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. 1,158,808 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
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“It is the greatest mistake to think that man is always one and the same. A man is never the same for long. He is continually changing. He seldom remains the same even for half an hour.”
G. I. Gurdjieff (1866–1949) said by 1949 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We cannot and we will not negotiate with terrorists. We have nothing but contempt for them. To conciliate differences with these people without them changing their objectives is to condemn our Republic to ultimate strangulation and death.”
Ferdinand Marcos (1917–1989) first seen 1981 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Extemporaneous remarks during the Meeting with the Leaders of Regions I and II, Mansion House, Baguio City (15 March 1981)
“Town-scapes are changing. The open-plan city belongs in the past — no more ramblas, no more pedestrian precincts, no more left banks and Latin quarters. We're moving into the age of security grilles and defensible space. As for living, our surveillance cameras can do that for us. People are locking their doors and switching off their nervous systems.”
J. G. Ballard (1930–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It's an amazing feeling to know that life is actually growing inside your body. The first time you see the ultrasound and you see the little bones and you realise that it's part of you and it's in your care is life changing and this sort of protective instinct has taken over.”
Halle Berry (born 1966) first seen 2007 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On being pregnant with her first child — reported in Lawrie Masterson (October 21, 2007) "Yummy working mummy", Sunday Herald Sun, Section: IE, p. 3.
“Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.”
John Kenneth Galbraith (1908–2006) first seen 1971 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Economics, Peace and Laughter (1971), p. 50
“Alexander: How the world must have been changing while I was holding it still.”
Tom Stoppard (1937–2025) said by 2025 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“To lead a better life, I need my love to be here. Here, making each day of the year, Changing my life with a wave of her hand. Nobody can deny that there's something there.”
Paul McCartney (born 1942) first seen 1966 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Here, There and Everywhere" from Revolver (1966) - Full lyrics at Songfacts.com
“There’s a paradox for you. Although really it’s no more than saying that I’m satisfied with my life. Changing anything would wish people I’ve loved out of existence, and yet…there would have been other people, I suppose. Who now will never be.”
Lois McMaster Bujold (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Indeed, the interests of the oppressors lie in 'changing the consciousness of the oppressed, not the situation which oppresses them.'”
Paulo Freire (1921–1997) said by 1997 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The integrated person is person as Subject. In contrast, the adaptive person is person as object, adaptation representing at most a weak form of self-defense. If man is incapable of changing reality, he adjusts himself instead. Adaptation is behavior characteristic of the animal sphere; exhibited by man, it is symptomatic of his dehumanization.”
Paulo Freire (1921–1997) said by 1997 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Darwinian natural selection only yields adaptation to changing local environments, and better function in an immediate habitat might just as well be achieved by greater simplicity in form and behavior as by ever-increasing complexity.”
Stephen Jay Gould (1941–2002) said by 2002 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It only takes 20 years for a liberal to become a conservative without changing a single idea.”
Robert Anton Wilson (1932–2007) first seen 1980 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Illuminati Papers (1980), p. 111
“In games there are rules, but in life the rules keep changing.”
Kim Stanley Robinson (born 1952) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A modern revolutionary group heads for the television station, not the factory. It concentrates its energy on infiltrating and changing the image system.”
Abbie Hoffman (1936–1989) said by 1989 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“No, I have not supported that, and I don’t see my position on that changing.”
Rudy Giuliani (born 1944) first seen 1999 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: When asked if he supported a ban on partial-birth abortion, as quoted on CNN's Inside Politics (2 December 1999)
“Music expresses the motion of the waters, the play of curves described by changing breezes.”
Claude Debussy (1862–1918) said by 1918 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in The Twentieth Century (1972) by Caroline Farrar Ware, p. 222
“They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace — Christopher Robin went down with Alice. They've great big parties inside the grounds. "I wouldn't be king for a hundred pounds", Says Alice.”
A. A. Milne (1882–1956) said by 1956 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A free man doesn't need groups, because he's in a position to take advantage of the numerous direct alternatives that require only his decision, not the changing of others.”
Harry Browne (1933–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I certainly haven't been shopping for any new shoes, And I certainly haven't been spreading myself around. I still only travel by foot, and by foot it's a slow climb. But I'm good at being uncomfortable, so I can't stop changing all the time.”
Fiona Apple (born 1977) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Those that say that individuals are not capable of changing anything are only looking for excuses.”
Václav Havel (1936–2011) first seen 2011 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Vaclav Havel’s human rights legacy an inspiration Amnesty International (21 December 2011)]
“Truth has no path. Truth is living and, therefore, changing. Awareness is without choice, without demand, without anxiety; in that state of mind, there is perception. To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person. Awareness has no frontier; it is giving of your whole being, without exclusion.”
Bruce Lee (1940–1973) said by 1973 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“People do their best satirical work when they’re young. I’m not interested in saying only the nasty. My mind doesn’t run that way anymore. I don’t know if the times are changing or I am.”
Tom Lehrer (1928–2025) said by 2025 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You can't go back home to your family, back home to your childhood, … back home to a young man's dreams of glory and of fame … back home to places in the country, back home to the old forms and systems of things which once seemed everlasting but which are changing all the time -- back home to the escapes of Time and Memory.”
Thomas Wolfe (1900–1938) said by 1938 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The open society, the unrestricted access to knowledge, the unplanned and uninhibited association of men for its furtherance — these are what may make a vast, complex, ever growing, ever changing, ever more specialized and expert technological world, nevertheless a world of human community.”
Robert Oppenheimer (1904–1967) first seen 1953 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Science and the Common Understanding (1953)
“If our so-called facts are changing shadows, they are shadows cast by the light of constant truth. So too in religion we are repelled by that confident theological doctrine … but we need not turn aside from the measure of light that comes into our experience showing us a Way through the unseen world.”
Arthur Eddington (1882–1944) said by 1944 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I'm a problem that'll never ever be solved I'm a monster, I'm a maven I know this world is changing Never gave in, never gave up I'm the only thing I'm afraid of No matter what, you'll never take that from me My reign is as far as your eyes can see, it's amazing.”
Kanye West (born 1977) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Even Gandhi, with all his charisma, did not "melt the hearts" of his oppressors, as he had hoped. After softening, hearts harden again. Asoka too was wrong to think that he was changing the course of history, and that his righteousness would last "as long as the sun and the moon.”
Theodore Zeldin (born 1933) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This country-right-or-wrong business is getting a little out-of-date. Today we are fighting Communism. Okay. If I’d been alive fifty years ago, the brand of Conservatism we have today would have been damn near called Communism and we should have been told to go and fight that. History is moving pretty quickly these days and the heroes and villains keep on changing parts.”
Ian Fleming (1908–1964) said by 1964 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“All times are changing times, but ours is one of massive, rapid moral and mental transformation. Archetypes turn into millstones, large simplicities get complicated, chaos becomes elegant, and what everybody knows is true turns out to be what some people used to think.”
Ursula K. Le Guin (1929–2018) said by 2018 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Once again, I was confused. It felt like bits of reality and unreality were randomly changing places.”
Haruki Murakami (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“And, you know, it's kind of like with people and the tarot cards. Just because you get the death card doesn't mean death or dying. It means transformation. It means changing things around and starting something new.”
Conor Oberst (born 1980) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We still think and talk of the basic problems of an industrial society as problems that can be solved by changing the "system," that is the superstructure of political organization. Yet the real problems lie within the [industrial] enterprise. On the contrary, it is the solution of the problems of the enterprise that will shape the system under which we live.”
Peter Drucker (1909–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“activists and peacemakers are everywhere. And they are changing how politics is done.”
Amy Goodman (born 1957) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“She has peaked. I have the feeling of 1945. Mrs Thatcher has never known losing office as Gladstone did and the need to face changing circumstances and clear new obstacles before returning to power.”
Enoch Powell (1912–1998) first seen 1987 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Remarks during the general election campaign (27 May 1987), quoted in The Times (28 May 1987), p. 5.
“At any moment there is certainly not balanced trade between the various areas of the habitable globe that happens to be under separate national governments — there is an ever-changing pattern of deficits and surpluses.”
Joan Robinson (1903–1983) said by 1983 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The past is not more important than the future, despite what your culture has taught you. Your future observations, conclusions, and beliefs are more important to you than those in your past ever will be. The world is changing so fast the balance between the past and the future has shifted.”
Erik Naggum (1965–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“One wishes to go on. On this great river one could glide forever — and here we discover the definition of bliss, salvation, Heaven, all the old Mediterranean dreams: a journey from wonder to wonder, drifting through eternity into ever-deeper, always changing grandeur, through beauty continually surpassing itself: the ultimate Homeric voyage.”
Edward Abbey (1927–1989) said by 1989 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We are Germany 1930. And if people don't speak out, you have no choice of changing course later. You can deny it all you want, but the socialist revolution is here.”
Glenn Beck (born 1964) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Law and justice are not always the same. When they aren't, destroying the law may be the first step toward changing it.”
Gloria Steinem (1934–2026) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Building a Life of Value : Timeless Wisdom to Inspire and Empower Us (2005) by Jason A. Merchey, p. 225
“A wife is the earth itself, changing hands, bearing scars.”
Barbara Kingsolver (born 1955) first seen 1998 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Poisonwood Bible (1998).
“In the green fields a turnin', a baby is born His cries crease the wind and mingle with the morn An assault upon the order, the changing of the guard Chosen for a challenge that is hopelessly hard And the only single sound is the sighing of the stars But to the silence and distance they are sworn.”
Phil Ochs (1940–1976) said by 1976 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The equation of motion holds at all times, it is in this sense eternal, whereas the geometrical forms, like the orbits, are changing. Therefore, the mathematical forms that represent the elementary particles will be solutions of some eternal law of motion for matter. Actually this is a problem which has not yet been solved.”
Werner Heisenberg (1901–1976) said by 1976 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“On the boundless plain careering By an unseen compass steering, Wildly flying, reappearing, — With untamed fire their broad eyes glowing In every step a grand pride showing, Of no servile moment knowing, —Happy as the trees and flowers, In their instinct cradled hours, Happier in fuller powers, —See the wild herd nobly ranging, Nature varying, not changing, Lawful in their lawless ranging.”
Margaret Fuller (1810–1850) said by 1850 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If it is a dying craft we can't do anything about it. Civilisation moves on. Where are all the fresco painters now? Where are the landscape artists? What are they doing now? The world is changing. I have been very fortunate to be able to do the same job for 40 years. That's rare in any era.”
Hayao Miyazaki (born 1941) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: on the topic of hand-drawn animation (2005) The Guardian article
“..[Enshittification] is a seemingly inevitable consequence arising from the combination of the ease of changing how a platform allocates value, combined with the nature of a "two-sided market," where a platform sits between buyers and sellers, hold each hostage to the other, raking off an ever-larger share of the value that passes between them.”
Cory Doctorow (born 1971) first seen 2023 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The ‘Enshittification’ of TikTok" Wired (23 January 2023)
“Chaos has her moods and whims, that’s all. As I told you, she cannot remain stable. It is in her nature to be forever changing.” “While it is in the nature of Law,” Alisaard explained, “to be forever fixed. The Balance is there to ensure that neither Law nor Chaos ever gain complete ascendancy, for the one offers sterility while the other offers only sensation.”
Michael Moorcock (born 1939) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Mikel knew better than to question her. Not because she was always right, but because there was no changing her mind once it was set.”
Gillian Anderson (born 1968) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Our laws need to reflect the evolution of technology and the changing expectations of American society. This is why the Constitution is often called a “living” document. But we have a long way to go to get our modern privacy laws in line with modern technology.”
Al Franken (born 1951) first seen 2012 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Privacy and Civil Liberties in the Digital Age" in WIRED (2 March 2012)
“Will you make us laugh, will you make us cry? Will you tell us when to live; will you tell us when to die? I know we've come a long way, We're changing day to day, But tell me, where do the children play?”
Cat Stevens (born 1948) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It would be three-dimensional chess with a million billion squares and a million pieces, and with the rules changing ever move.”
Clifford D. Simak (1904–1988) said by 1988 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source