“Anybody can play. The note is only 20 percent. The attitude of who plays it is 80 percent.”
Miles Davis (1926–1991) American jazz musician
A collection of quotes on the topic of percent, people, doing, time.
“Anybody can play. The note is only 20 percent. The attitude of who plays it is 80 percent.”
Miles Davis (1926–1991) American jazz musician
Brian Cox (physicist) (1968) English physicist and former musician
Conclusion in Wonders of the Universe - Destiny
Yoko Ono (1933) Japanese artist, author, and peace activist
Game Is Not Over - 2005 Oxford Union Address http://www.jeclique.com/onoweb/news-oxfordjune2005.html
“In a real battle, atemi is seventy percent, technique is thirty percent.”
Morihei Ueshiba (1883–1969) founder of aikido
As quoted in Total Aikido (1997) by Gōzō Shioda, p. 24
“Genius is 1% talent and 99% percent hard work…”
Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born physicist and founder of the theory of relativity
“Apparently nothing will ever teach these people that the other 99 percent of the population exist.”
George Orwell (1903–1950) English author and journalist
Source: Diaries
“Corrupt politicians make the other ten percent look bad.”
Henry Kissinger (1923–2023) United States Secretary of State
As quoted in The Other 637 Best Things Anybody Ever Said (1984) by Robert Byrne
1980s
Variant: Ninety percent of the politicians give the other ten percent a bad reputation.
Dr. Seuss (1904–1991) American children's writer and illustrator, co-founder of Beginner Books
Source: Oh, The Places You'll Go!
Vera Rubin (1928–2016) American astronomer
As quoted in Pontifical Science Academy http://www.ewtn.com/library/ISSUES/STELLAR.TXT
“Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.”
Thomas Edison (1847–1931) American inventor and businessman
Spoken statement (c. 1903); published in Harper's Monthly (September 1932).
Variants:
None of my inventions came by accident. I see a worthwhile need to be met and I make trial after trial until it comes. What it boils down to is one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.
Statement in a press conference (1929), as quoted in Uncommon Friends: Life with Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, Alexis Carrel & Charles Lindbergh (1987) by James D. Newton, p. 24.
Variant forms without early citation: "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. Accordingly, a 'genius' is often merely a talented person who has done all of his or her homework."
"Genius: one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration."
1900s
Variant: Genius is one per cent inspiration and ninety nine perspiration.
Justin Bieber (1994) Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor
Vibe "Justin Bieber on Photo Shoots, Puberty, 2Pac & Drake" http://www.vibe.com/article/justin-bieber-photo-shoots-puberty-2pac-drake, 22 July 2010
“Ninety percent of true love is acute, ear-burning embarrassment.”
Terry Pratchett book Wyrd Sisters
Source: Wyrd Sisters
“Ninety percent of this game is half-mental.”
Yogi Berra (1925–2015) American baseball player, manager, coach
What Time Is It? You Mean Now?: Advice for Life from the Zennest Master of Them All, Simon and Schuster, 2003, ISBN 0743244532, p. 45. This line has been attributed to Berra and also to Philadelphia Philles manager Danny Ozark. However, it was actually first said by Major League reserve outfielder Jim Wohlford, to whom the line was attributed in April 1974. See Devin Rose, Words of Wisdom - Former Big Leaguer Jim Wohlford - Took the words right out of his mouth http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2003-09-21/features/0309210321_1_notable-quotables-words-contracts, Chicago Tribune (September 21, 2003) (Retrieved March 4, 2016.) and Website of etymologist Barry Popik, Entry dated September 23, 2015 http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/baseball_is_ninety_percent_mental_and_the_other_half_is_physical/. (Retrieved March 4, 2016.) <br class="br">Disputed <br class="br">Variant: Ninety percent of this game is mental, and the other half is physical. <br class="br">Source: The Yogi Book : I Really Didn't Say Everything I Said
Jimmy Carter book A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power
Source: A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power
“99.99 percent of all species that have ever lived are no longer with us.”
Bill Bryson book A Short History of Nearly Everything
Source: A Short History of Nearly Everything
Source: The Prophecy Answer Book
Sadhguru book Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy
Source: Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy
Jimmy Carter book A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power
Source: A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power
“Ninety percent of most magic merely consists of knowing one extra fact.”
Terry Pratchett book Night Watch
Source: Night Watch
Hans-Hermann Hoppe (1949) Austrian school economist and libertarian anarcho-capitalist philosopher
"The Private Production of Defense" http://www.mises.org/journals/scholar/Hoppe.pdf (15 June 1999)
Kurt Gödel (1906–1978) logician, mathematician, and philosopher of mathematics
As quoted in Logical Dilemmas : The Life and Work of Kurt Gödel (1997) by John W. Dawson Jr.
Vera Rubin (1928–2016) American astronomer
As quoted in [Astronomer Vera Rubin—The Doyenne of Dark Matter, Discover Magazine, http://discovermagazine.com/2002/jun/breakdialogue] (1 June 2002)
“We control fifty percent of a relationship. We influence one hundred percent of it.”
Joyce Brothers (1927–2013) Joyce Brothers
As quoted in Letting Go of Debt : Growing Richer One Day at a Time (2000) by Karen Casanova, p. 17
Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) American politician, 40th president of the United States (in office from 1981 to 1989)
Speech on Project Economic Justice http://www.cesj.org/about-cesj-in-brief/history-accomplishments/pres-reagans-speech-on-project-economic-justice/ (The White House, 3 August 1987) <br class="br">1980s, Second term of office (1985–1989)
Matthew McConaughey (1969) American actor
" Matthew McConaughey reveals how he lost 38 pounds and ponders a 'Magic Mike' sequel http://www.hitfix.com/awards-campaign/oscar-contender-matthew-mcconaughey-reveals-how-he-lost-38-pounds-and-ponders-a-magic-mike-sequel" on hitfix.com by Gregory Ellwood, November 14, 2012 : On his weight loss for the film The Dallas Buyer's Club.
George Lucas (1944) American film producer
The George Lucas Interviews at SuperShadow.com (27 June 2005) http://web.archive.org/web/20050630002609/http://www.supershadow.com:80/starwars/lucas/
Michael Savage book The Savage Nation
The Savage Nation
The Savage Nation (1995- ), 2008-07-16
Radio
2008
Bruce Lee (1940–1973) Hong Kong-American actor, martial artist, philosopher and filmmaker
Source: The Warrior Within : The Philosophies of Bruce Lee (1996), p. 126
Elaine Brown (1943) American activist
UCLA Thurgood Marshall Lecture. (2008). Thurgood Marshall Lecture on Law and Human Rights. [Online Video]. 17 April. Available from: http://forum-network.org/lecture/education-liberation-black-panther-party. [Accessed: 13 March 2012].
Barack Obama (1961) 44th President of the United States of America
Responding to Republican criticism of his energy policy (5 August 2008) http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0808/05/sitroom.03.html <br class="br">2008
Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) American politician, 40th president of the United States (in office from 1981 to 1989)
Ronald Reagan, Sierra (10 September 1980)
1980s
Mark Clifton book They'd Rather Be Right
Source: They'd Rather Be Right (1954), p. 175.
Smedley D. Butler (1881–1940) United States Marine Corps General, 2 time Medal of Honor recipient and activist
From a speech (1933)
Barack Obama (1961) 44th President of the United States of America
Michael Lewis, "Obama's Way" https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2012/10/michael-lewis-profile-barack-obama, Vanity Fair, (October 2012). <br class="br">2012
Matthew Perry (actor) (1969) American actor
On the end of the television program Friends – Susan Young (May 6, 2004) "Adios, amigos: ' Friends ' signs off after a decade of good times", Alameda Times-Star.
Sukirti Kandpal (1987) Indian actress
Sukirti Kandpal on her characters http://www.tellychakkar.com/tv/tv-news/every-character-i-have-played-close-my-heart-sukirti-kandpal/
Charan Singh (1902–1987) prime minister of India
His negative reaction in a letter addressed to Nehru who had made a remark “jatpan’ [jat characteristics] in jest, in: p. 197
Profiles of Indian Prime Ministers
Barack Obama (1961) 44th President of the United States of America
Interview on ABC News (16 April 2008) http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/DemocraticDebate/Story?id=4670271&page=3 <br class="br">2008
“Ninety percent of the theory of Impressionist painting is in.... Ruskin's Elements.”
Claude Monet (1840–1926) French impressionist painter
Quote attributed to Claude Monet, talking to a British journalist in 1900, by Wynford Dewhurst in 'What is impressionism?', Contemporary Review, March 1991; Cited in: John Ruskin (2012) The Elements of Drawing. p. viii
1900 - 1920
Rush Limbaugh (1951) U.S. radio talk show host, Commentator, author, and television personality
Radio show assertions, reported in "Rush Limbaugh: Here’s way to stop 100% of lies in society" at American Grand Jury (19 January 2011) http://americangrandjury.org/rush-limbaugh-heres-way-to-stop-100-of-lies-in-society
Barack Obama (1961) 44th President of the United States of America
2016, United Nations Address (September 2016)
Context: A world in which one percent of humanity controls as much wealth as the other 99 percent will never be stable. I understand that the gaps between rich and poor are not new, but just as the child in a slum today can see the skyscraper nearby, technology now allows any person with a smartphone to see how the most privileged among us live and the contrast between their own lives and others. Expectations rise, then, faster than governments can deliver, and a pervasive sense of injustice undermine people’s faith in the system. [... ] economies are more successful when we close the gap between rich and poor, and growth is broadly based. And that means respecting the rights of workers so they can organize into independent unions and earn a living wage. It means investing in our people -- their skills, their education, their capacity to take an idea and turn it into a business. It means strengthening the safety net that protects our people from hardship and allows them to take more risks -- to look for a new job, or start a new venture.
Greta Thunberg book No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference
Speech by Greta Thunberg, climate activist https://www.eesc.europa.eu/en/avdb/video/speech-greta-thunberg-climate-activist to the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in Brussels (21 February 2019) <br class="br">Cited in No One is Too Small to Make a Difference, Penguin Books, 2019, pages 37 and 38-39 (ISBN 9780141991740). <br class="br">2019, European Economic and Social Committee (February 2019)
Scott Dikkers (1965) American comic writer
Source: You Are Worthless: Depressing Nuggets of Wisdom Sure to Ruin Your Day
Lewis Buzbee (1957) American writer
Source: The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop: A Memoir, a History
“Anger, intelligence, and wit are ultimately more seductive than zero percent body fat.”
Maria Raha (1972) American journalist
Source: Cinderella's Big Score: Women of the Punk and Indie Underground
Dr. Seuss (1904–1991) American children's writer and illustrator, co-founder of Beginner Books
Source: Oh, The Places You'll Go!
“Life is 10 percent what you make it
and 90 percent how you take it.”
Irving Berlin (1888–1989) American composer
“The key to meditation is to exist one hundred percent in the here and now.”
Ilchi Lee (1950) South Korean businessman
Source: Human Technology: A Toolkit for Authentic Living
“is a hundred percent accurate. Reality, however, is not as reliable.”
Eoin Colfer book And Another Thing...
Source: And Another Thing...
“Along with the 97 percent of women who can see, I have never been a fan of redheaded men.”
Chelsea Handler (1975) American comedian, actress, author and talk show host
“I don’t expect perfection, I expect excellence.” I expect 100 percent effort in all you do.”
Steven D. Levitt (1967) American economist
When to Rob a Bank: ...And 131 More Warped Suggestions and Well-Intended Rants
“Angel, getting you off is ninety-nine percent of the fun for me.”
Sylvia Day (1973) American writer
Source: Entwined with You
“And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed!”
Dr. Seuss (1904–1991) American children's writer and illustrator, co-founder of Beginner Books
Linus Pauling (1901–1994) American scientist
… The twenty-five percent is for error.
Pauling's reply to an audience question about his ethical system, following his lecture circa 1961 at Monterey Peninsula College, in Monterey, California.
1990s
Barbara Kingsolver book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
Source: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
“A desire not to butt into other people's business is at least eighty percent of all human wisdom.”
Robert A. Heinlein book Stranger in a Strange Land
Source: Stranger in a Strange Land
“Ninety percent of intelligence was knowing when to shut up.’ – Cherise”
Sherrilyn Kenyon (1965) Novelist
Source: Invincible
Robert McKee (1941) American academic specialised in seminars for screenwriters
Source: Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting
Martha Stout (1953) American psychologist
Source: The Sociopath Next Door
“I meant what I said,
and I said what I meant
An elephant's faithful,
One hundred percent.”
Dr. Seuss book Horton Hatches the Egg
Source: Horton Hatches the Egg (1940)
“Life is 10 percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.”
Lou Holtz (1937) American college football coach, professional football coach, television sports announcer
Brian Tracy (1944) American motivational speaker and writer