Quotes about being
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“I just want ambitious teenagers to know it is totally fine to be quite, observant kids. Besides being a delight to your parents, you will find you have plenty of time later to catch up.”

Mindy Kaling book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Source: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Parent, Time

“There is a timbre of voice
that comes from not being heard
and knowing / you are not being
heard / noticed only
by others / not heard
for the same reason.”

Audre Lorde (1934–1992) writer and activist

Source: The Collected Poems

“Our whole spiritual transformation brings us to the point where we realize that in our own being, we are enough.”

Ram Dass (1931–2019) American contemporary spiritual teacher and the author of the 1971 book Be Here Now

“Nothing gives you confidence like being a member of a small, weirdly specific, hard-to-find demographic.”

Mindy Kaling book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Source: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Confidence

“I think she is growing up, and so begins to dream dreams, and have hopes and fears and fidgets, without knowing why or being able to explain them.”

Louisa May Alcott book Little Women

Source: Little Women

Fear, Dreams, Hope, Thinking

“Too many people confuse being serious with being solemn.”

John Cleese (1939) actor from England

People

“It is after all so easy to shatter a story. To break a chain of thought. To ruin a fragment of a dream being carried around carefully like a piece of porcelain. To let it be, to travel with it, as Velutha did, is much the harder thing to do.”

Arundhati Roy book The God of Small Things

Source: The God of Small Things

Dreams, Travel

“I don't mind being called a liar. I am. I am a marvelous liar. But I hate being called a liar when I´m telling the perfect truth.”

Patrick Rothfuss book The Wise Man's Fear

Source: The Wise Man's Fear

Hate, Truth, Perfection

“But there were worse things than being left.”

Cassandra Clare book Lady Midnight

Source: Lady Midnight

“I wish I could stop being in love with Sam. I really do.”

Stephen Chbosky book The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Source: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Love

“Never risking anything meant never having or doing or being anything either. Life is risk, it turned out.”

Lev Grossman book The Magician's Land

Source: The Magician's Land

Life

“Living, there is no happiness in that. Living: carrying one’s painful self through the world.
But being, being is happiness. Being: Becoming a fountain, a fountain on which the universe falls like warm rain.”

Milan Kundera book Immortality

Source: Immortality

Pain, Happiness, World, Universe

“The temptation of the age is to look good without being good.”

Brennan Manning (1934–2013) writer, American Roman Catholic priest and United States Marine

Source: The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out

Age, Deep

“Miracles are to come.
With you I leave a remembrance
of miracles: they are by
somebody who can love
and who shall be continually reborn,
a human being.”

E.E. Cummings (1894–1962) American poet

Love

“Being told that love is forbidden does not kill love. It strengthens it.”

Cassandra Clare book Lady Midnight

Source: Lady Midnight

Love

“I can’t help being a gorgeous fiend. It’s just the card I drew.”

Anne Rice book The Queen of the Damned

Source: The Queen of the Damned

Help

“Boredom between two people doesn't come from being together physically. It comes from being apart mentally and spiritually.”

Richard Bach (1936) American spiritual writer

Source: The Bridge Across Forever: A True Love Story

People

“I was a new person in the same world, which was a lot more difficult than being the same person in a new world.”

Lisa Kleypas (1964) American writer

Source: Blue-Eyed Devil

World, Personality

“it's almost easier being down and alone than when you re up and no one s there to share the view with you”

Andre Dubus III book House of Sand and Fog

Source: House of Sand and Fog

“When men talk about the agony of being men, they can never quite get away from the recurrent theme of self-pity. And when women talk about being women, they can never quite get away from the recurrent theme of blaming men.”

Pat Conroy book The Prince of Tides

Source: The Prince of Tides

Women, Men

“After all, damn it, what does being in love mean if you can't trust a person.”

Evelyn Waugh book Vile Bodies

Source: Vile Bodies

Love, Personality

“Because I was more often happy for other people, I got to spend more time being happy. And as I saw more light in everybody else, I seemed to have more myself. (250)”

Victoria Moran (1950) American writer

Source: Lit From Within: Tending Your Soul For Lifelong Beauty

Happiness, People, Light, Time

“The questioners had that beautiful detachment and devotion to stern justice of men dealing in death without being in any danger of it.”

Ernest Hemingway book A Farewell to Arms

Source: A Farewell to Arms

Death, Men, Justice, Beauty

“Is it enough to be a princess, when being a princess means nothing?”

Alex Flinn (1966) American children's writer

Source: A Kiss in Time

Princess

“I find it rather easy to portray a businessman. Being bland, rather cruel and incompetent comes naturally to me.”

John Cleese (1939) actor from England

Nature

“The person who tries to live alone will not succeed as a human being.”

Pearl S. Buck (1892–1973) American writer

"To You on Your First Birthday"
To My Daughters, With Love (1967)
Context: The person who tries to live alone will not succeed as a human being. His heart withers if it does not answer another heart. His mind shrinks away if he hears only the echoes of his own thoughts and finds no other inspiration.

Personality

“This is the thing they don't tell you about being a third wheel - it's not like you're the wheel that's added on. You were one of the original two wheels, but suddenly you're not so important anymore. The relationship drives fine without you.”

David Levithan book Every You, Every Me

Source: Every You, Every Me

“Being democratic is not enough, a majority cannot turn what is wrong into right. In order to be considered truly free, countries must also have a deep love of liberty and an abiding respect for the rule of law.”

Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013) British stateswoman and politician

Love, Law, Country

“A person who doubts himself is like a man who would enlist in the ranks of his enemies and bear arms against himself. He makes his failures certain by himself being the first person to be convinced of it.”

Alexandre Dumas (1802–1870) French writer and dramatist, father of the homonym writer and dramatist

Failure, Personality

“To give preference to the life of a being simply because that being is a member of our species would put us in the same position as racists who give preference to those who are members of their race.”

Peter Singer book Practical Ethics

Peter Singer - The Genius of Darwin: The Uncut Interviews - Richard Dawkins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYYNY2oKVWU, 2009. Source: Practical Ethics Context: Speciesism is an attitude of prejudice towards beings because they're not members of our species, so just as racism means that you're prejudiced against beings who are not members of your race and sexism means you're prejudiced against people of the other sex. So we humans tend to be speciesist in we think that any being that is a member of the species homo sapien just automatically has a higher moral status and is more important than any being that is a member of any other species, irrespective of the actual characteristics of those beings.

Life

“You hate change. I hate it too. But things can't stay the same- and that's well, for when nothing changes in your life, it's as good as being dead”

Brandon Sanderson (1975) American fantasy writer

Source: The Hero of Ages

Life, Hate, Change, Dead

“Are you an idiot, or an idiot?' Gargarin hissed.

'The first one. I really resent being called the second.”

Melina Marchetta (1965) Australian teen writer

Source: Froi of the Exiles

“Can't you… I don't know. Find a hobby or something?"
"Being charming is my hobby," said Adrian obstinately. "I'm the life of the party— even without drinking. I wasn't meant to be alone.”

Richelle Mead Bloodlines

Source: Bloodlines

Life, Drink

“What's wrong with my proposition?" Poirot rose. "If you will forgive me for being personal-I do not like your face, M. Ratchett.”

Agatha Christie book Murder on the Orient Express

Source: Murder on the Orient Express

Forgiveness, Personality

“It was like being given a maths problem when your brain's exhausted, and you know there's some far-off solution, but you can't work up the energy even to give it a go. Something in me just gave up.”

Kazuo Ishiguro book Never Let Me Go

Source: Never Let Me Go

Problem

“For it must be very lonely being dead.”

Diane Setterfield book The Thirteenth Tale

Source: The Thirteenth Tale

Dead

“To reach back and help, and expect neither reward nor even thanks.

To reach back and help, because that is what spiritual beings do.”

Brian L. Weiss

Source: Messages from the Masters: Tapping into the Power of Love

Help

“They don't really pay attention to me, except when they need my blood or something. I wouldn't even be alive, if it wasn't for Kate being sick.”

Jodi Picoult My Sister's Keeper

Source: My Sister's Keeper

“There's nothing wrong with being a large mammal.”

Jim Morrison (1943–1971) lead singer of The Doors

“I thought that being king meant I didn't have to kill people myself. I see know that was another misconception.”

Megan Whalen Turner The King of Attolia

Source: The King of Attolia

People

“But, when the chips are down, its better to be furious with someone you love, or frightened for someone you love, than be put through the merciless horror of being ashamed of someone you love.”

James Baldwin (1924–1987) (1924-1987) writer from the United States

Love

“If you are the type of person who thinks too much about stuff then there is nothing lonelier in the world than being surrounded by a load of people on a different wavelength.”

Matt Haig book Reasons to Stay Alive

Source: Reasons to Stay Alive

People, World, Thinking, Personality

“Barking hard work, being a boy.”

Scott Westerfeld book Leviathan

Source: Leviathan

Boy

“Being young is an 18 year prison sentence for a crime your parents committed. But you do get time off for good behavior.”

Orson Scott Card book Empire

Source: Empire

Behavior, Parent, Time

“Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion; it is like a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ.”

Billy Graham (1918–2018) American Christian evangelist

Christ

“For the time being
Words scatter
Are they fallen leaves?”

Ruth Ozeki book A Tale for the Time Being

Source: A Tale for the Time Being

Time

“Perfect love has a breath of poetry which can exalt the relations of the least-instructed human beings.”

George Eliot book Silas Marner

Source: Silas Marner

Love, Perfection

“Character comes from following our highest sense of right, from trusting ideas without being sure they’ll work.”

Richard Bach (1936) American spiritual writer

Source: One

Idea, Sense

“It struck her all at once that dealing with other human beings was an awful lot of work.”

Anne Tyler book Back When We Were Grownups

Source: Back When We Were Grownups

“Quit being so hard on yourself. We are what we are; we love what we love. We don't need to justify it to anyone… not even to ourselves.”

Scott Lynch book The Republic of Thieves

Source: The Republic of Thieves

Love

“Being polite is not only the right way to respond to people but also the easiest. Life is so filled with unavoidable conflict that I see no reason to promote more confrontations.”

Dean Koontz Odd Thomas

Source: Odd Thomas

Life, People, Way

“I guess there isn’t a rule book for what might be unacceptable to do to another human being.”

Suzanne Collins book Mockingjay

Source: Mockingjay

Books

“We are all good friends. Friendship is what endures. Shared ideals, respect for the whole character of a human being.”

E.L. Doctorow Ragtime

Source: Ragtime

Friendship

“Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.”

Douglas Adams book Last Chance to See

Source: Last Chance to See

Learning, Funny

“The most serious mistakes are not being made as a result of wrong answers.
The true dangerous thing is asking the wrong question.”

Peter F. Drucker (1909–2005) American business consultant

Question

“Sydney Katherine Sage,” he said, his green eyes full of love and earnestness. “Would you do a brooding, deadbeat Moroi the honor of being his wife?”

Richelle Mead book Silver Shadows

Source: Silver Shadows

Love

“No man was ever yet a great poet, without being at the same time a profound philosopher.”

Samuel Taylor Coleridge book Biographia Literaria

Source: Biographia Literaria (1817), Ch. XV

Time

“Courage is being the only only one who knows how terrified you are.”

Tom Clancy book Red Rabbit

Source: Red Rabbit

Courage, Courageous

“In the whole world, there was no better place than being wrapped in him.”

Ilona Andrews American husband-and-wife novelist duo

Source: Magic Rises

World

“Grand buildings made her feel better--maybe because being in a place so permanent made her feel more permanent.”

Rick Riordan The Mark of Athena

Source: The Mark of Athena

Feeling

“I’m—sorry about being a lousy date,” Alec muttered.

“What are you talking about?” Magnus asked. “You’re a fantastic date. You’ve only been here ten minutes, and I already got half of your clothes off.”

Cassandra Clare (1973) American author

Source: The Course of True Love [and First Dates]

Clothes

“… Why, it would really be being unselfish to go away and be happy for a little, because we would come back so much nicer.”

Elizabeth von Arnim book The Enchanted April

Source: The Enchanted April

Happiness

“I can't fight.
I was once run over by a car with a flat tire, being pushed by two guys.”

Woody Allen (1935) American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, author, playwright, and musician

Cars, Guy, Fight

“Man is manifestly not the measure of all things. This universe is shot through with mystery. The very fact of its being, and of our own, is a mystery absolute, and the only miracle worthy of the name.”

Sam Harris (1967) American author, philosopher and neuroscientist

Source: The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason

Universe

“There’s something
so great about this,” she whispers.
About what?” I whisper back.

About this,” she whispers.
About being outlaws.
It’s just you and me—against the world.”

Sonya Sones (1950) American writer

World

“The worth of a human being lies in the ability to extend oneself, to go outside oneself, to exist in and for other people.”

Milan Kundera book Laughable Loves

Source: Laughable Loves

People

“I can’t imagine anything worse than being required to have fun.”

Scott Westerfeld (1963) American science fiction writer

Imagination

“To simply think about the people, as the dominators do, without any self-giving in that thought, to fail to think with the people, is a sure way to cease being revolutionary leaders.”

Paulo Freire book Pedagogy of the Oppressed

Source: Pedagogia do oprimido (Pedagogy of the Oppressed) (1968, English trans. 1970)

People, Way, Thinking

“When a person screams in pain, the actual pain is only half the noise they make. The other half is the terror at being forced to accept that they exist.”

Noah Cicero (1980) American writer

Source: The Condemned

Pain, Personality

“I am aware of being in a beautiful prison, from which I can only escape by writing.”

Anaïs Nin (1903–1977) writer of novels, short stories, and erotica

Source: The Diary of Anaïs Nin, Vol. 1: 1931-1934

Beauty

“But I don't care what Megan Fox or Jessica Biel say: There are definite advantages to being the hottest girl on the planet. Number one was that I got paid for it. A lot.”

Meg Cabot (1967) Novelist

Source: Runaway

Girl

“I hate the uneducated and the ignorant. I hate the pompous and the phoney. I hate the jealous and the resentful. I hate the crabbed and mean and the petty. I hate all ordinary dull little people who aren't ashamed of being dull and little.”

John Fowles book The Collector

Source: The Collector

Hate, People

“Being threatened seems to being out the worst in me.”

Karen Marie Moning book Darkfever

Source: Darkfever

“The great thing about being a writer is that you are always re-creating yourself.”

Martin Cruz Smith (1942) American writer

“Conversation. What is it? A Mystery! It's the art of never seeming bored, of touching everything with interest, of pleasing with trifles, of being fascinating with nothing at all.”

Guy De Maupassant (1850–1893) French writer

Art

“Care not for want of place; care for thy readiness to fill one. Care not for being unknown, but seek to be worthy of note.”

Confucius (-551–-479 BC) Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher

Source: Sayings of Confucius

“Disagreement is part of being a person who has choices. One of those choices is to respect others and engage in intelligent conversation about differences of opinion without becoming enemies, eventually allowing us to move forward to compromise.”

Ben Carson (1951) 17th and current United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; American neurosurgeon

Source: One Nation: What We Can All Do to Save America's Future

Intelligence, Parting, Personality

“My brief flash of relief and confidence melted away. Good thing it did, too. I'm sure the world would come to an end if I were allowed to feel a sense of relief and well-being for any length of time.”

Jim Butcher Dead Beat

Source: Dead Beat

World, Feeling, Confidence, Sense

“Nothing’s more fun than being carried away.”

Jerry Spinelli book Stargirl

Source: Stargirl

“Where we choose to be, where we choose to be--we have the power to determine that in our lives. We cannot reel time backward or forward, but we can take ourselves to the place that defines our being.”

Sena Jeter Naslund (1942) American writer

Source: Ahab's Wife, or The Star-Gazer

Time

“The study of beauty is a duel in which the artist cries out in terror before being defeated.”

Charles Baudelaire book Le Spleen de Paris

L'étude du beau est un duel où l'artiste crie de frayeur avant d'être vaincu. III: "Le Confiteor de l'artiste" http://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Petits_Po%C3%A8mes_en_prose_-_III._Le_Confiteor_de_l%27artiste Le Spleen de Paris (1862) Source: Twenty Prose Poems

Beauty, Study