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Quotes by famous people, credited to who said them. Your own quotes must not match any of these. More are added all the time. 1,159,190 quotes Who coined it · How we decide

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Life

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“Are you truly living life or just paying bills until you die?”
Jay Samit (born 1961) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Characters have a way of taking on a life on their own, expressing themselves in the simple philosophy of their times, and expressing beliefs acquired through living, working, and being. Once characters are established, they become their own persons and the ideas of the characters are such ideas as they might have acquired in the circumstances of their daily existence.”
Louis L'Amour (1908–1988) first seen 1988 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Preface, in A Trail of Memories : The Quotations Of Louis L'Amour (1988) by Angelique L'Amour
“However the study of the constituent parts of man, his spirit, soul, and body, reveals man's innate capacity to overcome the disintegrating effects of error thinking and living, and his ability, by conforming to the standards laid down by Jesus, to destroy the seeds of death and implant health and eternal life in his body.”
Charles Fillmore (1854–1948) said by 1948 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The twentieth-century conservative is concerned, first of all, for the regeneration of the spirit and character – with the perennial problem of the inner order of the soul, the restoration of the ethical understanding, and the religious sanction upon which any life worth living is founded. This is conservatism at its highest.”
Russell Kirk (1918–1994) said by 1994 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Twentieth-century paleontologists have fallen into the bad habit of reconstructing the dinosaurs' life functions by using crocodiles as a living model. But the earliest researchers of the nineteenth century proved beyond a doubt that the dinosaurs' powerful hind limbs must have operated like the limbs of gigantic birds.”
Robert T. Bakker (born 1945) first seen 1986 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Dinosaur Heresies: A Revolutionary View of Dinosaurs (1986), Longman Scientific & Technical, p. 20
“Despite these common properties, and the fundamental unity of life they reveal, it is difficult to make generalizations about living organisms.”
Albert L. Lehninger (1917–1986) said by 1986 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The first living organisms on Earth doubtless arose in an aqueous environment, and the course of evolution has been shaped by the proper ties of the aqueous medium in which life began.”
Albert L. Lehninger (1917–1986) said by 1986 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Where there is life there is a pattern, and where there is a pattern there is mathematics. Once that germ of rationality and order exists to turn a chaos into a cosmos, then so does mathematics. There could not be a non-mathematical Universe containing living observers.”
John D. Barrow (1952–2020) said by 2020 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The living ocean drives planetary chemistry, governs climate and weather, and otherwise provides the cornerstone of the life-support system for all creatures on our planet, from deep-sea starfish to desert sagebrush. That's why the ocean matters. If the sea is sick, we'll feel it. If it dies, we die. Our future and the state of the oceans are one.”
Sylvia Earle (born 1935) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It is frustrating to know, on the one hand, that every living thing on earth will have had a single, unique history—whether it be the life of an individual, of a civilization, of a species, of a diverse evolutionary group—and, on the other, to be constantly in the position of trying to discover it.”
Jeffrey H. Schwartz (born 1948) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Will you please go journeying for your own sake, till I come living a moment of life?”
Suman Pokhrel (born 1967) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Death isn't empty like you say it is. Emptiness is life without freedom, Darrow. Emptiness is living chained by fear, fear of loss, fear of death.I say we break those chains.Break the chains of fear and you break the chains that bind us to the Golds, to the Society. Could you imagine it?”
Pierce Brown (born 1988) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The fifty-third Chuang Tzu wore the very first on his cloak as a diamond buckle. Every emperor became a diamond eventually. It was one of the few advantages of living as a carbon-based life form.”
Jon Courtenay Grimwood (born 1953) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Whenever I came across bits and pieces of my alleged past, I wanted to puke. Apparently, I had once had an unknown life with a family. What is the point of being alive unless you can remember living it, I wondered?”
L. K. Samuels (born 1951) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The Great Western Disease is that we fixate on the future at the expense of enjoying the life we're living now.”
Marshall Goldsmith (born 1949) first seen 2010 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 81 (2010 edition)
“Organization is a mechanism or structure that enables living things to work effectively together. The evolution of life and of human society demonstrates the need for organization.”
Louis A. Allen (1917–2010) said by 2010 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[...]books. I would scorn the pointless, haughty posturing, scorn its abstracted way of living. There I go again—pondering the purposelessness of my day-to-day life, wishing I had more ambition, and lamenting all the contradictions in myself—when I know it's just sentimental nonsense. All I'm doing is indulging myself, trying to console myself.”
Osamu Dazai (1909–1948) said by 1948 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“By living this way, what will my fortune be? There is nothing. Am I simply a sickly man? What should I do? I had no direction, nothing. I thought that this reckless life of mine was only a nuisance to others and devoid of meaning. This was quite hard to bear.”
Osamu Dazai (1909–1948) said by 1948 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“when you have been very active all your life, and suddenly you’re very restricted and don’t have much mobility, it’s tough. And it’s tough when you’ve been married for 40 years to be living alone.”
Grace Lee Boggs (1915–2015) said by 2015 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I was born a vegetarian. … I feel there is no need to cause another living thing pain or harm. There are so many other things we can eat. I have never eaten meat in my life, and I’m 5 foot 10 and not exactly wasting away. A wise man once said, ‘Animals are my friends, and I’m not in the habit of eating my friends.’ That is exactly how I feel.”
Joss Stone (born 1987) first seen 2007 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Reported in "Introducing Joss Stone’s Vegetarian PSA", in peta2.com (13 March 2007). Also quoted in "Soul diva Stone in veggie ad", in Mirror.co.uk (15 March 2007).
“I considered that life was sweet in all living creatures, and the taking it away became a very tender point with me. The creatures, or many of them, were given, or as I take it, rather lent us to be governed in the great Creator's fear.”
Joshua Evans (Quaker minister) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Being vegetarian is the expression of a philosophy of life that excludes all forms of bullying and always privileges respect for all living beings. There is also an ethical conscience, an awareness of the principles of environmental sustainability, a desire to express love for the planet, and a culture of nonviolence. (pp. 8-9)”
Umberto Veronesi (1925–2016) said by 2016 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[Whether he would be willing to resort to euthanasia] Without the slightest hesitation. If an illness deprived me of my dignity as a person I would ask for euthanasia. I also made the living will that contains my wishes on the end of my life, in case I was unable to express them in person.”
Umberto Veronesi (1925–2016) said by 2016 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Poisoned, pursued and living with a psychopath. Not what I would consider the good life. Death has its perks.”
Maria V. Snyder (born 1969) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Everyone makes choices in life. Some bad, some good. It's called living, and if you want to bow out, then go right ahead. But don't do it halfway. Don't linger in whiner's limbo.”
Maria V. Snyder (born 1969) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Beauty leads you back to what you have lost. Beauty reminds you of what remains forever immune to cynicism. Beauty beckons in a manner that straightens your aim. Beauty reminds you that there is lesser and greater value. Many things make life worth living: love, play, courage, gratitude, work, friendship, truth, grace, hope, virtue, and responsibility. But beauty is among the greatest of these.”
Jordan Peterson (born 1962) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The point was living with grace, decency, and attention to the world, and breaking free of the artificial constructs in your own life.”
Scott Jurek (born 1973) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I could only see myself making a living through writing, as I had done in China. But should I write in Chinese here, a foreign land, or enrol in a language class and study English grammar? If I continued to write in Chinese I would have no readers here. Besides, I would never create a community of fellow artists and thinkers in my Western life while speaking Chinese.”
Xiaolu Guo (born 1973) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Once Upon A Time in the East: A Story of Growing up, Chatto & Windus, 2017, page 259 (ISBN 9781784740689).
“That is something I'm very passionate about. I love animals so much. To think that any animal would be trapped — it makes me so sad. It's like living in your bedroom for your entire life and never being able to go outside. … You should always speak up. That's what I'd like to teach my fans — to be real and speak up for things you're passionate about.”
Noah Cyrus (born 2000) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Noah Cyrus Fans, Listen Up!,” video for PETA (24 October 2017).
“My revenge is living well... I want to go get on a freighter and go through the Panama Canal. All I've ever wanted in my life is freedom and access. I like being backstage and watching the weird, human drama of all of these strange personalities that politics attracts.”
Mike Murphy (political consultant) first seen 2016 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Debriefing Mike Murphy" (18 March 2016), by Matt Labash, The Weekly Standard
“I believe we should extend our care and concern to all living creatures with whom we share this planet. ... [Animals] give me a window into a world that is different from our own, but every bit as meaningful. ... I can’t imagine what life would be like without animals. They bring me happiness and a sense of calm and peace.”
Alyssa Milano (born 1972) first seen 2013 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Alyssa Milano on Pets and Best Friends", interview with Parade (24 June 2013).
“Generous development of old age insurance through nationalisation of the life-annuity system. To every needy German national comrade an adequate pension will be guaranteed from a certain age or in the case of a premature occurrence of permanent inability to earn a living.”
Gottfried Feder (1883–1941) said by 1941 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When you consider your choices—heart disease, colon cancer, plus-size pants, melting ice caps, gale force storms, and animal suffering vs. good health, energy, a trim physique, a livable planet, compassion, and tasty, diverse foods—it's clear that going vegetarian is an excellent choice as we move toward living a more conscious life.”
Kathy Freston (born 1960) first seen 2007 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: One Bite at a Time: A Beginner's Guide to Conscious Eating", in the HuffPost (27 February 2007).
“…I’m used to living here in America and being the only Latino person in the room. So I am often literally representing us Latinos…But it was more important to just do quality work, not so much just as a Latin actress, but as an actress. There’s pressure just in that. It’s so funny, my mom always said to me, “Life is pressure. You’ve just got to deal with it.”
Constance Marie (born 1965) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On working as a Latina actress in “From Selena to Undone, Constance Marie has been the matriarch of many an American Family” in the AV Club (2019 Oct 16)
“I was living Tom’s life. There are only so many material things you can have before it becomes boring. There are only so many dinners, so many things you can buy. I was complacent. I was in a wealthy coma and I wasn’t looking inward.”
Erika Jayne (born 1971) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Erika Jayne interview (Daily Mail) (2018)
“No harm done – don’t feel harmed, you won’t be. Moving towards living stoically, fought these feelings of inadequacy when I started on this path at eighteen. No looks didn’t vex me, looked within’ and everything that happened, suited me. Tailored all life is.”
Marcus Orelias (born 1993) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Living rich was the loneliest time of my life”
Khanyi Mbau (born 1985) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Religion and education meet in their responsibility to make possible the abundant life—the terms are intellectual and spiritual, rather than material. Humane living is assured only to those ... who have disciplined themselves to choose and who have the ardor to strive for the excellent “with heart and soul and mind.”
Aurelia Henry Reinhardt (1877–1948) first seen 1940 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Address at Ohio State University, 1940, as quoted in
“Each fur jacket and piece of fur trim is taken from a terrified living being who was trapped in the wild … or who had a miserable life locked inside a barren wire cage before being drowned, electrocuted, poisoned, or skinned alive. … I, along with many … would love to see … take a step into the compassionate future of fashion by pledging not to feature fur.”
Elisabetta Canalis (born 1978) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to Vogue Italia; quoted in "Lose the Fur: Elisabetta Canalis’ Message to New Editor of ‘Vogue Italia’", PETA UK (22 February 2017).
“…There is a lot of bi-phobia and bi-erasure that exists in society but I find it to be a tremendous distraction from living your life, so I don't give any energy to that. ... I am who I am. This is a lived experience for me…”
Charles M. Blow (born 1970) first seen 2014 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On the discrimination experienced by bisexual individuals in “After Childhood Abuse, 'Times' Columnist Says He Chose Life Over Vengeance” in NPR (2014 Sep 24)
“[I chose vegetarianism] in 1989, for animal rights reasons, primarily. … I feel that simply living your life in a pointed way is activism in itself, and I want to be an example for other current or potential vegan/vegetarian athletes, to show them that they're not alone and it can be done.”
Adam Myerson (born 1972) first seen 2004 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Adam Myerson - Cycling", interview with OrganicAthlete (September 16, 2004).
“If we harden our hearts to the suffering of the creatures, we must by an immutable law harden our hearts to our brother and sister, and this can never lead to ideal conditions. The adoption of this vegetarian way of life, if the food is balanced, will lead to a new, better, higher, and more noble rhythm of living.”
Gordon Latto (doctor) first seen 1977 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech at the 24th International Vegetarian Congress, India, 1977; quoted in The Vegetarians by Rynn Berry (Autumn Press, 1979), pp. 133-134.
“In a community of free people the freedom of economic activity is an inseparable part of the whole, and only this freedom will ensure a life worth living.”
Ludwig Erhard (1897–1977) first seen 1957 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Message to the international industrial development conference in San Francisco, quoted in The Times (16 October 1957), p. 7
“Living my life in a slow hell, Different girl every night at the hotel. I ain't seen the sunshine in three damn days. Been fueling up on cocaine and whiskey; Wish I had a good girl to miss me. Lord, I wonder if I'll ever change my ways.”
Kid Rock (born 1971) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Our goal is total liberation life is for the living. We are alive! We want all to be alive! Sex is a sure cure of boredom and an antidote to violence that is so American. Power to the People!”
Harry Hay (1912–2002) first seen 1969 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Statement of Purpose: Gay Liberation Front (Dec. 1969)
“You and I have the extraordinary privilege of living in a time of revolutionary discovery … that extends advances of technology in the life sciences that are transforming the world today to … disciplines that are transforming our understanding of the human past, dissolving the timeworn barriers between history and prehistory, between science and the humanities.” (2014)”
Michael McCormick (born 1951) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Making a life, not just a living, is essential to one seeking wholeness. Our hunger turns out to be for something different, not something more. p. 323”
Marilyn Ferguson (1938–2008) said by 2008 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There have been instances when I've spent more time worrying that I'm missing out on something than actually enjoying what's right in front of me. And there, my friends, is the lesson to be learned. Life should be more about living in the moment than fearing what's happening outside it. It's about honoring what you want to do at any given time, regardless of what everyone else is doing.”
Connor Franta (born 1992) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[Brexit is] the first instance that I can think of in living memory of a government pursuing a policy that they know is going to make our economy smaller and reduce people's livelihoods and life chances and I cannot understand why we in Labour would support that.”
Owen Smith (born 1970) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Labour's Owen Smith 'stood by principles' on Brexit BBC News (24 March 2018)
“I was encouraged to look around me and to paint what I saw. I painted my story, and it had a lot of angles to it. I was trying to explain how I saw life as a black person living in America, and I put things together that were not acceptable. A lot of people did not want these kind of paintings representing America in any sense, but I wanted to tell my story and what I saw…”
Faith Ringgold (1930–2024) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On the Civil Rights Movement puncturing the image of the American Dream in in The Art Newspaper (June 5, 2019)