“[T]he race is long - to finish first, first you must finish.”
Garth Stein The Art of Racing in the Rain
Source: The Art of Racing in the Rain
Michael Schumacher (2001) after winning the Monaco Grand Prix in 2001: Cited in: Anthony D. Manning, Tony Manning (2002) Gift of Leadership. p. 37
“[T]he race is long - to finish first, first you must finish.”
Garth Stein The Art of Racing in the Rain
Source: The Art of Racing in the Rain
N. R. Narayana Murthy (1946) Indian businessman
Narayana Murthy shocks with 'Mera Bharat Mahaan' quote, indicates Infosys Ltd on hiring spree, 16k jobs on offer
John F. Kennedy (1917–1963) 35th president of the United States of America
1961, Inaugural Address
Context: If a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor, not a new balance of power, but a new world of law, where the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved.
All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.
“You have a moral obligation to finish the job you said you would do.”
Viggo Mortensen (1958) American actor
Quoted by Allison Glock, GQ, "Twenty-one Reasons to Dig Viggo Mortensen" (November 1, 2003).
“I want to fly! I want to touch the sun!"
"Finish your eggs first.”
Lorraine Hansberry A Raisin in the Sun
Source: A Raisin in the Sun
J.M.W. Turner (1775–1851) British Romantic landscape painter, water-colourist, and printmaker
Quote in Turner's letter from Rome, 6 Nov. 1828, to his friend Francis Chantrey; as cited in The Life of J. M. W. Turner R.A. , Walter Thornbury - A new Edition, Revised https://ia601807.us.archive.org/24/items/gri_33125004491185/gri_33125004491185.pdf; London Chatto & Windus, 1897, p. 10 <br class="br">1821 - 1851
“Be Nice. Contrary to the cliché, genuinely nice guys most often finish first or very near it.”
Malcolm Forbes (1919–1990) American publisher
"How to Write a Business Letter" —an advertisement for International Paper Company (1979)
Context: Be Nice. Contrary to the cliché, genuinely nice guys most often finish first or very near it. I admit it's not easy when you've got a gripe. To be agreeable while disagreeing — that's an art.
Be natural — write the way you talk.