Quotes about action (3812 quotes, page 38)

“An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) American philosopher, essayist, and poet

This expression is widely misattributed to Emerson in journalism, tweets, and memes on the internet. This quotation in an earlier phrasing of Jared Eliot's statement “It used to be the Saying of an old Man, That an Ounce of Experience is better than a Pound of Science.” (Essays upon Field Husbandry, 1748; quotation reprinted in "Jared Eliot, Minister, Physician, Farmer" by Rodney H. True. Agricultural History Vol. 2, No. 4 (Oct., 1928) https://www.jstor.org/stable/3739311, p199). The quote has also been misattributed to Friedrich Engels, a claim possibly originating from the 1975 book The Strange Case of Victor Grayson by Reg Groves ( link http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Udk7LCxtvugJ:socialiststandardmyspace.blogspot.com/2010_05_02_archive.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us)
Misattributed

“Peace is the source of well-being and prosperity, and is, therefore, the goal of all political action.”

Ivan Pereira (1964) Indian bishop (born 1964)

Bishop appeals for dialogue, peace in Kashmir https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2019-08/india-kashmir-bishop-pereira-statehood-kashmir-peace-dialogue.html (August 2019)

Peace

“From the Throne to the earth is the creation of God Most High; everything but his existence is his action. He brought them into existence from pure non-being.”

Ruzbihan Baqli (1128–1209) Persian poet, mystic, and Sufi

Source: The Sayings and Teachings of the Great Mystics of Islam (2002), p.112

God

“One maneuvers to the limit, but the golden moment demands action. If you miss it, the gods damn you forever. and vice versa.”

Lois McMaster Bujold Vorkosigan Saga

Source: Vorkosigan Saga, Labyrinth (1989), p. 186

God

“I am for the state only doing what people are unable to do in the absence of government action.”

Walter Reuther (1907–1970) Labor union leader

Text of television interview with Mike Wallace, New York, New York, October 17 and 18, 1960, as quoted in Walter P Reuther: Selected Papers (1961), by Henry M. Christman, p. 322
1950s, Television interview with Mike Wallace (1960)

People

“Attraction causes action. Action stimulates thought. Thought reaches the goal.”

Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer

Original: (it) L'attrazione provoca azione. L'azione stimola il pensiero. Il pensiero raggiunge l'obiettivo.
Source: prevale.net

“Constance and determination: the winning ingredients for every action.”

Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer

Original: (it) Costanza e determinazione: gli ingredienti vincenti per ogni azione.
Source: prevale.net

“The choice: the most responsible and complicated action in the world.”

Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer

Original: (it) La scelta: l'azione più responsabile e complicata del mondo.
Source: prevale.net

World

“Always rely on the power of your actions. They will determine the course of your days.”

Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer

Original: (it) Affidati sempre al potere delle tue azioni. Saranno loro a determinare il corso delle tue giornate.
Source: prevale.net

“Another great entity standing behind the Christ is the Spirit of Peace or Equilibrium. He is overshadowing the Christ, in a very similar way to the way the Christ overshadowed and worked through the disciple Jesus in Palestine. He works very closely with the law of Action and Reaction, and His function is to transform the prevalent discord, confusion, chaos, turmoil in the world into its opposite, so that we shall enter an era of tranquility and peace - in exact proportion to the present discord. The violence and hatred of today will be transmuted into goodwill, and again, in exact proportion to the intensity of the hatred and violence. This is the great Law of Action and Reaction functioning. The law stated is that action and reaction are equal and opposite, and this great Cosmic Entity, the Spirit of Equilibrium, is working now through the Christ, producing the transformation of the world.”

Benjamin Creme (1922–2016) artist, author, esotericist

The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of Wisdom (1980)

Way , World , Peace , Law

“"War is the continuation of politics." In this sense war is politics and war itself is a political action; since ancient times there has never been a war that did not have a political character.”

Mao Zedong (1893–1976) Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China

(zh-CN) “战争是政治的继续”，在这点上说，战争就是政治，战争本身就是政治性质的行动，从古以来没有不带政治性的战争。
1930s, On Protracted Warfare (1938)

Time , War , Sense

“What we need to just connect all the dots is leadership that has that sense of bold aspiration, urgent action, and community-based vision.”

Michelle Wu (1985) City Councilor in Boston, Massachusetts

28 September 2020 in "Michelle Wu’s personal path to politics" https://commonwealthmagazine.org/politics/michelle-wus-personal-path-to-politics/ in Commonwealth Magazine
2020

Communication , Sense

“Democracy is about participation in the first place. And with participation comes responsibility for decisions and actions.”

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (1982) Belarusian politician and educator

"Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Leader Of The Democracy Movement In Belarus" in Faces of Democracy https://www.faces-of-democracy.org/sviatlana-tsikhanouskaya/ (6 July 2021)

Democracy , Decision

“Meditating to deceive is one of the most disgusting actions an individual can perform in course of his life.”

Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer

Original: (it) Meditare per ingannare è una delle azioni più disgustose che un individuo possa compiere nel corso della sua vita.
Source: prevale.net

Life

“When you're sitting at home or living at a slower pace and you see that Black folks in your community are attacked, killed, murdered by vigilantes and by the police, you wake up, you rise to action, and you rise quickly.”

Opal Tometi (1984) Nigerian–American writer, strategist and community organizer

Black Lives Matter Was Always Designed to Be a Global Movement, Vice] (7 July 2020)

Home , Communication

“What does one do when a madman suggests an appealing course of action? One worries—but probably goes along with it.”

Charles Sheffield book Summertide

Source: The Heritage Universe, Summertide (1990), Chapter 13, “Summertide Minus Ten” (p. 151)

“What a glorious time of the year is this [Spring]! With the warm sun travelling through serene skies, the air clear and fresh above you, which instils new blood in the body, making one defiantly tramp the earth, kicking the snows aside in the scorn of action.”

William Henry Davies book The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp

Source: The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp (1908), Ch. XIX

Spring , Travel , Time , Sun

“Every prayer must be accompanied with action, otherwise, you will be basing your whole life upon expectations.”

Mwanandeke Kindembo (1996) Congolese author

Life

“You should not allow yourself to be compared to the mob, or the people who are ready to rebel against a regime which they believe does not serve their interests any longer. Great ideas come only when we are deeply thinking alone and thus, making it much easier to put these thoughts into action.”

Mwanandeke Kindembo (1996) Congolese author

People , Idea , Thinking

“Since your mind has cast the clouds of doubt, it will also let you know when the time is right for action.”

Mwanandeke Kindembo (1996) Congolese author

Time

“Body and spirit have never blended.
Never in physical action have I ever found the chilling satisfaction of words.”

Yukio Mishima (1925–1970) Japanese author

[At the movie's ending, speaking to the soldiers]
Final address (1970)

“The only thing I can say is, I'm not someone who draws a very clear line. I'm actually a very forgiving person. Once the trust is broken, it's difficult for me to mend the trust. I'm also someone who really believes that action speaks louder than words.”

Rebecca Lim (1986) Singaporean actress

As quoted in "My conscience is clear: Rebecca Lim on 'misunderstanding' with ex-BFF Desmond Tan" in Asia One (28 October 2020) https://www.asiaone.com/entertainment/my-conscience-clear-rebecca-lim-misunderstanding-ex-bff-desmond-tan

Drawing , Personality , Forgiveness

“Actions, looks, words, steps, form the alphabet by which you may spell characters.”

Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741–1801) Swiss poet

No. 637
Aphorisms on Man (1788)

“We live in a self-defeating culture that pays lip service to heroic action in times of crisis, yet brutally punishes the very kind of snap judgments and instant security profiling that make such heroism possible in the first place.”

Michelle Malkin (1970) American political commentator

America’s Empty Slogan: “See Something, Say Something” http://michellemalkin.com/2013/04/17/americas-empty-slogan-see-something-say-something/ (April 17, 2013)

Time

“When you do action stuff and sci-fi stuff, you have a lot to hide behind - the hair and the makeup and the special effects. But when you play a normal girl, it's challenging because you have to trust yourself.”

Lana Condor (1997) Vietnamese-American actress

As quoted in "Get Ready to Be Charmed by Lana Condor" in Vanity Fair (17 August 2018) https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/08/lana-condor-to-all-the-boys-ive-loved-before

Girl

“Words, in the final analysis, are just about as futile as actions, and much less fun.”

Robert Sheckley book The Alchemical Marriage of Alistair Crompton

Source: Crompton Divided (1978), Chapter 8 (p. 39)

“Political Economy or Economics is a study of mankind in the ordinary business of life; it examines that part of individual and social action which is most closely connected with the attainment and with the use of the material requisites of wellbeing.”

Alfred Marshall book Principles of Economics

Bk I, Ch. I, Introduction
Principles of Economics, (1890)

Study , Business , Life , Parting

“All creative thought and creative action is strictly personal. A committee, any collective, cannot think. It cannot act creatively. It can only act destructively. It can exercise brute force.”

Leonard E. Read (1898–1983) American academic

Leonard Read Journals, November 4, 1951 https://history.fee.org/leonard-read-journal/1951/leonard-e-read-journal-november-1951/

Personality , Thinking , Exercises

“An action is morally good which aids or promotes this unfolding of self and it is morally bad if it inhibits or destroys the process. It, of course, goes without saying that this does not include one's own rise at the expense of another.”

Leonard E. Read (1898–1983) American academic

Leonard Read Journals, October 24, 1951 https://history.fee.org/leonard-read-journal/1951/leonard-e-read-journal-october-1951/

“We want deeper sincerity of motive, a greater courage in speech and earnestness in action.”

Sarojini Naidu (1879–1949) Indian politician, governor of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh from 1947 to 1949

Best Inspirational quotes by Sarojini Naidu, Happy Wishes https://happywishes20.com/quotes/best-inspirational-quotes-by-sarojini-naidu/,

Courage , Sincerity , Motivation

“It seems like in this beautiful planet we live in, everything has a place, but our generation is in a grey area where no one can assure us that we’ll be safe in a couple of years. We have been forced to fight for real climate action because we are the ones that will lose the most.”

Massin Akandouch (2001) Amazigh activist

April 30, 2020. Interview for UNILAD article. https://www.unilad.co.uk/featured/air-pollution-might-have-dropped-but-climate-change-is-still-ravaging-our-planet/

Beauty , Fight

“Sex energy is the most powerful of all the stimuli which move people into action. Because it is the most powerful of the emotions, it must be controlled, through transmutation, and converted into other channels.”

Napoleon Hill book Think and Grow Rich

Think and Grow Rich (1938)

People , Sex

“Whenever a warrior decides to do something he must go all the way, but he must take responsibility for what he does. No matter what he does, he must know first why he is doing it, and then he must proceed with his actions without having doubts or remorse about them.”

Carlos Castaneda book The Wheel of Time

Source: The Wheel of Time: Shamans of Ancient Mexico, Their Thoughts About Life, Death and the Universe], (1998), Quotations from "Journey to Ixtlan" (Chapter 8)

Way

“But true good fortune is what you make for yourself. Good fortune: good character, good intentions, and good actions.”

Marcus Aurelius book Meditations

Hays translation
V, 37
Meditations (c. AD 121–180), Book V

“Every suspension of offensive action, either from erroneous views, from fear or from indolence, is in favor of the side acting defensively.”

Carl von Clausewitz book On War

Source: On War (1832), Book 6, Chapter 1.

Fear

“Our actions whether good or evil have an ultimate significance and have effects of infinite range and scope. We stand under incalculable responsibility. We must be faithful in little things because there are no little things; we must be faithful in God’s absence because God is never absent.”

Arulselvam Rayappan (1960) Indian prelate

Source: Responsible Servants https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/responsible-servants-arulselvam-rayappan-sermon-on-parable-general-77029 (7 March 2005)

God , Evil , Faith

“It has seen the people themselves taking increasing individual and collective action in order to obtain a world organization or government, a universal religion, or a universal language.”

Vera Stanley Alder (1898–1984) British artist

Source: Humanity Comes of Age, A study of Individual and World Fulfillment (1950), Introduction p. I - XII

People , Universe , World , Religion

“My responsibility as a supermodel is to put fame aside and use my actions to encourage those who might need support, so that others also feel motivated on their own journeys.”

Liu Wen (model) (1988) Chinese model

Source: "Liu Wen opens up about fame, responsibility and finding meaning in her career" in Vogue https://vogue.sg/liu-wen-cover-vogue-singapore-leslie-zhang/ (1 March 2021)

Motivation , Support , Feeling

“[T]he King is God's immediate lieutenant upon earth; and therefore one and the same action is God's by ordinance, and the King's by execution. And the power which resides in the King is not any assuming to himself, nor any gift from the people, but God's power, as well in, as over, him.”

William Laud (1573–1645) Archbishop of Canterbury

Source: Sermon at Whitehall (19 June 1625), quoted in The Works of the Most Reverend Father in God, William Laud, sometime Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. Volume I: Sermons (1847), p. 94

God , People

“The media must hold the people in power accountable for their actions, or inactions.”

Greta Thunberg (2003) Swedish climate change activist

Source: 2021, An Open Letter to the Global Media by Greta Thunberg and Vanessa Nakate (October 2021)

People

“The actions by these young men who destroyed the United States and launched the storm of planes against it have done a good deed.”

Sulaiman Abu Ghaith (1965) One of Al-Qaeda's official spokesmen

Source: In full: Al-Qaeda statement http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/1590350.stm (10th October, 2001)

Men

“I hold teamwork in high esteem. Teamwork, forgiveness, treating more people with respect and equality, doing good to all, especially those who are against you, are some positive actions to heal our wounds and seek the mercy and love of Jesus.”

Benny Mario Travas (1966)

Source: Benny Mario Travas installed as new Bishop of Karachi https://www.dawn.com/news/1617694/benny-mario-travas-installed-as-new-bishop-of-karachi (12 April 2021)

Forgiveness , People , Love

“You cannot be buried in obscurity: you are exposed upon a grand theater to the view of the world. If your actions are upright and benevolent, be assured they will augment your power and happiness.”

Cyrus the Great (-600–-530 BC) King and founder of the Achaemenid Empire

Source: As quoted in A Dictionary of Thoughts : Being a Cyclopedia of Laconic Quotations from the Best Authors of the World, both Ancient and Modern (1908) by Tyron Edwards, p. 290

Happiness , World

“Let there be freedom from perturbations with respect to the things which come from the external cause; and let there be justice in the things done by virtue of the internal cause, that is, let there be movement and action terminating in this, in social acts, for this is according to thy nature.”

Marcus Aurelius book Meditations

Source: Meditations (c. AD 121–180), Book IX, 31

Freedom , Justice , Nature

“A lot of things need to be done since people are not totally free or happy. We have had a lot of struggles in relation to religious harmony. Due to the certain actions of Buddhist monks, there was unrest in the community. So nobody was able to do anything, not even the authorities/”

Noel Emmanuel (1960)

Source: Expectations rise amidst tension and unrest in Sri Lanka https://www.ucanews.com/news/expectations-rise-amidst-tension-and-unrest-in-sri-lanka/78079 (16 January 2017)

Happiness , People , Communication

“The Jews formed the breeding ground of all anti-Christian actions.”

Tertullian (155–220) Christian theologian

Source: See In His Name https://books.google.com.br/books?id=HCucAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA312 by E. Christopher Reyes, Volume IV, p. 312

“Objective judgment, now, at this very moment. Unselfish action, now, at this very moment. Willing acceptance—now, at this very moment—of all external events. That's all you need.”

Marcus Aurelius book Meditations

Hays translation
Source: Meditations (c. AD 121–180), Book IX, 6

“Because most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you'll have more time, and more tranquillity. Ask yourself at every moment, “Is this necessary?” But we need to eliminate unnecessary assumptions as well. To eliminate the unnecessary actions that follow.”

Marcus Aurelius book Meditations

Hays translation
Source: Meditations (c. AD 121–180), Book IV, 24

Time

“Instead of determining the action of life, ends, norms and values are determined by it. This determination consists in the fact that one experiences oneself constantly and knows oneself at every moment. Life also knows at each instant what must be done and what is suited to it. This knowledge is no different from action. It does not precede it or "determine" it, properly speaking. It is identical to it, as the original know-how of life, as praxis and a living body. Action, as we have seen, is only the actualization of the primitive power of this phenomenological body.”

Michel Henry (1922–2002) French writer

Michel Henry, Barbarism, Continuum, 2012, p. 96-97
Books on Culture and Barbarism, Barbarism (1987)

Knowledge , Life

“When self-willed microunits combine to form and sustain a durable macrounit, certain freedoms of action are curtailed.
This is the basic process of Organization.
The more numerous and erratic the microunits, the more complex must be the structure and function of the macrounit—hence the more pervasive and restricting the details of Organization.”

Jack Vance (1916–2013) American mystery and speculative fiction writer

Dodkin’s Job (p. 7)
Short fiction, Future Tense (1964)

Freedom

“On the Syrian border, the situation is worsening day by day. In the next few weeks we expect new waves of refugees. If action is not taken quickly there is the risk of a humanitarian catastrophe.”

Simon Faddoul (1958) Maronite Catholic bishop

Source: President of Lebanese Caritas: On the Syrian border there is risk of a humanitarian catastrophe https://www.asianews.it/news-en/President-of-Lebanese-Caritas:-On-the-Syrian-border-there-is-risk-of-a-humanitarian-catastrophe-24184.html (2012)

“[T]here are plenty of things besides private action that the Constitution is "not about."”

Laurence Tribe (1941) American lawyer and law school professor

Soundings and Silences (2016)

“Don't turn your thoughts into fears. Turn your dreams into actions and your actions into successes.”

Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer

Original: (it) Non trasformare i tuoi pensieri in paure. Trasforma i tuoi sogni in azioni e le tue azioni in successi.
Source: prevale.net

Success , Dreams , Fear

“As the Pacific approaches the Cyclone Season, it is important to consider the fact that this is an important opportunity to further strengthen localise humanitarian action in the Pacific.”

Fiamē Naomi Mata'afa (1957) Samoan politician

Source: Fiamē Naomi Mata'afa (2021) cited in: " Shining a light on NZ's aid sector and its relationship with the Pacific https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/454383/shining-a-light-on-nz-s-aid-sector-and-its-relationship-with-the-pacific" in RNZ, 27 October 2021.

Season

“Bureaucracy is a construction by which a person is conveniently separated from the consequences of his or her actions.”

Nassim Nicholas Taleb book Skin in the Game

Source: Skin in the Game (2018), p. 12

Personality

“Our work is about supporting survivors by providing resources for healing and action. If in the course of that process a perpetrator is held accountable for their actions - so be it. But our goal is not to ‘take down’ individuals it’s to dismantle systems that give them cover.”

Tarana Burke (1973) American civil rights activist

Source: [1017753906728890369, TaranaBurke, Our work is about supporting survivors by providing resources for healing and action., en, Burke, Tarana, Jul 13, 2018, https://twitter.com/TaranaBurke/status/1017753906728890369, 2022-01-25]

Support

“They invite cherry-picked young people to meetings like this to pretend that they listen to us. But they clearly don’t listen to us. Our emissions are still rising. The science doesn’t lie. We can no longer let the people in power decide what is politically possible. We can no longer let the people in power decide what hope is. Hope is not passive. Hope is not blah, blah, blah. Hope is telling the truth. Hope is taking action. And hope always comes from the people.”

Greta Thunberg (2003) Swedish climate change activist

Source: 'Blah, blah, blah’: Greta Thunberg lambasts leaders over climate crisis, by Damian Carrington, The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/28/blah-greta-thunberg-leaders-climate-crisis-co2-emissions, (28 September 2021)

People , Truth , Lie , Science

“This is the dialectic of Christian thought: God enters into the social context of human existence and appropriates the ideas and actions of the oppressed as his own. When this event of liberation occurs in thought and praxis, the words and actions of the oppressed become the Word and Action of God. They no longer belong to the oppressed. Indeed, the word of the oppressed becomes God’s Word insofar as the former recognize it not as their own but as given to them through divine grace.”

James H. Cone (1938–2018) American theologian

Source: God of the Oppressed (1975, 1997), p. 98-99 (1975 edition)

God , Idea

“Compassion for other human beings has to extend to the society that’s been grinding the powerless under its heel. The more civilized the society becomes, the more humane it becomes; the more it can see its own humanity, the more it sees the ways in which its humanity has been behaving inhumanly. This injustice of the world inspires a rage so intense that to express it fully would require homicidal action; it’s self-destructive, destroy-the-world rage. Simply put, I’ve learned that I must find positive outlets for anger or it will destroy me. I have to try to find a way to channel that anger to the positive, and the highest positive is forgiveness.”

Sidney Poitier (1927) American-born Bahamian actor, film director, author, and diplomat

Variant: I’ve learned that I must find positive outlets for anger or it will destroy me. There is a certain anger; it reaches such intensity that to express it fully would require homicidal rage — self-destructive, destroy-the-world rage — and its flame burns because the world is so unjust. I have to try to find a way to channel that anger to the positive, and the highest positive is forgiveness.
Source: The Measure of a Man (2000)

Learning , Rage , World , Forgiveness

“Anytime you create a cause of action there, you could call anybody that has the right to go to court a bounty hunter, because they're going in there for damages, which means they're going in to get some type of payment. So you could say that about any cause of action created by any legislature, whether it was federal or state, it could be viewed that way, if you don’t like the actual law.”

Ken Paxton (1962) American politician

Source: Attorney General Ken Paxton on Texas Heartbeat Act: We Are Hopeful https://www.ncregister.com/interview/attorney-general-ken-paxton-on-texas-heartbeat-act-we-are-hopeful (6 November 2021)

Law , Way

“Forgiveness is one thing, and no one is opposed to forgiving him, but he must also realize that actions have consequences, and one of those consequences is that the people have lost trust in him. This is what the people are asking. How are they going to be governed by someone whom they can't trust?”

Rubén González Medina (1949) Roman Catholic bishop

Source: Puerto Rican governor resigns amid massive protests https://www.catholicnews.com/update-puerto-rican-governor-resigns-amid-massive-protests/ (July 25, 2019)

Forgiveness , People

“Don't you ever allow doubts to paralyze your actions.”

Paulo Coelho (1947) Brazilian lyricist and novelist

Source: Unsourced

“I am not a man of results, I am a man of appropriate action.”

- Goa

“China has a good record of keeping promises. We honor our words with actions.”

Qin Gang (1966) politician

"Ambassador Qin Gang Takes an Interview with Forbes" https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/wjb_663304/zwjg_665342/zwbd_665378/202205/t20220506_10682131.html (5 May 2022)

“We accuse Western countries of taking a series of unlawful actions that has led to the blockade.”

Dmitry Peskov (1967) Russian politician

Said about the Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports, stopping export of food from Ukraine, quoted in "Russia slams sanctions, seeks to shift blame for food crisis" https://www.opb.org/article/2022/05/26/russia-slams-sanctions-seeks-to-shift-blame-for-food-crisis/, OPB/Associated Press, 26 May 2022
CNN Interview (March 2022)

Country

“The only proper course of action regarding humanity was to leave it alone, and, if possible, isolate it. Just as one would handle any other sophont that was quite irremediably and dangerously insane.”

Charles E. Gannon (1960) American novelist

Source: Trial by Fire (2014), Chapter 40 (p. 577)

“Knowing the conditions under which a phenomenon occurs allows us to reproduce or eliminate it at will, therefore allowing us to control and use it for the benefit of humanity. Foresight and action are the advantages we obtain from a deterministic view of phenomena.”

Santiago Ramón y Cajal book Advice for a Young Investigator

Advice for a Young Investigator (1897)

“Don't let your actions betray your intentions.”

Ron English (1959) American artist

Ron English's Fauxlosophy: Volume 2 (2022)

“You have to do many great actions yet. Prakriti is preparing you in a variety of ways. Feel this. Be grateful to the Lord.”

Swami Sivananda (1887–1963) Indian philosopher

You Cannot Get Away From Evil
Autobiography of Swami Sivananda (1958)

Way , Feeling

“It has taken since time immemorial for us to organize ourselves, biologically and socially, into the functional hierarchies that both specify our perceptions and actions, and define our interactions with the natural and social world. Profound gratitude for that gift is the only proper response.”

Jordan Peterson book Beyond Order

Source: Books, Beyond Order (2021), p. 34

World , Time , Gratitude , Nature

“If you are genuinely interested in press freedom, you should support actions against people who have unlawfully exploited the media as a tool to pursue their political or personal gains.”

John Lee Ka-chiu (1957) Chief Executive-elect of Hong Kong

"Who is John Lee? 12 quotes from Hong Kong’s unopposed leadership hopeful" in Hong Kong Free Press https://hongkongfp.com/2022/04/18/who-is-john-lee-12-quotes-from-hong-kongs-unopposed-leadership-hopeful/ (18 April 2022)

Freedom , Support , Personality , People

“Deeds rather than words express my concept of the part religion should play in everyday life. I have watched constantly that in our movie work the highest moral and spiritual standards are upheld, whether it deals with fable or with stories of living action.”

Walt Disney (1901–1966) American film producer and businessman

1963, Deeds Rather Than Words (1963)

Religion , Life , Parting

“The contact of a believer with a nonbeliever must take the form of a dialogue. The all-powerful action of pure sanctity alone is dispensed from it, since it is not bound by any law. But the dialogue will never get underway if it is not first a dialogue with myself.”

Henri de Lubac (1896–1991) Jesuit theologian and cardinal

Source: Paradoxes of Faith (1987), Ch. III. "Witness", p. 36

Law

“Not a single local person has suffered from any violent action.”

Vasily Nebenzya (1962) Russian diplomat

Claimed about the Bucha massacre, quoted in "Ukraine Bucha: Satellite images show bodies left in the open" https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/20044917.ukraine-bucha-satellite-images-show-bodies-left-open/, Herald Scotland, 5 April 2022

Personality , Suffering

“Right now, everyone is very emotional about what’s going on. And you know what? The overwhelming majority are those who support the president emotionally. There are so many people who want to support the president — not just emotionally, but also in their actions. They’re the overwhelming majority.”

Dmitry Peskov (1967) Russian politician

"'The traitors will disappear on their own' Dmitry Peskov on the coming 'purification of Russian society'" https://meduza.io/en/feature/2022/03/18/the-traitors-will-disappear-on-their-own, Meduza, 18 March 2022

Support , People

“If, then, in the sphere of action there is some one end which we desire for its own sake, and for the sake of which we desire every thing else; and if we do not choose every thing for the sake of something else, for this would go on without limit, and our desire would be idle and futile, it is clear that this must be the supreme good, and the best thing of all.”

Aristotle (-384–-321 BC) Classical Greek philosopher, student of Plato and founder of Western philosophy

Bk I, Ch I
The Ethics Of Aristotle (Vol. I)

“But it is clear there is a difference in the ends proposed: for in some cases they are activities, and in others results beyond the mere activities, and where there are certain ends beyond and beside the actions, the results are naturally superior to the activities. Now, as there are numerous kinds of actions and numerous arts and sciences, it follows that the ends are also various. Thus the end of the healing art is health, of ship-building ships, of strategy victory, of economy wealth.”

Aristotle (-384–-321 BC) Classical Greek philosopher, student of Plato and founder of Western philosophy

Bk I, Ch I
The Ethics Of Aristotle (Vol. I)

Health , Science , Wealth , Victory

“Every art, and every system, and in like manner every action and purpose aims, it is thought, at some good; for which reason a common and by no means a bad description of the good is, ‘that at which all things aim.’”

Aristotle (-384–-321 BC) Classical Greek philosopher, student of Plato and founder of Western philosophy

Bk I, Ch I
The Ethics Of Aristotle (Vol. I)

Art

“One sign of a good action is that in retrospect it appears inevitable.”

Kim Stanley Robinson book Green Mars

Source: Green Mars (1993), Chapter 6, “Tariqat” (p. 296)

Appearance

“We often think we are of great importance to certain people; that they must be thinking of us and our affairs, that they watch our actions and shape their course accordingly. In general it is not so; we are quite mistaken.”

Jean Ingelow (1820–1897) British writer

Source: Don John (1881), Ch. 12, p. 140.

People , Thinking

“The human mind is always inexorable in demanding a motive for all human actions. It is only himself that each man permits to act without one, and avails himself of the privilege with astonishing frequency.”

Jean Ingelow (1820–1897) British writer

Source: Sarah de Berenger: A Novel (1879), Ch. 11, p. 134.

Motivation

“It is generally acknowledged that the future of the European security architecture as an important element of global security should be based on principles of comprehensiveness, indivisibility and partnership, and, in the long run, on collective rather than unilateral action.”

Leonid Kuchma (1938) Second president of Ukraine

Speech at the 52nd session of the United Nations General Assembly (excerpts) (1997)

Partnership , Future

“Anyone can build complicated. Our actions are determined by simplicity.”

Sergei Korolev (1906–1966) Soviet rocket engineer and spacecraft designer

SOS im All. Pannen, Probleme und Katastrophen der bemannten Raumfahrt [SOS in Space. Breakdowns, Problems and Disasters in Manned Spaceflight], pg. 163 (2000)

“REMEMBER OLD TIM QUILL

In the moneylenders’ offices
The clocks are standing still
As leading the workers here in Cork
Is our old man Tim Quill

Known for his eloquent oration
When he heads the Cork Trades Council
He devises every selfless action
For the welfare of the nation

In ’22 democracy
Was promised to us all
Yet if it wasn’t for the Co-op
That dream it would just fall

Some say his Friesian herd
Is the most prolific of the lot
Yet the needs of the most desperate
Quill has not forgot

Under the present order
We’re left with debt and slums
Until then we follow Timothy Quill
And his marchers’ fine ol’ drums”

Sean O'Connor

Primary source
Source: Scrap print from Irish Labour history group

Democracy , Dreams

“I am an actress and I have performed in all types of mediums; live action film/television, theater, voice-over, hosting and it has been my dream for 14 years to continue to play Ahsoka Tano in all forms”

Ashley Eckstein (1981) American actress

quotes

Dreams

“While fully recognizing the superior excellence of unselfish benevolence and love of justice, we did not expect the regeneration of mankind from any direct action on those sentiments, but from the effect of educated intellect, enlightening the selfish feelings.”

John Stuart Mill book Autobiography

Autobiography (1873)
Context: What we principally thought of, was to alter people's opinions; to make them believe according to evidence, and know what was their real interest, which when they once knew, they would, we thought, by the instrument of opinion, enforce a regard to it upon one another. While fully recognizing the superior excellence of unselfish benevolence and love of justice, we did not expect the regeneration of mankind from any direct action on those sentiments, but from the effect of educated intellect, enlightening the selfish feelings.

Education , Selfishness , Justice , Love

“England, as I persuade myself, still contains in it many kings; possesses, as old Rome did, many men not needing "election" to command, but eternally elected for it by the Maker Himself. England's one hope is in these, just now. They are among the silent, I believe; mostly far away from platforms and public palaverings; not speaking forth the image of their nobleness in transitory words, but imprinting it, each on his own little section of the world, in silent facts, in modest valiant actions, that will endure forevermore. They must sit silent no longer. They are summoned to assert themselves; to act forth, and articulately vindicate, in the teeth of howling multitudes, of a world too justly maddened into all manner of delirious clamors, what of wisdom they derive from God.”

Thomas Carlyle book Latter-Day Pamphlets

1850s, Latter-Day Pamphlets (1850), The Present Time (February 1, 1850)

Wisdom , Men , God , World

“It's always the small actions, but done with the heart to describe the value of a person.”

Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer

Original: Sono sempre le piccole azioni, ma fatte con il cuore a descrivere il valore di una persona.
Source: prevale.net

Heart , Personality

“Avoid the deafening noise of silence: incite thoughts by disfavouring action.”

Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer

Original: Evita l'assordante rumore del silenzio: incita i pensieri sfavorendo l'azione.
Source: prevale.net

Silence

“When you make a decision or take an action based off of something that isn’t true, it is absolutely guaranteed to fall apart; like building a sand castle where it will be washed away by the tide.”

Teal Swan (1984) American spiritual teacher

Decision

“Life unfolds in very unique and mysterious ways. We are made by the actions we take or the inactions that solidifies with our environment to bring about a choice for us to take action or inaction and this cycle repeats and repeats to bring us to this point we are in time. When all of our individual actions accumulate this brings about a great change to our environment which in turn changes us as it slowly evolves.
When you contemplate this simple
concept further you realise at one point we have the ability to change our environment and at another point we can't help but be changed by our environment; our environment defines us as people and as people we shape our environment but as all great things we are limited by our very own environment but we still have the capacity of changing said environment, Here my friends is a paradox of life.”

N3du

People , Change , Time , Help

“Great actions can only be born out of great thoughts.”

Titon Rahmawan

“In life it's essential that ideas, choises and actions are always done your way. To act according to the opinion of others would be to err twice.”

Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer

Original: Nella vita è essenziale che idee, scelte ed azioni siano sempre compiute a modo tuo. Agire secondo l'opinione degli altri significherebbe sbagliare due volte.
Source: prevale.net

Way , Idea , Life

“To go for your dreams, you have to use action, thinking is not enough. Every day what am I studying about, that can help me, that can empower me to become better at what I do - become a greater version of myself. It's not about success or failure it's about enjoying what you do - have fun.”

Ralph Smart

Study , Success , Help , Dreams

“Your results are testaments of your actions, not your promises.”

Isaac Mashman (2000) businessman, speaker

“Lovers of the night, we try to compose notes from our actions, without any duration, but only with the wants to convey emotions.”

Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer

Original: Amanti della notte, cerchiamo di comporre note dalle nostre azioni, senza alcuna durata, ma solo con la voglia di trasmettere emozioni.
Source: prevale.net

Night , Lovers