Dale Carnegie
(1888–1955) American writer and lecturer
Life quotes
page 3
Leonardo Da Vinci
(1452–1519) Italian Renaissance polymath
No published occurrence of such an attribution has yet been located prior to one in Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre — Band 3 http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/2411/pg2411.html by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Disputed
Variant: Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.
“All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then Success is sure.”
Mark Twain
(1835–1910) American author and humorist
Mark Twain's Notebook, 1887
Letter to Cordelia Welsh Foote (Cincinnati), 2 December 1887. Letter reprinted http://www.twainquotes.com/Success.html in Benjamin De Casseres's When Huck Finn Went Highbrow https://www.worldcat.org/title/when-huck-finn-went-highbrow/oclc/2514292 (1934)
“All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.”
H. Havelock Ellis
(1859–1939) British physician, writer, and social reformer
“Attention is vitality. It connects you with others. It makes you eager. Stay eager.”
Susan Sontag
(1933–2004) American writer and filmmaker, professor, and activist
“The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.”
Benjamin Disraeli
(1804–1881) British Conservative politician, writer, aristocrat and Prime Minister
“no expectations, no disappointments!”
Eric Jerome Dickey
(1961) American author
Sleeping with Strangers
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
Helen Keller
(1880–1968) American author and political activist
"Helen and Teacher: The Story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan Macy", Joseph P. Lash (1980) http://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/04/21/together/
“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.”
Babe Ruth
(1895–1948) American baseball player
As quoted in Weird Ideas That Work : 11 1/2 practices for promoting, managing, and sustaining innovation (2001) by Robert I. Sutton, p. 95
“Become such as you are, having learned what that is”
Pindar
(-517–-437 BC) Ancient Greek poet
Pythian 2, line 72.
Variant translations:
Be what you know you are
Be true to thyself now that thou hast learnt what manner of man thou art
Having learned, become who you are
“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.”
Introduction (1966)
Sometimes misquoted as: Be careful what you pretend to be because you are what you pretend to be.
Mother Night (1961)
“The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”
Bertrand Russell
(1872–1970) logician, one of the first analytic philosophers and political activist
From Marthe Troly-Curtin's Phrynette Married (1912). Misattributed to Bertrand Russell due to an ambiguous entry in Laurence J. Peter's Peter’s Quotations: Ideas for Our Time (1977) http://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/06/11/time-you-enjoy/
Misattributed
Plato
(-427–-347 BC) Classical Greek philosopher
This quotation, often attributed on the Internet to Plato, cannot be found in any of Plato's writings, nor can it be found in any published work anywhere until recent years. If it really were a quotation by Plato, then some author in the recorded literature of the last several centuries would have mentioned that quote, but they did not. The sentiment isn't new, however. The ancient Roman Seneca, in his work on "Morals," quoted an earlier Roman writer, Lucretius (who wrote about the year 50 B.C.), as saying "we are as much afraid in the light as children in the dark." (Seneca was paraphrasing a longer passage by Lucretius from De Rerum Natura (On the Nature of Things), Book II, lines 56 et seq.)
Misattributed
“To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.”
Fred Shero
(1925–1990) Former ice hockey player and coach
Glenn
Liebman
Hockey Shorts: 1,001 of the games funniest one liners
1996
70, 113 & 229
Contemporary Books
0-8092-3351-7
“To be or not to be…Neither one nor the other.”
Emil M. Cioran
(1911–1995) Romanian philosopher and essayist
Anathemas and Admirations (1987)
“There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing and be nothing.”
Aristotle
(-384–-321 BC) Classical Greek philosopher, student of Plato and founder of Western philosophy
Misattributed
Source: Elbert Hubbard, Little Journeys to the Homes of American Statesmen (1898), p. 370 http://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32435065322687?urlappend=%3Bseq=458: "If you would escape moral and physical assassination, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing—court obscurity, for only in oblivion does safety lie." Other versions of the saying were repeated in several of Hubbard's later writings.
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. ”
Eleanor Roosevelt
(1884–1962) American politician, diplomat, and activist, and First Lady of the United States
“Every day may not be good… but there's something good in every day.”
Alice Morse Earle
(1851–1911) American historian
“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says: «I'm possible!»”
Audrey Hepburn
(1929–1993) British actress
Laozi
(-604) semi-legendary Chinese figure, attributed to the 6th century, regarded as the author of the Tao Te Ching and fou…
Source: yt
“More is lost by indecision than wrong decision.”
Marcus Tullius Cicero
(-106–-43 BC) Roman philosopher and statesman
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”
Laozi
(-604) semi-legendary Chinese figure, attributed to the 6th century, regarded as the author of the Tao Te Ching and fou…
“The opportunity of your life, it's you.”
Prevale
(1983) Italian DJ and producer
Original: (it) L'occasione della tua vita, sei tu.
Source: prevale.net
“You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.”
Winston S. Churchill
(1874–1965) Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Often attributed to Churchill, this thought was originally expressed by the French author Victor Hugo in Villemain (1845), as follows: You have enemies? Why, it is the story of every man who has done a great deed or created a new idea. It is the cloud which thunders around everything that shines. Fame must have enemies, as light must have gnats. Do not bother yourself about it; disdain. Keep your mind serene as you keep your life clear.
Villemain is a brief segment taken from Hugo's Choses Vues (Things Seen), a running journal Hugo kept of events he witnessed. The original French versions of these journals were published after Hugo's death.
Misattributed
“There are three constants in life… Change, Choice and Principles.”
Stephen R. Covey
(1932–2012) American educator, author, businessman and motivational speaker
“I think it’s intoxicating when somebody is so unapologetically who they are.”
Don Cheadle
(1964) actor, film producer, philanthropist, and author
“You cannot always control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on inside.”
Wayne W. Dyer
(1940–2015) American writer
“The shortness of life, so often lamented, may be the best thing about it.”
Arthur Schopenhauer
(1788–1860) German philosopher
“To be or not to be. That's not really a question.”
Jean-Luc Godard
(1930) French-Swiss film director, screenwriter and film critic
Dale Carnegie
(1888–1955) American writer and lecturer
As quoted in The Ring of Truth (2004) by Joseph O'Day
Source: Bloodchild and Other Stories
“Think like a queen. A queen if not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.”
Oprah Winfrey
(1954) American businesswoman, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist
“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.”
Edmund Burke
(1729–1797) Anglo-Irish statesman
Not found in Burke's writings. Appears to be a paraphrase of "It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little." sourced to Sydney Smith (1771 - 1845).
“The time is always right to do what’s right.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
(1929–1968) American clergyman, activist, and leader in the American Civil Rights Movement
Speech delivered in Finney Chapel at Oberlin College (22 October 1964), as reported in "When MLK came to Oberlin" by Cindy Leise, The Chronicle-Telegram (21 January 2008) http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2008/01/21/when-mlk-came-to-oberlin/
1960s
Variant: The time is always right to do what’s right.
“Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”
Warren Buffett
(1930) American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist
Statement of January 1991, as quoted in Of Permanent Value: The Story of Warren Buffett (2007) by Andrew Kilpatrick
“Despite the forecast, live like it's spring.”
Lilly Pulitzer
(1931–2013) American fashion designer
“If we take care of the moments, the years will take care of themselves.”
Maria Edgeworth
(1768–1849) Irish writer
Strength to Love, p. 25
1960s, Strength to Love (1963)
Context: The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige and even his life for the welfare of others.
Source: Way of the Peaceful Warrior
“Life is a dream for the wise, a game for the fool, a comedy for the rich, a tragedy for the poor.”
Sholem Aleichem
(1859–1916) Yiddish author and playwright
“Life is 10 percent what you make it
and 90 percent how you take it.”
Irving Berlin
(1888–1989) American composer
“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.”
Jimmy Johnson
(1928) American Chicago blues guitarist and singer
Martha Graham
(1894–1991) American dancer and choreographer
As quoted in The Life and Work of Martha Graham (1991) by Agnes de Mille, p. 264, <!-- de Mille precedes the Graham quotation with: "The greatest thing she ever said to me was in 1943 after the opening of Oklahoma!, when I suddenly had unexpected, flamboyant success for a work I thought was only fairly good, after years of neglect for work I thought was fine. I was bewildered and worried that my entire scale of values was untrustworthy. I talked to Martha. I remember the conversation well. It was in a Schrafft's restaurant over a soda. I confessed that I had a burning desire to be excellent, but no faith that I could be. Martha said to me, very quietly, ... " -->
Context: There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open.... No artist is pleased. [There is] no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.
“The successful man will profit from his mistakes and
try again in a different way.”
Dale Carnegie
(1888–1955) American writer and lecturer
“There is no "I" in team but there is in win.”
Michael Jordan
(1963) American retired professional basketball player and businessman
“A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.”
David Brinkley
(1920–2003) American journalist
“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”
Oprah Winfrey
(1954) American businesswoman, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist
“Maybe that's what life is… a wink of the eye and winking stars.”
Jack Kerouac
(1922–1969) American writer
Letter to Alan Harrington (23 April 1949) published in Kerouac: Selected Letters: Volume 1 1940-1956 (1996)
Source: Selected Letters, 1940-1956
“Change your thoughts and you can change the world.”
Norman Vincent Peale
(1898–1993) American writer
As quoted in Back on Track : How to Straighten Out Your Life When It Throws You a Curve (1997) by Deborah Norville, p. 201
Variant: Change your thoughts and you change your world.
“What do you want meaning for? Life is desire, not meaning.”
Charlie Chaplin
(1889–1977) British comic actor and filmmaker
Source: My Life In Pictures
“Always, always, always believe in yourself, because if you don't, then who will, sweetie”
Marilyn Monroe
(1926–1962) American actress, model, and singer
Variant: Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always believe in yourself, because if you don't, then who will?
“Life is pain. Anyone who says otherwise is selling something.”
Variant: Life is pain, highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.
Source: The Princess Bride
“The excursion is the same when you go looking for your sorrow as when you go looking for your joy.”
Eudora Welty
(1909–2001) American author
“Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
(1929–1968) American clergyman, activist, and leader in the American Civil Rights Movement
John Stuart Mill
(1806–1873) British philosopher and political economist
Attributed to John Stuart Mill in The Phrenological Journal and Science of Health, Vol. LXXXV (September 1887), p. 170
Disputed
“All serious daring starts from within.”
Eudora Welty
(1909–2001) American author
Source: On Writing (2002)
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”
Albert Einstein
(1879–1955) German-born physicist and founder of the theory of relativity
Colin Powell
(1937) Former U.S. Secretary of State and retired four-star general
As quoted in The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell (2003) by Oren Harari, p. 164.
2000s
“Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great”
John D. Rockefeller
(1839–1937) American business magnate and philanthropist
Earliest citation found in Google Books is from 1993 https://books.google.com/books?id=bdTko5oHTd4C&pg=PA25&dq=%22give+up+the+good+to+go+for+the+great%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiH2e_QivXLAhUps4MKHdf0A9wQ6AEIHTAA#v=onepage&q=%22give%20up%20the%20good%20to%20go%20for%20the%20great%22&f=false, where it is attributed to country-music singer Kenny Rogers. Not found attributed to Rockefeller until 2006 https://books.google.com/books?id=F7OGT9WTiPQC&pg=PA24&dq=%22give+up+the+good%22+%22go+for+the+great%22+rockefeller&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjw_rb9ivXLAhXrmoMKHbgHBqkQ6wEIHjAA#v=onepage&q=%22give%20up%20the%20good%22%20%22go%20for%20the%20great%22%20rockefeller&f=false.
Disputed
Variant: Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.
“This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time.”
Variant: This is your life and its ending one moment at a time.
Source: Fight Club
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement; nothing can be done without hope.”
Helen Keller
book
Optimism
Optimism (1903)
Variant: Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement
“For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
(1803–1882) American philosopher, essayist, and poet
No known source in Emerson's works; first found as a piece of anonymous folk-wisdom in a 1936 newspaper column:
: Every minute you are angry, you lose 60 seconds of happiness.
:* Junius, "Office Cat" https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/85995624/, The Daily Freeman [Kingston, NY] (30 December 1936), p. 6
Misattributed
“The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.”
Anthony Robbins
(1960) Author, actor, professional speaker
“Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway”
Sydney J. Harris
(1917–1986) American journalist
“Keep a little fire burning; however small, however hidden.”
Cormac McCarthy
book
The Road
Source: The Road
“May you live all the days of your life.”
Jonathan Swift
(1667–1745) Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist, and poet
Polite Conversation (1738), Dialogue 2
Patrick Lencioni
(1965) American writer
Source: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going”
Billy Joel
(1949) American singer-songwriter and pianist
“There will come a time when you believe everything is finished; that will be the beginning.”
Louis L'Amour
(1908–1988) Novelist, short story writer
Lonely on the Mountain (1980); later quoted in A Trail of Memories : The Quotations Of Louis L'Amour (1988) by Angelique L'Amour
“Just because you fail once doesn't mean you're gonna fail at everything.”
Marilyn Monroe
(1926–1962) American actress, model, and singer
“Your life only gets better when you get better.”
Brian Tracy
(1944) American motivational speaker and writer
“He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.”
Confucius
(-551–-479 BC) Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher
“A witty woman is a treasure; a witty beauty is a power.”
Ch. 1 http://books.google.com/books?id=pDlxjZ-z-woC&q=%22A+witty+woman+is+a+treasure+a+witty+beauty+is+a+power%22&pg=PA2#v=onepage.
Source: Diana of the Crossways http://www.gutenberg.org/files/4470/4470.txt (1885)
“Life is very interesting… in the end, some of your greatest pains, become your greatest strengths.”
Drew Barrymore
(1975) American actress, director and producer
Variant: In the end, some of your greatest pains become your greatest strengths.
“Every man dies, not every man really lives”
Randall Wallace
(1949) American filmmaker
Source: Braveheart
“If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
(1929–1968) American clergyman, activist, and leader in the American Civil Rights Movement
“The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.”
Oprah Winfrey
(1954) American businesswoman, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist
“Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.”
Og Mandino
(1923–1996) American author
“The secret to success is to do the common things uncommonly well.”
John D. Rockefeller
(1839–1937) American business magnate and philanthropist
“Don't be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
(1803–1882) American philosopher, essayist, and poet
Earl Nightingale
(1921–1989) American motivational speaker
“If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.”
Booker T. Washington
(1856–1915) African-American educator, author, orator, and advisor
“Live out of your imagination, not your history.”
Stephen R. Covey
(1932–2012) American educator, author, businessman and motivational speaker
As quoted in Wake-up Calls : You Don't Have to Sleepwalk through your Life, Love, or Career! (1992) by Eric Allenbaugh, p. 65
“Very little is needed to make a happy life.”
ἐν ὀλιγίστοις κεῖται τὸ εὐδαιμόνως βιῶσαι
VII, 67
Source: Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book VII
