Quotes about most
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“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.”

Philip Pullman (1946) English author

World

“Next to ‘God’, ‘love’ is the word most mangled in every language.”

Richard Bach (1936) American spiritual writer

Source: The Bridge Across Forever: A True Love Story

Love, God

“Being touched by Jericho Barrons with kindness makes you feel like you the biggest, most savage lion in the jungle, lying down, placing your
head it its mouth and, rather than taking your life, it licks you and
purrs.”

Karen Marie Moning (1964) author

Source: Bloodfever

Life, Feeling, Lying

“For now, I only wish to make a simple acknowledgement of the woman who held the power just before me.
Of all of us who touched it, I feel she was the most worthy.”

Brandon Sanderson (1975) American fantasy writer

Source: The Hero of Ages

Feeling

“I most certainly can deny it. Of course, if I did, I'd be lying." Mairelon”

Patricia C. Wrede (1953) author

Source: Magician's Ward

Lying

“It looks too new and pristine ever to have been read by anyone else, but it has been: it keeps falling open at the most delightful places as the ghost of its former owner points me to things I've never read before.”

Helene Hanff book 84, Charing Cross Road

Source: 84, Charing Cross Road

Reading

“Books and ideas are the most effective weapons against intolerance and ignorance.”

Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–1973) American politician, 36th president of the United States (in office from 1963 to 1969)

Books, Idea

“Men lie the most,

women tell the biggest lies.”

Chris Rock (1965) American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer, and director

Women, Men, Lie

“the number 108 is held to be the most auspicious, a perfect three-digit multiple of three, its components adding up to 9, which is three threes. And 3, of course, is the number representing supreme balance.”

Elizabeth Gilbert book Eat, Pray, Love

Source: Eat, Pray, Love

Perfection

“Historically, the most terrible things - war, genocide, and slavery - have resulted not from disobedience, but from obedience.”

Howard Zinn (1922–2010) author and historian

War

“I had to cease to mourn what could never be and make the most of what was possible. And I would begin doing that by trying to mend the hurts of the past.”

Cameron Dokey (1956) American writer

Source: The Wild Orchid: A Retelling of The Ballad of Mulan

Past, Hurt, Moving On

“I ascribe to Mark Twain's theory that the last person who should be President is the one who wants it the most. The one who should be picked is the one who should be dragged kicking and screaming into the White House.”

Bill Hicks (1961–1994) American comedian

Housing, Personality

“For those who know the value of and exquisite taste of solitary freedom (for one is only free when alone), the act of leaving is the bravest and most beautiful of all.”

Isabelle Eberhardt (1877–1904) Swiss explorer and author

Source: The Nomad: The Diaries of Isabelle Eberhardt

Beauty, Freedom

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”

Dale Carnegie (1888–1955) American writer and lecturer

As quoted in The Ring of Truth (2004) by Joseph O'Day

People, World, Hope, Motivational

“Most people don’t know how to appreciate the silence. They can’t help talking.”

Nicholas Sparks book The Lucky One

Source: The Lucky One

People, Silence, Help

“Most people are perpetually locked in the present. Their decisions are overly influenced by the most immediate event; they easily become emotional and ascribe greater significance to a problem than it should have in reality.”

Robert Greene book Mastery

Source: Mastery

People, Problem, Reality, Decision

“Most of my reading is rereading.”

Susan Sontag (1933–2004) American writer and filmmaker, professor, and activist

Source: Conversations with Susan Sontag

Reading

“Did you hear? You are free."
Yessss. Choice. It is a fine thing. And I choose to take you back, Most High.”

Libba Bray book Rebel Angels

Source: Rebel Angels

“Most people talk when they have nothing to say. I’m not talking because I have too much to say. None of which I’d want you to hear.”

Megan McCafferty (1973) American novelist

Source: Charmed Thirds

People

“what time is it? its is by every star
a different time, and each most falsely true…”

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

Source: Selected Poems

Star, Time, Falseness

“It's harder that in looks," I told him when I finally got back in the car.
"Most things are”

Sarah Dessen book Along for the Ride

Source: Along for the Ride

Cars

“The most important decision we can make is whether this is a friendly or hostile universe. From that one decision all others spring.”

Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born physicist and founder of the theory of relativity

Multiple variations of this quote can be found, but the earliest one on Google Books which uses the phrase "friendly or hostile" and attributes it to Einstein is The Complete Idiot's Guide to Spiritual Healing by Susan Gregg (2000), p. 5 http://books.google.com/books?id=XLQ8X67PozAC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA5#v=onepage&q&f=false, and this book gives no source for the quote. <br class="br">A variant is found in Irving Oyle's The New American Medicine Show (1979) on p. 163, where Oyle writes: 'There is a story about Albert Einstein's view of human existence. Asked to pose the most vital question facing humanity, he replied, "Is the universe friendly?"' This variant is repeated in a number of books from the 1980s and 90s, so it probably pre-dates the "friendly or hostile" version. And the idea that the most important question we can ask is "Is the universe friendly?" dates back much earlier than the attribution to Einstein, for example in Emil Carl Wilm's 1912 book The Problem of Religion he includes the following footnote on p. 114 http://books.google.com/books?id=nWYiAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA114#v=onepage&q&f=false: 'A friend proposed to the late F. W. H. Myers the following question: "What is the thing which above all others you would like to know? If you could ask the Sphinx one question, and only one, what would the question be?" After a moment's silence Myers replied: "I think it would be this: Is the universe friendly?"' <br class="br">Misattributed

Hostility, Spring, Decision, Universe

“You can always tell employees of the government by the total vacancy which occupies the space where most other people have faces.”

John Kennedy Toole A Confederacy of Dunces

Source: A Confederacy of Dunces (1980, posthumous), Ch. 9, p. 226

People

“Reflection is one of the most underused yet powerful tools for success.”

Richard Carlson (1961–2006) Author, psychotherapist and motivational speaker

Success

“I have long known that it is part of God’s plan for me to spend a little time with each of the most stupid people on earth, and Mary Ellen was proof that even in the Appalachian woods I would not be spared. It became evident from the first moment that she was a rarity.”

Bill Bryson A Walk in the Woods

Source: A Walk in the Woods (1997), Chapter 4 (p. 51)

God, People, Stupidity, Time

“… It was one of the great livery-stableman's most masterly intuitions to have discovered that Americans want to get away from amusement even more quickly than they want to get to it.”

Edith Wharton The Age of Innocence

Source: The Age of Innocence

“Most little girls in England grow up wanting to marry
a prince. Bex grew up wanting to kick James Bond's butt and assume his double-0 ranking.”

Ally Carter Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy

Source: Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy

Girl

“You will never cease to be the most amazed person on earth at what God has done for you on the inside.”

Oswald Chambers book My Utmost for His Highest

Source: My Utmost for His Highest

God, Personality

“It's the stupid questions that have some of the most surprising and interesting answers. Most people never think to ask the stupid questions.”

Cory Doctorow book For the Win

Source: For the Win

People, Stupidity, Question, Thinking

“The most dangerous men on earth are those who are afraid they are wimps”

James Gilligan American psychiatrist and author

Men

“But the lesson of Abraham's story is that God demands the best we have to offer, that which is most precious to us.”

Ken Follett book The Pillars of the Earth

Source: The Pillars of the Earth

God

“I understood what triggered her earthquakes, most of them.”

Laurie Halse Anderson Wintergirls

Source: Wintergirls

“Those full of fear were the most dangerous of people.”

Melina Marchetta Finnikin of the Rock

Source: Finnikin of the Rock

People, Fear

“Like most Beta Males, he didn't realize that being a good guy was not necessarily an attraction to women.”

Christopher Moore book A Dirty Job

Source: A Dirty Job

Women, Guy

“Things without meaning are the most beautiful ones.”

Elena Ferrante book The Story of a New Name

Source: The Story of a New Name

Beauty

“He who laughs most, learns best.”

John Cleese (1939) actor from England

As quoted in Creating Emotionally Safe Schools: A Guide for Educators and Parents‎ (2001) by Jane Bluestein, p. 215

Learning

“Every action we take has consequences, Vin," Kelsier said. "I've found that in both Allomancy and life, the person who can best judge the consequences of their actions will be the most successful.”

Brandon Sanderson (1975) American fantasy writer

Source: The Final Empire

Life, Success, Personality

“? Is that boy crazy?"
"Most young men his age are somewhat crazy, I think," Sazed said with a smile. "However, this is hardly unexpected. Haven't you noticed how he stares at you when you enter a room?"
"I thought he was just creepy.”

Brandon Sanderson (1975) American fantasy writer

Source: The Final Empire

Men, Age, Smile, Boy

“Most people who decide to grow personally find their first mentors in the pages of books.”

John C. Maxwell (1947) American author, speaker and pastor

Source: The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth: Live Them and Reach Your Potential

People, Books, Personality

“I believe that the most important single thing, beyond discipline and creativity is daring to dare.”

Maya Angelou (1928–2014) American author and poet

Courageous

“But just because you love something, I added to myself, doesn't mean you'll ever be great. Not if you don't work. Most people stink at the things they love.”

Amy Chua book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

Source: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

Love, People

“Nowadays most men lead lives of noisy desperation.”

James Thurber (1894–1961) American cartoonist, author, journalist, playwright

"The Grizzly and the Gadgets", The New Yorker (date unknown); Further Fables for Our Time (1956); This statement is derived from one of Henry David Thoreau: "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation."
From Fables for Our Time and Further Fables for Our Time

Men

“Just when you feel you have no time to relax, know that this is the moment you most need to make time to relax.”

Matt Haig book Reasons to Stay Alive

Source: Reasons to Stay Alive

Feeling, Time

“The overdressed traveler betrays more interest in being seen than in seeing, while the true traveler knows that the novel world about her serves as the most appropriate accessory.”

Gregory Maguire book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

Source: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

World, Travel

“The most important question a person can ask is, "Is the Universe a friendly place?”

Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born physicist and founder of the theory of relativity

Question, Universe, Personality

“To be lost in spiritlessness is the most terrible thing of all.”

Sören Kierkegaard (1813–1855) Danish philosopher and theologian, founder of Existentialism

Faith

“The most pathetic person in the world is some one who has sight but no vision.”

Helen Keller (1880–1968) American author and political activist

World, Personality

“Love is the most powerful motivator in the world. It spurs mortals to greatness. Their noblest and bravest acts are done for love.”

Rick Riordan book The Lost Hero

Variant: My point is that love is the most powerful motivator in the world. It spurs mortals to greatness. Their noblest, bravest acts are done for love.
Source: The Lost Hero

Love, World, Motivation

“What I wanted to do seemed simple. I wanted something alive and shocking enough that it could be a morning in somebody's life. The most ordinary morning. Imagine, trying to do that.”

Michael Cunningham book The Hours

Source: The Hours

Life, Imagination

“You can do this" I murmured. "You are my brother. I love you. All the embarrassing bits, all the annoying bits, which I imagine is most of you--a thousand Zias might run away from you if they knew the truth. But I won't. I'll still be here.”

Rick Riordan book The Throne of Fire

Source: The Throne of Fire

Love, Truth, Imagination

“People who are most afraid of their dreams convince themselves they don't dream at all.”

John Steinbeck book The Winter of Our Discontent

Source: The Winter of Our Discontent

People, Dreams

“Most people would have found it grotesque, but when you're in love nothing is so abstract or horrible that it can't be thought of as cute.”

David Sedaris When You Are Engulfed in Flames

Source: When You Are Engulfed in Flames

Love, People

“… in the absence of will power, the most complete collection of virtues and talents is wholly worthless.”

Aleister Crowley (1875–1947) poet, mountaineer, occultist

Source: The Confessions of Aleister Crowley: An Autohagiography

“The friend in my adversity I shall always cherish most. I can better trust those who have helped to relieve the gloom of my dark hours than those who are so ready to enjoy with me the sunshine of my prosperity.”

Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) 18th President of the United States

Help

“Peace demands the most heroic labor and the most difficult sacrifice. It demands greater heroism than war. It demands greater fidelity to the truth and a much more perfect purity of conscience.”

Thomas Merton (1915–1968) Priest and author

War, Truth, Peace, Perfection

“A culture fixated on female thinness is not an obsession about female beauty, but an obsession about female obedience. Women's dieting has become what Yale psychologist Judith Rodin calls a 'normative obsession,' a never-ending passion play given international coverage out of all proportion to the health risks associated with obesity, and using emotive language that does not figure even in discussions of alcohol or tobacco abuse. […] Dieting is the most potent political sedative in women's history; a quietly mad population is a tractable one.”

Naomi Wolf book The Beauty Myth

Source: The Beauty Myth (1991), Chapter 6 : 'Hunger', p. 187

Women, Health, Alcohol, Beauty

“She said she thought there were different ways of loving someone, and there were some she used to think were the most important, and now she had changed her mind.”

Jodi Lynn Anderson American children's writer

Source: Tiger Lily

Love, Way, Thinking, Change

“The thing that's important for me is to remember what's the most important thing.”

George W. Bush (1946) 43rd President of the United States

“The most important experiences a man can have are those that take him to the very limit; that is the only way we learn, because it requires all our courage.”

Paulo Coelho book Eleven Minutes

Source: Eleven Minutes

Way, Courage, Learning

“Because when something happens, she's the person I want to tell. The most basic indicator of love.”

David Levithan book Every Day

Source: Every Day

Love, Personality

“I would like to thank the people who've brought me those dark moments, when I felt most wounded, betrayed. You have been my greatest teachers.”

Oprah Winfrey (1954) American businesswoman, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist

Source: The Best of Oprah's What I Know For Sure

People, Teachers

“Love is what carries you, for it is always there, even in the dark, or most in the dark, but shining out at times like gold stitches in a piece of embroidery.”

Wendell Berry (1934) author

Source: Hannah Coulter

Love, Time

“Our feelings are our most genuine paths to knowledge.”

Audre Lorde (1934–1992) writer and activist

Feeling, Knowledge

“Gideon Lightwood said he was at the Institute in Madrid. What on earth was he doing there?'
'Faffing about, most likely', said Will.”

Cassandra Clare book Clockwork Prince

Source: Clockwork Prince

“You give too much rein to your imagination. Imagination is a good servant, and a bad master. The simplest explanation is always the most likely.”

Agatha Christie book The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Source: The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920)

Imagination

“Disciples and devotees…what are most of them doing? Worshipping the teapot instead of drinking the tea!”

Wei Wu Wei (1895–1986) writer

Drink, Tea

“I expect most psychiatrists have a patient or two they'd like to refer to me.”

Thomas Harris The Silence of the Lambs

Source: The Silence of the Lambs

“So release yourself from that. Don't be strategic or coy. Strategic and coy are for jackasses. Be brave. Be authentic. Practice saying the word 'love' to the people you love so when it matters the most to say it, you will.”

Cheryl Strayed book Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar

Source: Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar

Love, People

“He taught us the art of unqualified love. How to give it, how to accept it. Where there is that, most other pieces fall into place.”

John Grogan (1958) American journalist

Source: Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World's Worst Dog

Love, Art

“Being tired isn't the same as being rich, but most times it's close enough.”

Chuck Palahniuk Fight Club

Source: Fight Club

Time

“Though there had been moments of beauty in it, Mariam knew that life for most part has been unkind to her. But as she walked the final twenty paces, she could not help but wish for more of it.”

Khaled Hosseini book A Thousand Splendid Suns

Source: A Thousand Splendid Suns

Life, Beauty, Help, Parting

“The church is like a swimming pool. Most of the noise comes from the shallow end.”

John Shelby Spong (1931) American bishop

Source: Eternal Life: A New Vision: Beyond Religion, Beyond Theism, Beyond Heaven and Hell

“How do most people live without any thought? There are many people in the world,--you must have noticed them in the street,--how do they live? How do they get strength to put on their clothes in the morning?”

Emily Dickinson (1830–1886) American poet

People, World, Clothes

“It is true that success is the most boring thing, it is tinny and brittle, failure runs deeper. Success is dangerous. I have a very complicated relationship with that word.”

Arundhati Roy (1961) Indian novelist, essayist

Failure, Success

“[.. ] the values to which people cling most stubbornly under inappropriate conditions are those values that were previously the source of their greatest triumphs.”

Jared Diamond book Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed

Cited by Tim Flannery, "Learning from the past to change our future" http://science.sciencemag.org/content/307/5706/45.full, Science, volume 307, 7 January 2005, page 45. <br class="br">Source: Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed (2005)

People

“He was the owner of the moonlight on the ground, he fell in love with the most beautiful of the trees, he made wreaths of leaves and strung them around his neck.”

Tove Jansson book Tales from Moominvalley

Source: Tales from Moominvalley

Love, Beauty, Tree

“My earliest memories of my father are of seeing him work at his desk and realizing that he was happy. I did not know it then, but that was one of the most precious gifts a father can give his child.”

Malcolm Gladwell (1963) journalist and science writer

Source: Outliers: The Story of Success

Happiness, Memory

“There were valuable first editions of books in the enormous library, most of them had been scribbled in by some idiot named Will H.”

Cassandra Clare book Lord of Shadows

Source: Lord of Shadows

Books

“There are many ways to drown, only the most obvious wave their arms as they're going under.”

Nick Flynn book Another Bullshit Night in Suck City

Source: Another Bullshit Night in Suck City

Way

“Most true things are kind of corny, don’t you think? But we make them more sophisticated out of sheer embarrassment.”

Michel Faber book The Book of Strange New Things

Source: The Book of Strange New Things

Thinking

“Most good things have been said far too many times and just need to be lived.”

Shane Claiborne (1975) American activist

Variant: Most good things have already been said far too many times and just need to be lived.

Time

“Metaphors have a way of holding the most truth in the least space.”

Orson Scott Card Alvin Journeyman

Source: Alvin Journeyman

Truth, Way

“The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.”

Steve Biko (1946–1977) anti-apartheid activist in South Africa

White Racism and Black Consciousness
I Write What I Like (1978)
Variant: The greatest weapon in the hand of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.