Quotes about practice
page 6

“Anything we need to know, we can learn it from a book. Reading, careful study, a little practice, and we’re throwing knives expertly, overhauling engines, speaking Esperanto like natives.”

Richard Bach (1936) American spiritual writer

Source: The Bridge Across Forever: A True Love Story

Books, Study, Learning, Reading

“this blue shirt i have is practically the same color as my jeans, and looking all-blue is something only cookie monster can pull off.”

David Levithan book Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Source: Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Color

“I'm such a good lover because I practice a lot on my own.”

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

Lovers, Funny

“Life is a theatre set in which there are but few practicable entrances.”

Victor Hugo book Les Misérables

Source: Les Misérables

Life

“Writing is like a sport - you only get better if you practice”

Rick Riordan (1964) American writer

Sport

“Her fluency was marvelous. She would say things at random, intricate, flamelike, or slide off into a parenthetical limbo peppered with fireworks-- admirable linguistic feats which a practiced writer might struggle for hours to achieve.”

Henry Miller book Sexus

Source: Sexus

“There must exist a paradigm, a practical model for social change that includes an understanding of ways to transform consciousness that are linked to efforts to transform structures.”

Bell Hooks (1952) American author, feminist, and social activist

Source: Killing Rage: Ending Racism

Way, Understanding, Effort, Change

“Great is truth, but still greater, from a practical point of view, is silence about truth.”

Aldous Huxley book Brave New World

Source: Brave New World

Truth, Silence

“Take chances, make mistakes. That's how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave.”

Mary Tyler Moore (1936–2017) American actress, television producer

Pain, Courage, Chance, Courageous

“A practical girl never pines; she takes action.”

Adriana Trigiani (1970) American film director

Source: The Shoemaker's Wife

Girl

“Maybe getting around in life was nothing but map-reading. A skill that required practice. A key to unlock where you wanted to go. A legend to show where you were.”

Justina Chen (1968) American writer

Source: North of Beautiful

Life, Reading

“From an evolutionary point of view, most emotions - fear, desire, anger - serve some practical purpose, but nostalgia is a useless, futile thing because it is a longing for something that is permanently lost….”

David Nicholls book Us

Source: Us

Fear, Nostalgia, Anger

“Keep practicing," he told her.
"Until I get it right?" she said. But he corrected her.

"No. Until you don't get it wrong.”

John Flanagan (1873–1938) Irish-American hammer thrower

Source: The Royal Ranger

“Nothing bears out in practice what it promises incipiently.”

John Irving book A Prayer for Owen Meany

Source: A Prayer for Owen Meany

“When the time came to leap in faith, whether you had your eyes open or closed or screamed all the way down or not made no practical difference.”

Lois McMaster Bujold book The warrior's Apprentice

Source: Vorkosigan Saga, The Warrior's Apprentice (1986)

Faith, Way, Time

“Sex, whatever else it is, is an athletic skill. The more you practice, the more you can, the more you want to, the more you enjoy it, the less it tires you.”

Robert A. Heinlein book The Cat Who Walks Through Walls

Source: The Cat Who Walks Through Walls

Sex

“You say I started out with practically nothing, but that isn't correct. We all start with all there is, it's how we use it that makes things possible.”

Henry Ford (1863–1947) American industrialist

“A good way to rid one's self of a sense of discomfort is to do something. That uneasy, dissatisfied feeling is actual force vibrating out of order; it may be turned to practical account by giving proper expression to its creative character.”

William Morris (1834–1896) author, designer, and craftsman

Way, Feeling, Sense

“With science, ideas can germinate within a bed of theory, form, and practice that assists their growth… But we as gardeners, must beware… for some seeds are the seeds of ruin… and the most iridescent blooms are often the most dangerous”

Alan Moore V for Vendetta

Source: V for Vendetta

Idea, Science

“I'm practicing the discipline of not having to have the last word.”

Dallas Willard (1935–2013) American philosopher

“Inner peace can be reached only when we practice forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past, and is therefore the means for correcting our misperceptions.”

Gerald G. Jampolsky (1925) American writer and psychiatrist

Source: Love Is Letting Go of Fear

Peace, Forgiveness, Past, Moving On

“Of course I can climb it. I'm practically a progidy in PE," I pointed out. "The question is, can you, Mr Smoker?”

Richelle Mead (1976) American writer

Question

“The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world.”

Marianne Williamson (1952) American writer

World, Forgiveness

“I have often said that I wish I had invented blue jeans: the most spectacular, the most practical, the most relaxed and nonchalant. They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity - all I hope for in my clothes.”

Yves Saint Laurent (1936–2008) fashion designer

New York Magazine (November 28, 1983), p. 53.

Hope, Sex, Clothes

“I've about decided that's the main thing that separates happy people from the other people: the feeling that you're a practical item, with a use, like a sweater or a socket wrench.”

Barbara Kingsolver Animal Dreams

Source: Animal Dreams

Happiness, People, Feeling

“Though my friends envied me because I always seemed so cheerful and confident, I was secretly terrified of practically everything.”

Erica Jong book Fear of Flying

Source: Fear of Flying

Confidence, Envy

“It is only when the correct practice is followed for a long time, without interruptions and with a quality of positive attitude and eagerness, that it can succeed.”

Patañjali (-200–-150 BC) ancient Indian scholar(s) of grammar and linguistics, of yoga, of medical treatises

Source: Yoga-Sutras

Time

“Making love without noise is like playing a muted piano-fine for practice, but you cheat yourself out of hearing the glorious results.”

David Levithan (1972) American author and editor

Source: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

Love, Making love, Cheating

“It was a lame excuse, and I knew that wasn't the reason he was canceling. If he wanted to avoid me, I would have preferred he made up something about how he and the other guardians had to up Moroi security or practice top-secret ninja moves.”

Richelle Mead book Frostbite

Source: Frostbite

Secret

“Literature was the only religion her father practiced, when a book fell on the floor he kissed it, when he was done with a book he tried to give it away to someone who would love it.”

Jonathan Safran Foer book Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Source: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Love, Books, Religion, Literature

“Joel, lad, school is about learning to learn. If you don't practice studying things you don't like, then you'll have a very hard time in life.”

Brandon Sanderson (1975) American fantasy writer

Source: The Rithmatist

Life, School, Study, Learning

“To handle a language skillfully is to practice a kind of evocative sorcery.”

Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867) French poet

“I wanted to be a psychological engineer, but we lacked the facilities, so I did the next best thing - I went into politics. It's practically the same thing.”

Isaac Asimov book Foundation

Source: Foundation

“So why are we practicing this, anyway?" Percy asked. "Do you guys spend a lot of time laying siege to fortified cities?”

Rick Riordan book The Son of Neptune

Source: The Son of Neptune

Guy, Time

“In practical life we are compelled to follow what is most probable ; in speculative thought we are compelled to follow truth.”

Baruch Spinoza (1632–1677) Dutch philosopher

Letter 56 (60), to Hugo Boxel (1674) http://oll.libertyfund.org/?option=com_staticxt&staticfile=show.php%3Ftitle=1711&chapter=144218&layout=html&Itemid=27 <br class="br">Source: The Letters <br class="br">Context: When you say that if I deny, that the operations of seeing, hearing, attending, wishing, &c., can be ascribed to God, or that they exist in him in any eminent fashion, you do not know what sort of God mine is; I suspect that you believe there is no greater perfection than such as can be explained by the aforesaid attributes. I am not astonished; for I believe that, if a triangle could speak, it would say, in like manner, that God is eminently triangular, while a circle would say that the divine nature is eminently circular. Thus each would ascribe to God its own attributes, would assume itself to be like God, and look on everything else as ill-shaped.<br>The briefness of a letter and want of time do not allow me to enter into my opinion on the divine nature, or the questions you have propounded. Besides, suggesting difficulties is not the same as producing reasons. That we do many things in the world from conjecture is true, but that our redactions are based on conjecture is false. In practical life we are compelled to follow what is most probable; in speculative thought we are compelled to follow truth. A man would perish of hunger and thirst, if he refused to eat or drink, till he had obtained positive proof that food and drink would be good for him. But in philosophic reflection this is not so. On the contrary, we must take care not to admit as true anything, which is only probable. For when one falsity has been let in, infinite others follow.<br>Again, we cannot infer that because sciences of things divine and human are full of controversies and quarrels, therefore their whole subject-matter is uncertain; for there have been many persons so enamoured of contradiction, as to turn into ridicule geometrical axioms.

Life, Truth

“Maybe money can't buy love - but it can get you practically everything else.”

Debbie Macomber (1948) American writer

Source: The Perfect Christmas

Love, Money

“It's taken me years of practice to learn how to act natural.”

Craig Clevenger The Contortionist's Handbook

Source: The Contortionist's Handbook

Nature, Learning

“How can you not care?"
"Practice," Magnus said, looking back to his book and turning the page.”

Cassandra Clare (1973) American author

Source: The Rise of the Hotel Dumort

Books

“The physics are simple in theory, but in practice they are filled with the possibility for limitless error.”

Christopher Pike book The Last Vampire

Source: The Last Vampire

Error

“Nice to know I have that effect on boys. I mean, Christopher doesn't even know I exist, and Brandon Stark practically throws up when he sees me. Having my brain transplated into a supermodel's body was doing wonders for my love life.”

Meg Cabot book Being Nikki

Source: Being Nikki

Love, Life, Boy

“One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We cannot be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”

Maya Angelou (1928–2014) American author and poet

Courage

“There is something at work in my soul which I do not understand. I am practically industrious — painstaking, a workman to execute with perseverance and labour — but besides this there is a love for the marvellous, a belief in the marvellous, intertwined in all my projects, which hurries me out of the common pathways of men, even to the wild sea and unvisited regions I am about to explore.”

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus

Robert Walton in "Letter 2"
Source: Frankenstein (1818)

Love, Men, Soul, Understanding

“To be able under all circumstances to practice five things constitutes perfect virtue; these five things are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness and kindness.”

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

Soul, Perfection, Sincerity

“If you had to pack your whole life into a suitcase-not just the practical things, like clothing, but the memories of the people you had lost and the girl you had once been-what would you take?”

Jodi Picoult book The Storyteller

Source: The Storyteller

Life, People, Girl, Memory

“You're sexist. I'm so sick of liberal lefty men practicing sexual discrimination under the guise of protecting women against sexual discrimination.”

Gillian Flynn book Sharp Objects

Source: Sharp Objects

Women, Men

“To become really good at anything, you have to practice and repeat, practice and repeat, until the technique becomes intuitive”

Paulo Coelho book Aleph

Source: Aleph (2011)
Context: Routine has nothing to do with repetition. To become really good at anything, you have to practice and repeat, practice and repeat, until the technique becomes intuitive.

“A gun. I had been brought down by a gun. It was practically comical. Cheaters, I thought.”

Richelle Mead book Last Sacrifice

Source: Last Sacrifice

“The way anything is developed is through practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice practice and more practice.”

Joyce Meyer (1943) American author and speaker

Way

“Being content is perhaps no less easy than playing the violin well: and requires no less practice.”

Alain de Botton (1969) Swiss writer

“Religious freedom should work two ways: we should be free to practice the religion of our choice, but we must also be free from having someone else's religion practiced on us.”

John Irving (1942) American novelist and screenwriter

Source: My Movie Business: A Memoir

Religion, Way, Freedom

“Don’t let the past ruin your future. (Acheron)
Meaning what, oh great Yoda? (Kyrian)
You take care of the kid. I’ll take care of your patrol tonight. I could use the target practice. (Acheron)”

Sherrilyn Kenyon (1965) Novelist

Source: Infinity

Past, Future

“The clergy are, practically, the most irresponsible of all talkers.

[]”

George Eliot (1819–1880) English novelist, journalist and translator

“Let him go, Julian. His entire body isn’t worth one molecule of yours. (Grace)
(To Paul) Where I come from, we butchered worthless cowards like you just for practice. (Julian)”

Sherrilyn Kenyon Fantasy Lover

Source: Fantasy Lover

“Spiritual realization is theoretically the easiest thing and in practice the most difficult thing there is. It is the easiest because it is enough to think of God. It is the most difficult because human nature is forgetfulness of God.”

Frithjof Schuon (1907–1998) Swiss philosopher

Source: Spiritual Perspectives And Human Facts

God, Nature, Thinking, Forgetting

“(The unsatisfying thing about practicing restraint was that nobody knew you were practicing it.)”

Anne Tyler (1941) American novelist

Source: Vinegar Girl

“Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable.
- Wizard”

L. Frank Baum book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Source: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Heart, Heartbreaking

“Scott: I don't think I'm ready to be a grown-up.
Kim: I don't think you are either, buddy. But hey, you'll get it. It just takes practice.”

Bryan Lee O'Malley (1979) Artist

Source: Scott Pilgrim, Volume 6: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour

Thinking

“The rich world likes and wishes to believe that someone, somewhere, is doing something for the Third World. For this reason, it does not inquire too closely into the motives or practices of anyone who fulfills, however vicariously, this mandate.”

Christopher Hitchens book The Missionary Position

Source: The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice

World, Motivation

“A mouth of no distinction but well practiced, before I entered my teens, in irony. For what is irony but the repository of hurt? And what is hurt but the repository of hope?”

Joyce Carol Oates (1938) American author

Source: Faithless: Tales of Transgression

Hope, Hurt

“Freedom is not given to us by anyone; we have to cultivate it ourselves. It is a daily practice… No one can prevent you from being aware of each step you take or each breath in and breath out.”

Thich Nhat Hanh (1926) Religious leader and peace activist

Source: Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life

Freedom

“If you want to bring a fundamental change in people's belief and behavior… you need to create a community around them, where those new beliefs can be practiced and expressed and nurtured.”

Malcolm Gladwell (1963) journalist and science writer

Source: The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

People, Behavior, Communication, Change

“I was in love with Scott Bennett. That I had been in love with him my whole life, practically.”

Meg Cabot book Teen Idol

Source: Teen Idol

Love, Life

“I play to win, whether during practice or a real game.”

Michael Jordan (1963) American retired professional basketball player and businessman

Game, Motivational

“Being a practiced liar doesn't mean you have a powerful imagination. Many good liars have no imagination at all;”

Philip Pullman book Northern Lights

Source: His Dark Materials, The Golden Compass (1995), Ch. 15 : The Dæmon Cages
Context: Being a practiced liar doesn't mean you have a powerful imagination. Many good liars have no imagination at all; it's that which gives their lies such wide-eyed conviction.

Imagination