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Opportunity Quotes

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Opportunity Quotes

“What mortal is there of us, who would find his satisfaction enhanced by an opportunity of comparing the picture he presents to himself of his doings, with the picture they make on the mental retina of his neighbours? We are poor plants buoyed up by the air-vessels of our own conceit.”

Opportunity Poor Air Plant Satisfaction Mortals Compare Vessel Neighbour Conceit Doings

Book:Scenes of Clerical Life

Source: Scenes of Clerical Life

“It is a maxim universally agreed upon in agriculture, that nothing must be done too late; and again, that everything must be done at its proper season; while there is a third precept which reminds us that opportunities lost can never be regained.”

Done Opportunity Lost Late Thirds Seasons Too Late Agriculture Maxims

Book:The Natural History of Pliny

Source: The Natural History of Pliny

“In order to have a large number of values in common, all the members of the group must have an equable opportunity, to receive and to take from others. There must be a large variety of shared undertakings and experiences. Otherwise, the influences which educate some into masters, educates others into slaves.”

Values Order Opportunity Common Numbers Groups Influence Masters Members Slave Variety Educate Undertakings Large Numbers

Author:John Dewey

“People everywhere are about the same, but ... it did seem that in a small town, where evil is harder to accomplish, where opportunities for privacy are scarcer, that people can invent more of it in other people's names. Because that was all it required: that idea, that single idle word blown from mind to mind.”

People Mind Ideas Seems Evil Opportunity Names Harder Towns Accomplish Privacy Gossip Idle Small Town

Book:Novels, 1930-1935

Source: Novels, 1930-1935

“I want to finish by saying that I intend to be an avid spokesperson for testicular cancer once I have beaten the disease. I want this to be a positive experience and I want to take this opportunity to help others who might someday suffer from the same circumstance I face today.”

Want Helping Might Today Faces Suffering Opportunity Circumstances Disease Cancer Helping Others Someday Beaten Avid Positive Experiences Testicular Cancer

Author:Lance Armstrong

“I wish to suggest that ample opportunity does exist for dissent, for protest, and for nonconformity. But I must also say that the right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously.”

Doe Opportunity Wish Taken Heard Protest Dissent Nonconformity

Author:Hubert H. Humphrey

“If hemp could supply the energy needs of the United States, its value would be inestimable. Now that the drug czar is in final retreat, America has an opportunity to, once and for all, say farewell to the Exxon Valdez, Saddam Hussein and a prohibitively expensive brinkmanship in the desert sands of Saudi Arabia.”

“One of the greatest dangers to peace lies in the economic pressure to which people find themselves subjected. One of the most practical things to be done in the world is to seek arrangements under which such pressure may be removed, so that opportunity may be renewed and hope may be revived.”

People World May Done Lying Opportunity Peace Economic Danger Pressure Practicals Arrangements Practical Things

Author:Calvin Coolidge

“Opportunity is coy, is swift, is gone, before the slow, the unobservant, the indolent, or the careless can seize her.”

Opportunity Gone Careless

Book:ORISON SWETT MARDEN Premium Collection - Wisdom & Empowerment Series (18 Books in One Volume): Steps to Success and Power, How to Get What You Want, An Iron Will, Be Good to Yourself, Every Man A King, Keeping Fit, Prosperity – How to Attract It, Stepping-Stones To Fame And Fortune...

Source: ORISON SWETT MARDEN Premium Collection - Wisdom & Empowerment Series (18 Books in One Volume): Steps to Success and Power, How to Get What You Want, An Iron Will, Be Good to Yourself, Every Man A King, Keeping Fit, Prosperity – How to Attract It, Stepping-Stones To Fame And Fortune...

“Success is in the student, not in the university; greatness is in the individual, not in the library; power is in the man, not in his crutches. A great man will make opportunities, even out of the commonest and meanest situations. If a man is not superior to his education, is not larger than his crutches or his helps, if he is not greater than the means of his culture, which are but the sign-boards pointing the way to success, he will never reach greatness. Not learning, not culture alone, not helps and opportunities, but personal power and sterling integrity, make a man great.”

“Society is to the individual what the sun and showers are to the seed. It develops him, expands him, unfolds him, calls him out of himself. Other men are his opportunity. Each one is a match which ignites some new tinder in him unignitible by any previous match. Without these the sparks of individuality would sleep in him forever.”

Men Opportunity Individual Sleep Sun Forever Individuality Seeds Sparks Showers Ignite Tinder

Book:Rising in the World: Or, Architects of Fate; a Book Designed to Inspire Youth to Character Building, Self-culture and Noble Achievement

Source: Rising in the World: Or, Architects of Fate; a Book Designed to Inspire Youth to Character Building, Self-culture and Noble Achievement

“Even the men most richly endowed with ability, education, and opportunity, even the giants of the race, after the completest life possible, feel, as they stand on the edge of the grave, that they are but human acorns with all their possibilities still in them, just beginning to sprout.”

Men Feels Humans Stills Opportunity Ability Race Possibility He Man Edges Graves Giants Sprouts Acorns

Book:The Miracle of Right Thought

Source: The Miracle of Right Thought

“I'm really happy that I got to work with such fresh talent. In a day when record companies are not particularly good at encouraging young, talented songwriters to come forward and get exposure, I think it's important to give tomorrow's songwriters the opportunity.”

Thinking Giving Important Young Opportunity Company Records Talent Tomorrow Songwriters Exposure Really Happy Record Companies

Author:Robin Gibb

“The most important factor in determining whether you will succeed isn’t your gender, it’s you. Be open to opportunity and take risks. In fact, take the worst, the messiest, the most challenging assignment you can find, and then take control.”

Important Facts Opportunity Challenges Risk Worst Succeed Gender Factors Assignments Take Control

Author:Angela Braly

“When the world is in the midst of change, when adversity and opportunity are almost indistinguishable, this is the time for visionary leadership and when leaders need to look beyond the survival needs of those they're serving.”

World Needs Looks Opportunity Leader Survival Adversity Midst Serving Visionaries Visionary Leadership

Author:Chip Conley

“Self-esteem doesn't come simply from dressing well, but they are both something we can control. It's a missed opportunity when women say they don't have the money, figure, etc., because style is such a way to help cultivate the way women feel about themselves.”

Way Feels Wells Self Helping Opportunity Style Self Esteem Figures Esteem Etc Dressings Missed Opportunity Dressing Well

Author:Stacy London

“Life is sacred. Life is art. Life is sacred art. The art of sacred living means being a holy actor, acting from the soul rather than the ego. The soul is out of space and time and hence always available, an ever-present potential of our being. It is up to each of us to celebrate and to actualize our being and to turn each meal, conversation, outfit, letter, and so on, into art. Every mundane activity is an opportunity for full authentic self-expression. The soul is our artistic self, our capacity for transforming every dimension of our lives into art and theater.”

“Selfishness and demagoguery take advantage of liberty. The selfish hand constantly seeks to control government, and every increase of governmental power, even to meet just needs, furnishes opportunity for abuse and stimulates the effort to bend it to improper uses.”

Needs Use Hands Government Opportunity Effort Liberty Advantage Abuse Increase Selfish Selfishness Mental Power Demagoguery

Book:Conditions of Progress in Democratic Government

Source: Conditions of Progress in Democratic Government

“Lord, help us to accept the pains and conflicts that come to us each day as opportunities to grow as people and become more like you.”

People Helping Pain Opportunity Grows Accepting Lord Like You Conflict Each Day

Author:Mother Teresa

“Opportunity knocks once at every man's door and then keeps on knocking.”

Men Opportunity Doors Every Man Knocking Opportunity Knocks Opportunity Knocking

Book:Knocking the neighbors

Source: Knocking the neighbors

“Without good-will, no man has any presumptive right, except the right or opportunity to change his will, so long as there is hope of it.”

Men Long Opportunity Good Will There Is Hope Opportunity To Change

Author:William Ernest Hocking

“Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity.”

Opportunity Friendship Responsibility Sweet Friends Responsible Family And Friends Real Friends My Best Friend True Friend True Friendship Best Friend My Friendship Great Opportunity About Friendship Love And Friendship Friendship Love Friendship Memories One Line Friendship Best Friendship Friendship Day Cute Friendship Inspirational Friendship Friend Love Great Friendship Funny Friendship Lasting Friendship Happy Friendship Sweet Life Best Opportunity Happy Friendship Day True Best Friend Two Friends Beautiful Friendship Friendship Over Faithful Friends Sweet Friendship Funny Best Friend Short Friend Cute Best Friend Friend Valentine True Friendship And Life Meaningful Friendship Short Best Friend Sweet Friend Heart Touching Friendship Amazing Friendship Celebrating With Friends Songs And Friendship Touching Best Friend Special Friendship Touching Friendship Genuine Friendship Assuming Responsibility

Book:The New Frontier and Sand and Foam

Source: The New Frontier and Sand and Foam

“Tardiness is next to wickedness in a society relentless in its consumption of time as both a good and a service--as tweet and Instagram, film clip and sound bite, as sporting event, investment opportunity, Tinder hookup, and interest rate--its value measured not by its texture or its substance but by the speed of its delivery, a distinction apparent to Andy Warhol when he supposedly said that any painting that takes longer than five minutes to make is a bad painting.”

“Given lesser opportunities, Kissinger would have done very well as a talk show host. Fortunately for him, although not so fortunately for the United States, he found his patron in Nelson Rockefeller instead of William Paley.”

Wells States Done Shows Found Opportunity Given United United States Host Nelson Talk Shows Patron Kissinger

Author:Lewis H. Lapham

“Neither federal nor state government acts compatibly with equal protection when a law or official policy denies to women, simply because they are women, full citizenship stature - equal opportunity to aspire, achieve, participate in and contribute to society based on their individual talents and capacities.”

Source: My Own Words

“So my judgment is that Syria will move; Syria will change, as it embraces a legitimate relationship with the United States and the West and economic opportunity that comes with it and the participation that comes with it.”

States Moving Opportunity United United States Economic Judgment Embrace West Syria Participation

Author:John F. Kerry

“If we think that we can secure our country by just talking tough without acting tough and smart, then we will misunderstand this moment and miss its opportunities. If we think that we can use the same partisan playbook where we just challenge our opponent's patriotism to win an election, then the American people will lose. The times are too serious for this kind of politics.”

People Ifs Thinking Kind Country Moments Use Opportunity Winning Loses Challenges Acting Talking Missing Serious Smart Tough Election Our Country Secure Opponents Partisans Playbooks

Author:Barack Obama

“I think that one of the things that we all agree to is that the touchstone for economic policy is, does it allow the average American to find good employment and see their incomes rise; that we can't just look at things in the aggregate, we do want to grow the pie, but we want to make sure that prosperity is spread across the spectrum of regions and occupations and genders and races; and that economic policy should focus on growing the pie, but it also has to make sure that everybody has got opportunity in that system.”

“Let's remember that our leadership is defined not just by our defense against threats, but by the enormous opportunities to do good and promote understanding around the globe to forge greater cooperation, to expand new markets, to free people from fear and want. And no one is better positioned to take advantage of those opportunities than America.”

People Want America Remember Opportunity Understanding Greater Advantage Threat Defense Enormous Defined Cooperation Globes

Author:Barack Obama

“Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who's willing to work. That's the promise of America - the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's keeper.”

Should Ideas Helping Government America Fall Opportunity Belief Nations Hurt Influence Willing Brother Promise Responsible Fundamentals My Brother My Sister Keepers My Sister's Keeper

Author:Barack Obama

“So we have a choice to make. We can once again let Washington's bad habits stand in the way of progress. Or we can pull together and say that in America, our destiny isn't written for us but by us. We can place good ideas ahead of old ideological battles, and a sense of purpose above the same narrow partisanship. We can act boldly to turn crisis into opportunity and, together, write the next great chapter in our history and meet the test of our time.”

“Any strategy to reduce intergenerational poverty has to be centered on work, not welfare--not only because work provides independence and income but also because work provides order, structure, dignity, and opportunities for growth in people's lives.”

People Order Opportunity Growth Poverty Dignity Independence Strategy Structure Income Welfare

Book:The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream

Source: The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream

“If we neglect or abandon those who are suffering in poverty ... not only are we depriving ourselves of potential opportunities for markets and economic growth, but ultimately that despair may turn to violence that turns on us.”

Ifs May Suffering Turns Opportunity Growth Poverty Violence Economic Despair Abandon Neglect Economic Growth Depriving

Author:Barack Obama

“Conservatives or better, pro-corporate apologists hijacked the vocabulary of Jeffersonian liberalism and turned words like "progress," "opportunity," and "individualism" into tools for making the plunder of America sound like divine right. This "degenerate and unlovely age," as one historian calls it, exists in the mind of Karl Rove the reputed brain of George W. Bush as the seminal age of inspiration for politics and governance of America today.”

“A free press is one where it's okay to state the conclusion you're led to by the evidence. One reason I'm in hot water is because my colleagues and I at NOW didn't play by the conventional rules of Beltway journalism. Those rules divide the world into Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, and allow journalists to pretend they have done their job if instead of reporting the truth behind the news, they merely give each side an opportunity to spin the news.”

“We set up government by consent of the governed, and the Bill of Rights denies those in power any legal opportunity to coerce that consent. Authority here is to be controlled by public opinion, not public opinion by authority.”

Government Opportunity Opinion Rights Authority Bills Deny Controlled Consent Public Opinion Bill Of Rights Coerce Consent Of The Governed

Author:Robert H. Jackson

“Love can't flourish in a "society" based on money and meaningless work, but rather requires complete economic, as well as personal, freedom, leisure time and the opportunity to engage in intensely absorbing, emotionally satisfying activities which, when shared with those you respect, lead to deep friendship, but which our "society" provides practically no opportunity to engage in.”

Wells Opportunity Economic Activity Our Society Satisfying Meaningless Leisure Absorbing Personal Freedom Leisure Time Deep Friendship

Author:Valerie Solanas

“I'm very excited about this wonderful opportunity to take part in the evolution of a company that is integral to the Hispanic community and a powerful force in all areas of the media.”

Opportunity Force Community Powerful Company Wonderful Media Evolution Areas Excited Hispanic

Author:Gloria Estefan

“The separation of families to me is very close to my heart because we lived that as immigrants. I strongly feel that we all connected, and having felt people's love and support first-hand through difficult moments in my life, makes me feel it's our responsibility to help one another. I am privileged to help in some way, and I will always take that opportunity.”

“My favorite process is writing, from day one. The songs I have written throughout the years were a real great opportunity for me to communicate, because I think tha'ts my prime objective on this planet.”

Thinking Writing Years Real Song Opportunity Process Written Planets My Favorite Communicate Objectives Prime Great Opportunity

Author:Gloria Estefan

“Faith is not about a building or a lifestyle. You can minister in many ways besides attending services or being a preacher. And I think that that's what I feel most thankful for--that I have the opportunity to minister now, in my own way.”

Thinking Way Feels Opportunity My Own Building Lifestyle Ministers Preacher Attending

Book:Learning to Sing

Source: Learning to Sing

“After 9-11, the President had a historic opportunity to unite Americans and the world in common cause. Instead, by exploiting the politics of fear, instigating an optional war in Iraq before finishing a necessary war in Afghanistan and instituting policies on torture, detainees and domestic surveillance that fly in the face of our values and interests, President Bush divided Americans from each other and from the world.”

World War Faces Values Opportunity Causes President Interest Common Policy Iraq Torture Divided Afghanistan Historic President Bush Surveillance Finishing Optional Detainees

Author:Joe Biden

“I'll tell you what I did need to learn was tolerance, and I think I've been actually given a daily opportunity to practice that, and it's - it's - and I know that that sounds almost like a backhanded slap, and it is in a way because I haven't been successful at it every day.”

Thinking Knows Way Needs Opportunity Given Sound Practice Successful Havens Tolerance Slap

Author:Mel Gibson

“To some, freedom means the opportunity to do what they want to do; to most it means not to do what they do not want to do. It is perhaps true that those who can grow will feel free under any condition.”

Want Feels Mean Reason Opportunity Grows Freedom Conditions Respect Conscience Prohibition Free Thought

Book:Between the Devil and the Dragon: The Best Essays and Aphorisms of Eric Hoffer

Source: Between the Devil and the Dragon: The Best Essays and Aphorisms of Eric Hoffer

“Though there is a benevolence due to all mankind, none can question but a superior degree of it is to be paid to a father, a wife, or child. In the same manner, though our love should reach to the whole species, a greater proportion of it should exert itself towards that community in which Providence has placed us. This is our proper sphere of action, the province allotted us for the exercise of our civil virtues, and in which alone we have opportunities of expressing our goodwill to mankind.”

Source: Essays Moral and Humorous: Also Essays on Imagination and Taste

“The particulars of life do not matter to the artist; they merely provide him with the opportunity to lay bare his genius.”

Art Matter Artist Opportunity Genius Lays

Book:In Search of Lost Time, Volume II: Within a Budding Grove (A Modern Library E-Book)

Source: In Search of Lost Time, Volume II: Within a Budding Grove (A Modern Library E-Book)

“when the human race is not grotesque it is because it is asleep and losing its opportunity.”

Humans Opportunity Race Losing Human Race Grotesque

Book:Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 2: The Complete and Authoritative Edition

Source: Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 2: The Complete and Authoritative Edition

“Decorum -- that bug-bear which deters so many from bliss until the opportunity for bliss has forever gone by.”

Opportunity Gone Forever Bears Bliss Bugs Decorum

Book:The Short Fiction of Edgar Allan Poe: An Annotated Edition

Source: The Short Fiction of Edgar Allan Poe: An Annotated Edition

“All my life I've encountered people who were obsessed with one particular class of object or experience, who were constantly pursuing that thing. Since I was a little kid, I hadn't afforded myself the opportunity, I guess, to have a hobby.”

People Littles Kids Opportunity Class Objects Particular Obsessed Hobbies Little Kid

Author:William Gibson

“Whenever Alexander heard Philip had taken any town of importance, or won any signal victory, instead of rejoicing at it altogether, he would tell his companions that his father would anticipate everything, and leave him and them no opportunities of performing great and illustrious actions.”

Action Father Opportunity Taken Heard Victory Importance Towns Performing Companion Rejoice Signals Anticipate Philip

Book:The life of Alexander the Great

Source: The life of Alexander the Great