“What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway!”
Matka Tereza (1910–1997) Roman Catholic saint of Albanian origin
A collection of quotes on the topic of overnighter, likeness, people, change.
“What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway!”
Matka Tereza (1910–1997) Roman Catholic saint of Albanian origin
“It took me 17 years and 114 days to become an overnight success.”
Lionel Messi (1987) Argentine association football player
Michael Jackson (1958–2009) American singer, songwriter and dancer
Remarks at National Action Network headquarters (9 July 2002)
Gilles Villeneuve (1950–1982) Canadian racecar driver
Interview during the driver's strike at the 1982 South African Grand Prix, Donaldson, pg. 297
Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) American politician, diplomat, and activist, and First Lady of the United States
“If we [humans] disappeared overnight, the world would probably be better off”
David Attenborough (1926) British broadcaster and naturalist
making the point that the reverse is not true
The Daily Telegraph (12 November 2005)
Barack Obama (1961) 44th President of the United States of America
2014, Statement on Cuban policy (December 2014)
Context: I’m under no illusion about the continued barriers to freedom that remain for ordinary Cubans. The United States believes that no Cubans should face harassment or arrest or beatings simply because they’re exercising a universal right to have their voices heard, and we will continue to support civil society there. While Cuba has made reforms to gradually open up its economy, we continue to believe that Cuban workers should be free to form unions, just as their citizens should be free to participate in the political process.
Moreover, given Cuba’s history, I expect it will continue to pursue foreign policies that will at times be sharply at odds with American interests. I do not expect the changes I am announcing today to bring about a transformation of Cuban society overnight. But I am convinced that through a policy of engagement, we can more effectively stand up for our values and help the Cuban people help themselves as they move into the 21st century.
Jeffrey Dahmer (1960–1994) American serial killer, cannibal and necrophile
Inside Edition Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtvmGdzgdLM
Barack Obama (1961) 44th President of the United States of America
2016, State of the Union address (January 2016)
Rick Astley (1966) British singer and songwriter
As quoted in "Rick Astley: The pop idol returns" in The Independent (13 October 2005)
Barack Obama (1961) 44th President of the United States of America
2015, Eulogy for the Honorable Reverend Clementa Pinckney (June 2015)
“Better counsel comes overnight.”
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing book Emilia Galotti
Besserer Rat kommt über Nacht.
Emilia Galotti (1772), Act IV, scene III
Susan Sontag (1933–2004) American writer and filmmaker, professor, and activist
Salon interview (2001)
Context: But just because I am a critic of Israeli policy — and in particular the occupation, simply because it is untenable, it creates a border that cannot be defended — that does not mean I believe the U. S. has brought this terrorism on itself because it supports Israel. I believe bin Laden and his supporters are using this as a pretext. If we were to change our support for Israel overnight, we would not stop these attacks.
I don't think this is what it's really about. I think it truly is a jihad, I think there is such a thing. There are many levels to Islamic rage. But what we're dealing with here is a view of the U. S. as a secular, sinful society that must be humbled, and this has nothing to do with any particular aspect of American policy. In my view, there can be no compromise with such a vision. And, no, I don't think we have brought this upon ourselves, which is of course a view that has been attributed to me.
Benjamin Creme (1922–2016) artist, author, esotericist
Source: Maitreya's Mission Vol. II (1993), p.137
Randa Abdel-Fattah (1979) contemporary Australian writer of novels for young adults
Source: Does My Head Look Big In This?
Rick Warren (1954) Christian religious leader
Source: The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here for?
Michael Moorcock (1939) English writer, editor, critic
Book 3, Chapter 1 “General O. T. Shaw” (p. 92)
Oswald Bastable, The Warlord of the Air (1971)
Eknath Easwaran (1910–1999) spiritual teacher, author of books on meditation and spiritual practice, and translator and interpreter of …
[Your life is your message: Finding harmony with yourself, others, and the earth, Easwaran, Eknath, w:Eknath Easwaran, 1997, Hyperion, New York, 0786882662, http://books.google.com/books?id=xKlCo3suzTkC&pg=PA42&dq=Patience+can%27t+be+acquired+overnight.+It+is+just+like+building+up+a+muscle.+Every+day+you+need+to+work+on+it+inauthor:eknath+inauthor:easwaran&hl=en&ei=9UCVTqyUKuKsiAKB1oy6CQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Patience%20can%27t%20be%20acquired%20overnight.%20It%20is%20just%20like%20building%20up%20a%20muscle.%20Every%20day%20you%20need%20to%20work%20on%20it%20inauthor%3Aeknath%20inauthor%3Aeaswaran&f=false] (p. 42) (work originally published 1992)
“Better Counsel comes overnight.”
Doris Lessing (1919–2013) British novelist, poet, playwright, librettist, biographer and short story writer
Besserer Rat kommt über Nacht. <br class="br">Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Emilia Galotti (1772), Act IV, scene III http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext05/7mlgl10.txt <br class="br">Misattributed
Donald J. Trump (1946) 45th President of the United States of America
A Thanksgiving Message from President-Elect Donald J. Trump https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUnv6Kb7syQ (23 November 2016) <br class="br">2010s, 2016, November
Michael Moorcock (1939) English writer, editor, critic
Book 3, Chapter 7 “Project NFB” (p. 135)
Oswald Bastable, The Warlord of the Air (1971)
Gary Johnson (1953) American politician, businessman, and 29th Governor of New Mexico
Statement at FOX News Debate
YouTube
2011-05-05
http://youtu.be/QRPrZxHUqsA
2012-02-24
Economic Policy
“It takes twenty years to make an overnight success.”
Eddie Cantor (1892–1964) American actor, singer, dancer and comedian
Quoted in James Nicholas, A Book of Wisdom and Delight: How to Fall in Love With Life (2008) p. 162.
William A. Patterson (1899–1980) President of United Airlines from 1934 until 1966
Unsourced
John F. Kennedy (1917–1963) 35th president of the United States of America
1961, Address at the University of Washington
Howard F. Lyman (1938) American activist
But you probably will feel more energy, and enjoy a longer and healthier life.
Source: Mad Cowboy (1998), Ch. 2: The Simple Facts, pp. 40-41
Joseph Jacobs book English Fairy Tales
English Fairy Tales (1890), Preface to English Fairy Tales, Jack and the Beanstalk
Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) President of South Africa, anti-apartheid activist
1990s, Victory speech (1994)
Lawrence Klein (1920–2013) American economist
"Keynsianism Again: Interview with Lawrence Klein", Challenge (May-June 2001)
Alan Coren (1938–2007) humorist and writer from the United Kingdom
"Bye Bye Blackbird, Hello Mortal Sin", The Dog It Was that Died (1965)
The first half of the quote is Ecclesiastes, 12:3
Ed Bradley (1941–2006) News correspondent
[Ed Bradley, Werner Erhard, 60 Minutes, CBS News ; Producer: David Gelber, March 3, 1991]
Warren Farrell (1943) author, spokesperson, expert witness, political candidate
Source: Why Men Are the Way They Are (1988), p. 91.
Benjamin N. Cardozo (1870–1938) United States federal judge
Other writings, The Paradoxes of Legal Science (1928)
Harvey Milk (1930–1978) American politician who became a martyr in the gay community
From a tape recording (1977-11-18) to be played in the event of his assassination, quoted in Randy Shilts, The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk (1982), pp. 276-277
H.L. Mencken (1880–1956) American journalist and writer
On elected politicians
1920s, Notes on Democracy (1926)
“The man who wishes to bend me with his tale of woe must shed true tears – not tears that have been got ready overnight.”
Nec nocte paratum,<br/>plorabit qui me volet incurvasse querella.
Persius (34–62) ancient latin poet
Nec nocte paratum,
plorabit qui me volet incurvasse querella.
Satire I, line 90.
The Satires
“It took Ireland thirty years to become an overnight success.”
Bertie Ahern (1951) Irish politician, 10th Taoiseach of Ireland
Camille Paglia (1947) American writer
Source: Sex, Art and American Culture : New Essays (1992), Junk Bonds and Corporate Raiders : Academe in the Hour of the Wolf, p. 243
Gary Johnson (1953) American politician, businessman, and 29th Governor of New Mexico
Statement made to representatives of the Pagan Newswire Collective (PNC)
2011-10-16
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/paganswithdisabilities/2011/10/full-transcript-of-qa-with-presidential-candidate-gary-johnson/
2012-02-24
Economic Policy
Margaret Cho (1968) American stand-up comedian
From Her Books, I Have Chosen To Stay And Fight, ACTIVISM
Boris Johnson (1964) British politician, historian and journalist
2000s, 2008, First Speech As London Mayor (May 3, 2008)
David Attenborough (1926) British broadcaster and naturalist
Closing lines
Life in the Undergrowth (2005)
Ella Woodward (1991) British blogger
Deliciously Ella (2015)
Sita Ram Goel (1921–2003) Indian activist
the Nayars, the Puris, the Kotharis, the Dhars, the Haksars, the Tarkundes - should be busy devising ways for handing over the Kashmir Hindus to their age-old oppressors. <br class="br"> Kashmir: The Problem is Muslim Extremism by Sita Ram Goel https://web.archive.org/web/20080220033606/http://www.kashmir-information.com/Miscellaneous/Goel1.html
Alan Cumming (1965) Scottish actor
“ One on One with Alan Cumming https://www.vegetariantimes.com/life-garden/one-on-one-with-alan-cumming,” interview with Vegetarian Times (27 January 2011).
Laurie Penny book Meat Market: Female Flesh Under Capitalism
Introduction
Meat Market: Female Flesh Under Capitalism (2010)
“Nobody becomes Tom Wolfe overnight, not even Tom Wolfe.”
William Zinsser (1922–2015) writer, editor, journalist, literary critic, professor
Source: On Writing Well (Fifth Edition, orig. pub. 1976), Chapter 4, Style, p. 20.
Doris Lessing (1919–2013) British novelist, poet, playwright, librettist, biographer and short story writer
Salon interview (1997)
Mobutu Sésé Seko (1930–1997) President of Zaïre
D.J. Gould, "Patrons and Clients: The Role of the Military in Zaire Politics," in Isaac Mowoe, ed., The Performance of Soldiers as Governors, p. 485
Ariana Miyamoto (1994) Miss Universe Japan 2015
12 May 2015 to Associated Free Press via Cosmopolitan http://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/news/a40403/ariana-miyamoto-miss-universe-japan/
Dorothy Parker (1893–1967) American poet, short story writer, critic and satirist
Dorothy Parker: Complete Broadway, 1918–1923 (2014) https://openlibrary.org/books/OL25758762M/Dorothy_Parker_Complete_Broadway_1918-1923
Seth Godin (1960) American entrepreneur, author and public speaker
"The secret of the web (hint: it's a virtue)," http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/08/the-secret-of-t.html Seth Godin's Blog (2008-08-10)
John F. Kennedy (1917–1963) 35th president of the United States of America
1962, Address at Independence Hall
Alexander Berkman (1870–1936) anarchist and writer
What Is Anarchism? (1929), Ch. 26: "Preparation" http://libcom.org/library/what-is-anarchism-alexander-berkman-26 <br class="br">Context: If your object is to secure liberty, you must learn to do without authority and compulsion. If you intend to live in peace and harmony with your fellow-men, you and they should cultivate brotherhood and respect for each other. If you want to work together with them for your mutual benefit, you must practice cooperation. The social revolution means much more than the reorganization of conditions only: it means the establishment of new human values and social relationships, a changed attitude of man to man, as of one free and independent to his equal; it means a different spirit in individual and collective life, and that spirit cannot be born overnight. It is a spirit to be cultivated, to be nurtured and reared, as the most delicate flower it is, for indeed it is the flower of a new and beautiful existence.
Rohit Sharma (1987) Indian cricketer
Something's missing in my ODI batting:Rohit Sharma, The Times of India, 11 October 2012 https://www.timesofindia.com/sports/new-zealand-in-india-2016/interviews/Somethings-missing-in-my-ODI-batting-Rohit-Sharma/articleshow/16762130.cms,
Basappa Danappa Jatti (1912–2002) Indian politician
Simple man with a lofty office
“Everyone's like, 'overnight sensation.'”
Margot Robbie (1990) Australian actress
It's not overnight. It's years of hard work.<br><br>Chris Lee, "Margot Robbie’s careful ‘overnight sensation’ plan” https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-margot-robbie-wolf-of-wall-street-20140111-story.html, Los Angeles Times, (1/11/2014)
Izabella Miko (1981) Polish actress and dancer
Tweet https://twitter.com/IzabellaMiko/status/1047571250061692928 (October 3, 2018)
Kendrick Lamar (1987) American rapper, songwriter and record producer from California
Source: Song lyrics, DAMN. (2017), XXX
Rima Das (1982) Indian Assamese film maker
Hindustan Times Article - Filmmaking is a journey, says Rima Das - 22 May 2020 https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/filmmaking-is-a-journey-says-rima-das/story-a1CstyaT4LaGfdBrJ8AzMM.html - Archive https://web.archive.org/web/20210728190259/https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/filmmaking-is-a-journey-says-rima-das/story-a1CstyaT4LaGfdBrJ8AzMM.html
Greta Thunberg (2003) Swedish climate change activist
Source: 2021, An Open Letter to the Global Media by Greta Thunberg and Vanessa Nakate (October 2021)
“We are now taking steps towards building trust ... which doesn't happen overnight.”
Ahmad Nasser al-Mohammed al-Sabah (1971)
Source: Ahmad Nasser al-Mohammed al-Sabah (2022) cited in " Kuwaiti foreign minister visits Lebanon to mend Gulf standoff https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/22/kuwaiti-foreign-minister-visits-lebanon-to-mend-gulf-standoff" on Aljazeera, 22 January 2022.
Gilbert O'Sullivan (1946) Irish singer-songwriter
"Who Was It?" (song) <br class="br"> (+ Cover version by Davy Jones on YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogzt6NntvrE <br class="br">Song lyrics <br class="br">Source: Gilbert O'Sullivan, "Who Was It?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FDzXcD1mDg (song on YouTube)
Qian Julie Wang (1987) Chinese-American writer and civil rights lawyer
"An Interview With Qian Julie Wang" in Penguin Random House https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/articles/qian-julie-wang-interview/