would be impossible.”

GivingFirstsBelieveWarHelpingWould BePeaceImpossibleGenerationsMilitarySeriousStrategyWestStrikesCapabilityEffectivenessMissilesNew GenerationNatoCruiseDeploymentRetaliationInstallationRussian Military
Author:Petra Kelly
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“I am excited by this collaboration: this is the first time H&M involves a Fashion Director in a special project. This is the sign of an important evolution in fashion, and I am both thrilled and humbled to be the one chosen to lead it. I wanted to create precious accessories that are impossible to find. As a stylist I know accessorization is essential: it is the personal touch to any outfit. With these pieces everybody can have fun, turning an ordinary day into a fantastic fashion day”

KnowsFirstsImportantWantedFunPiecesImpossibleSpecialFashionEvolutionDirectorsEssentialsProjectsOrdinaryFirst TimeExcitedChosenFantasticHaving FunCollaborationAccessoriesStylistOrdinary DaysPersonal Touch
Author:Anna Dello Russo
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“Some dreams truly are 'impossible dreams.' However, many aren't. Knowing the difference is often one of the first steps to finding your element, because if you can see the chances of making a dream come true, you can also likely see the necessary next steps you need to take toward achieving it.”

IfsNeedsFirstsDreamMotivationalPassionNextDifferencesChanceStepsKnowingImpossibleAchieveElementsAchievementFindingsFirst StepsDreams Come TrueNext StepsTrue YouImpossible Dream
Book:The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything
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“It is impossible to be submissive and religiously patient, if ye stay your thoughts down among the confused rollings and wheels of second causes, as, O, the place! O, the time! O, if this had been, this had not followed! O, the linking of this accident with this time and place! Look up to the master motion and the first wheel.”

IfsFirstsLooksCausesImpossibleMastersPatientAccidentsConfusedWheelsLook UpRollingSubmissive
Book:Letters of ... Samuel Rutherford, whith biogr. notices of his correspondents, by J. Anderson, and a sketch of his life, &c., by A.A. Bonar
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“Stacy Schiff is that rare combination: a first-rate historian and a brilliant storyteller. Using a wide range of sources, she spins straw into gold, conjuring the world of Ptolemaic Egypt in full vibrant color, and returning the voice of one of the most powerful, fascinating, and maligned women in history. Cleopatra is impossible to put down.”

WorldFirstsVoicePowerfulImpossibleColorSourceGoldRateWideBrilliantCombinationRangeFascinatingMost PowerfulHistorianEgyptStorytellerStrawsConjuringWomen In HistoryVibrant Colors
Author:Rick Riordan
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“As good government is an empire of laws, how shall your laws be made? In a large society, inhabiting an extensive country, it is impossible that the whole should assemble to make laws. The first necessary step, then, is to depute power from the many to a few of the most wise and good.”

ShouldFirstsMadeCountryWholeGovernmentLawStepsWiseImpossibleEmpiresMost Wise
Book:The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: With a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations
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“Ten years have now passed since many of us first felt the jolt of history-when the second plane crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center. We knew from that moment that things can go terribly wrong in our world-not because life is unfair, or moral progress impossible, but because we have failed, generation after generation, to abolish the delusions of our ignorant ancestors.”

WorldYearsFirstsMomentsLife IsFeltMoralProgressImpossibleGenerationsTenTradeSouthIgnorantPlanesDelusionThat MomentOur WorldAncestorUnfairTowersAbolishWorld TradeWorld Trade CenterLife Is Unfair
Author:Sam Harris
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“A man must always live by his work, and his wages must at least be sufficient to maintain him. They must even upon most occasions be somewhat more; otherwise it would be impossible for him to bring up a family, and the race of such workmen could not last beyond the first generation.”

MenFirstsWould BeLastsRaceImpossibleGenerationsOccasionsSufficientLive ByWagesMinimum WageWorkmenLiving WageWealth Of Nations
Book:An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations
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“I would not recommend poetry as a career. In the first place, it's impossible in this time and place - in this culture - to make poetry a career. The writing of poetry is one thing. It's an obsession, the scratching of a divine itch, and has nothing to do with money. You can, however, make a career out of being a poet by teaching, traveling around, and giving lectures. It's a thin living at best.”

GivingWritingFirstsCultureCareersImpossibleOne ThingTeachingDivinePoetObsessionPoetry IsLectures
Author:Maxine Kumin
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“Read Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande. Then do what it says, including the tasks you think are impossible. You will particularly hate the advice to write first thing in the morning, but if you can manage it, it might well be the best thing you ever do for yourself. This book is about becoming a writer from the inside out. Many later advice manuals derive from it. You don't ­really need any others, though if you want to boost your confidence, "how to" books seldom do any harm. You can kick-start a whole book with some little writing exercise.”

IfsThinkingWantNeedsWritingFirstsWellsLittlesBookWholeMightHateMorningImpossibleAdviceBecomingExerciseTasksIncludingHarmManageBest ThingsKicksBeing The BestManualsBoostBoost Your Confidence
Author:Hilary Mantel
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“Turning a human being into a thing, an object, is almost always the first step towards justifying violence against that person. It is very difficult, perhaps impossible, to be violent to someone we think of as an equal, someone we have empathy with, but it is very easy to abuse a thing”

ThinkingFirstsHumansPersonsEasyDifficultHuman BeingsStepsViolenceImpossibleObjectsEqualEmpathyAbuseViolentFirst Steps
Book:Deadly Persuasion: Why Women and Girls Must Fight the Addictive Power of Advertising
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“Showrunning is not a one-man job; it's literally impossible to do for one person. I have learned the hard way now from two seasons, one with Red Widow, and this, I can't control everything. I certainly have tried, but having an incredibly strong team around you, surrounding yourself with incredibly talented people, that is the trick, and I certainly had that for the first season here of Jessica Jones.”

PeopleMenWayFirstsPersonsI CanTwoHardJobsStrongImpossibleTeamRedSeasonsTricksOne ManI Have LearnedWidowsJessicaHard WayJessica Jones
Author:Melissa Rosenberg
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“In the long run my observations have convinced me that some men, reasoning preposterously, first establish some conclusion in their minds which, either because of its being their own or because of their having received it from some person who has their entire confidence, impresses them so deeply that one finds it impossible ever to get it out of their heads.”

MenMindFirstsPersonsLongRunningImpossibleConvincedConclusionObservationReasoningLong RunsImpress
Author:Galileo Galilei
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“My first breath was just...it just seemed impossible that you could actually breathe underwater. I knew in my mind it was possible, but actually experiencing it was such a gulp of joy and I feel it every time I go under the ocean. I love doing it, to be able to feel weightless, to spin on one finger, to do somersaults, to be like a graceful ballerina - even with a huge tank on your back you can do the most extraordinary things.”

FeelsMindFirstsAbleJoyCan DoImpossibleHugeOceanBreathsFingersExtraordinaryBreatheTanksExtraordinary ThingsBallerinaUnderwater
Author:Sylvia Earle
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