Famous quotes
Quotes by famous people, credited to who said them. Your own quotes must not match any of these. More are added all the time. 1,158,269 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
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“First of all, you have to marry the right person. If you marry the wrong person for the wrong reasons, then no matter how hard you work, it's never going to work, because then you have to completely change yourself, completely change them, completely — by that time, you're both dead. So I think you have to marry for the right reasons, and marry the right person.”
Anne Bancroft (1931–2005) first seen 1997 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On successful marriage. Associated Press interview (1997).
“I am many people. Technique is always the consequence of the dominating concept.. ..with the change of concept, technique will change.”
Hans Hofmann (1880–1966) said by 1966 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You need a change of soul rather than a change of climate.”
Seneca the Younger (5 BC–65) said by 65 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“He had acted on an impulse, with no thought at all. The girl had asked protection and here she had protection, here nothing in the world ever could get at her. But she was a human being and no human being, other than himself, should have ever crossed the threshold. But it was done and there was no way to change it. Once across the threshold, there was no way to change it.”
Clifford D. Simak (1904–1988) said by 1988 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If a nation does not want a monarchy, change the nation’s mind. If a nation does not need a monarchy, change the nation’s needs.”
Jan Smuts (1870–1950) said by 1950 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“All the same we take our chances, Laughed at by time, tricked by circumstances, Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose, The more that things change, the more they stay the same. -- Circumstances (1978)”
Neil Peart (1952–2020) said by 2020 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“One dream can change the development of a personality, and change his physical course.”
Jane Roberts (1929–1984) said by 1984 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Society is a system of inherited forms reducing our humiliating passivity to nature. We may alter these forms, slowly or suddenly, but no change in society will change nature.”
Camille Paglia (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This bomber stands for the interdependent world we have made for ourselves; where the rate of change accelerates every second because every one of man's inventions acts like a trigger to cause change.”
James Burke (science historian) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Increasingly, modern government is about facing the challenge of very rapid change but also remembering that there are certain stabilisers in society that provide reassurance and support when a society is undergoing great change particularly of an economic character.”
John Howard (born 1939) first seen 1997 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Inaugural Prime Minister's on Prime Ministers Lecture (3 September 1997)
“Whenever I refused to follow my fate, something very hard to bear would happen in my life. Tragedy always brings about radical change in our lives, a change that is associated with the same principle: loss. When faced by any loss, there’s no point in trying to recover what has been; it’s best to take advantage of the large space that opens up before us and fill it with something new.”
Paulo Coelho (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“He who thinks he can have flesh and bones without being subject to any external influence, or any accidents of matter, unconsciously wishes to reconcile two opposites, viz., to be at the same time subject and not subject to change. If man were never subject to change there could be no generation; there would be one single being, but no individuals forming a species.”
Maimonides (1135–1204) said by 1204 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Compare Galileo, "...for my part I consider the earth very noble and admirable precisely because of the diverse alterations, changes, generations, etc. that occur in it incessantly. If, not being subject to any changes.…
“Surely you can change your world if you work at it. (…) a world of which you are the only source and ground is fully within your power to change. What is created can always be dissolved and re-created. All will happen as you want it, provided you really want it. (…)”
Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897–1981) said by 1981 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We cannot change the world by a new plan, project, or idea. We cannot even change other people by our convictions, stories, advice and proposals, but we can offer a space where people are encouraged to disarm themselves, lay aside their occupations and pre-occupations and listen with attention and care to the voices speaking in their center.”
Henri Nouwen (1932–1996) first seen 1975 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Reaching Out: Three Movements of the Spiritual Life (1975), p. 74
“Losing hope is easy When your only friend is gone And every time you look around Well, it all, it all just seems to change But hanging on is easy When you've got a friend to call When nothings making sense at all You're not the only one that's afraid of change”
Jack Johnson (musician) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Studies have shown that 90% of error in thinking is due to error in perception. If you can change your perception, you can change your emotion and this can lead to new ideas.”
Edward de Bono (1933–2021) first seen 1991 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Teaching Thinking (1991)
“All true opinions are living, and show their life by being capable of nourishment; therefore of change. But their change is that of a tree — not of a cloud.”
John Ruskin (1819–1900) first seen 1860 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Volume V, Preface (1860)
“I won't change and my perspective won't change. I want to continue my life the way I live it, and I'm not going to let anything stop me from doing that. It isn't all about acting. There's a lot more to life than Hollywood.”
Elijah Wood (born 1981) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Religious faith is the only area of discourse where immunity through conversation is considered noble. It's the only area of our lives where someone can win points for saying, "There's nothing that you can do to change my mind and I'm taking no state of the world ultimately into account in believing what I believe. There's nothing to change about the world that would cause me to revise my beliefs.”
Sam Harris (born 1967) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Sam Harris, "The View From The End Of The World" (9 December 2005)
“Change means movement. Movement means friction. Only in the frictionless vacuum of a nonexistent abstract world can movement or change occur without that abrasive friction of conflict.”
Saul Alinsky (1909–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“No matter what your age and no matter where you come from, everyone can change the world in some way, whether it's being a mentor to someone younger than you or someone that doesn't have as much experience as you. If you're passionate enough, you can do whatever you want and definitely change the world.”
Josh Groban (born 1981) first seen 2003 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Teen People Video Short, 20 Teens Who Will Change the World, 2003
“I mean, we may not want to demonize anybody who has made money. The truth of the matter is, you all, you all know, you all know in your gut what has to be done. We can disagree in the margins but the truth of the matter is it’s all within our wheelhouse and nobody has to be punished. No one's standard of living will change, nothing would fundamentally change.”
“This guy can change the face of what we're dealing with, with regard to guns, assault weapons, with regard to dealing with climate change. And I'm just warning Amy: If I win, I'm coming for him.”
“Because we also have to fundamentally change the way police are trained. [...] And the idea that instead of standing there and teaching a cop when there's an unarmed person coming at 'em with a knife or something, shoot 'em in the leg instead of in the heart. It's a very different thing. There's a lot of different things that can change.”
“It is sometimes possible to change the attitudes of millions but impossible to change the attitude of one man.”
Edward Bernays (1891–1995) said by 1995 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in L. Tye The Father of Spin (1998) p. 102
“The social and political order in some particular countries did change in the past, and it can change in the future as well. But this is exclusively a matter for the peoples themselves and of their choice. Any interference in internal affairs, any attempts to limit the sovereignty of states — whether of friends and allies or anybody else — are inadmissible.”
Mikhail Gorbachev (1931–2022) said by 2022 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Much more should have been achieved by a Labour Government in office and Labour pressure in opposition. Against the dogged resistance to change, we should have pitted a stronger will to change. I conclude that a move to the Left is needed.”
Anthony Crosland (1918–1977) first seen 1974 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Anthony Crosland, Socialism Now (1974), p. 44
“If we are to change our world view, images have to change. The artist now has a very important job to do. He's not a little peripheral figure entertaining rich people, he's really needed.”
David Hockney (1937–2026) first seen 1986 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview with Paul Joyce, New York, (September 1986) quoted in Hockney on Photography, ed. Wendy Brown (1988)
“If things do not change, there will be nothing left to change. Either power must pass to the people or everything will perish.”
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (1928–1979) said by 1979 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I came up with my own expression. I like to "make it hail". Yeah. That's when you throw change on sluts. [Mimes throwing change] "Ow! Were those nickels?" Yeah, it's a down economy, I'm a baller on a budget, bitch!”
Daniel Tosh (born 1975) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Life is change, to cease to change is to cease to live; yet if you may shed a tear beside the death-bed of an old friend, let not your heart be silent on the dissolving of a faith.”
James Anthony Froude (1818–1894) said by 1894 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You cannot change the world in a day...if you want to change, start from your village.”
Muhammad Yunus (born 1940) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 3 April 2025, in BIMSTEC conference Bangkok
“Therefore, the only thing that is not up for grabs is no change. It is fair to say that it is all to play for, except in ruling out no change.”
Rhodri Morgan (1939–2017) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Record of Proceedings, National Assembly for Wales, 15 November 2005.
“I am growing increasingly convinced that if every one of these kids burning with passion to write that hit Christian song or make that hit Christian movie or start that hit Christian ministry to change the world would instead focus their passion on walking with God on a daily basis, the world would change.”
Phil Vischer (born 1966) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Serenity is the first thing people with addiction issues are instructed to request: God, grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference.”
Russell Brand (born 1975) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The climate-change deniers are rapidly ending up with as much intellectual credibility as creationists and Flat Earthers... They are denying the reality of a force that — unless we change the way we live pretty fast — will kill millions.”
Johann Hari (born 1979) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The shame of the climate change deniers", The Independent (24 April 2005)
“But I am sure that God did not intend that there be so many poor. The class structure is of our making and our consent, not His. It is the way we have arranged it, and it is up to us to change it. So we are urging revolutionary change.”
Dorothy Day (1897–1980) first seen 1953 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Poverty Is to Care and Not to Care," Catholic Worker (April 1953)
“Manfred decides that he’s going to do something unusual for a change: He’s going to make himself temporarily rich. This is a change because Manfred’s normal profession is making other people rich. Manfred doesn’t believe in scarcity or zero-sum games or competition—his world is too fast and information-dense to accommodate primate hierarchy games.”
Charles Stross (born 1964) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I do support direct action. I do not advocate or support violence.… Elections are not a viable means of ensuring democratic change in Russia. Therefore I do support using other methods to push for a change back towards democracy”
Boris Berezovsky (1946–2013) first seen 2007 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Bloomberg News (13 April 2007) Russia Demands Berezovsky Extradition After Call for Revolution
“At the end of a person's life that's what they are looking at. What happened inside? How did that experience change me, and how did I change it?”
Vanna Bonta (1958–2014) said by 2014 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Terror makes the new future possible. All men one man, Men live in history as never before. He is saying we make an change history minute by minute. History is not the book or the human memory. We do history in the morning and change it after lunch.”
Don DeLillo (born 1936) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Like sailors, we cannot change the weather or the direction of the wind. But we change the direction of our sails.”
“I'd like to see support right through the various forms, the various artistic disciplines for artists of color who are interested in futuristic and fantastical visions. I'd like to see us really start to make them welcome because they bring a different vision. We bring a different vision and that will change the genre, and the genre is about change.”
Nalo Hopkinson (born 1960) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Our government rests in public opinion. Whoever can change public opinion, can change the government, practically just so much.”
Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) first seen 1856 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech at a Republican Banquet, Chicago, Illinois, December 10, 1856; see Roy P. Basler, ed., The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, vol. 2 (New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 1953), p. 532
“Senator Douglas holds, we know, that a man may rightfully be wiser today than he was yesterday — that he may rightfully change when he finds himself wrong. But can we, for that reason, run ahead, and infer that he will make any particular change, of which he, himself, has given no intimation?”
Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) said by 1865 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When things are bad, change is good, right? Change means things will get better.”
N. K. Jemisin (born 1972) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A precondition for political change lies in the disjuncture between the existing social system and the redistribution of power toward those actors who would benefit most from a change in the system.”
Robert Gilpin (1930–2018) said by 2018 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There is no such thing as change in international development, unless it belongs to the people who want to change”
Michael Elmore-Meegan (born 1959) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There no longer seems to be the fear of retribution, we are empowering each other. We are encouraging each other to change business models, to try new ventures. We are banding together to support each other, to give each other advice, to change our existing culture. I believe that we are on the verge of creating a new antitype.”
Gwyneth Paltrow (born 1972) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“With climate change and health crises rightfully receiving international attention, the time has come to focus on hunger as a top priority. WHO regards hunger and malnutrition as the gravest threat to public health, and climate change threatens to further destabilise already fragile food-production systems.”
Josette Sheeran (born 1954) first seen 2008 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Lancet Volume 371, Issue 9608, Pages 180 - 181, (19 January 2008)