Firsts Quotes - Page 19

• In high school, when I first heard of entropy, I was attracted to it immediately. They said that in nature all systems are breaking down, and I thought, What a wonderful thing; perhaps I can make some small contribution to this process, myself.

  George Carlin

  Humorous, School, Down And

  George Carlin (2002). “Napalm & Silly Putty”, Hyperion

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• He has inhibited discussion by designating admonition as the method of dealing with a heretic- and the first method, too, because he is not a Christian. This is so that he would not seem to require correction again and again and before two or three witnesses as though he were a Christian. He ought to be corrected for the very reason that he is not to be disputed with. In addition, this is said because a controversy over the Scriptures can, clearly, produce no other effect than help to upset either the stomach or the brain.

  Tertullian

  Christian, Sarcastic, Two

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• [Albert] Schweitzer thus carved out his own path through the first half of this century, a lonely and learned giant amidst the hordes of noisy and shallow theological pygmies.

  N. T. Wright

  Sarcastic, Lonely, Giants

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• A house is never still in darkness to those who listen intently; there is a whispering in distant chambers, an unearthly hand presses the snib of the window, the latch rises. Ghosts were created when the first man awoke in the night.

  James M. Barrie

  Sarcastic, Halloween, Night

  James M. Barrie (2013). “The Little Minister (Illustrated Edition)”, p.201, Jazzybee Verlag

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• That morning was when I first began to reappraise the 'white man.' It was when I first began to perceive that 'white man,' as commonly used, means complexion only secondarily; primarily it described attitudes and actions.

  Malcolm X

  Morning, Attitude, Mean

  Malcolm X (2015). “The Autobiography of Malcolm X”, p.341, Ballantine Books

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• The First Amendment has erected a wall between church and state. That wall must be kept high and impregnable. We could not approve the slightest breach.

  Hugo Black

  Religious, Wall, Church

  Writing for the court, Everson v. Board of Education, 330 U.S. 1, 1947.

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• Of all the faculties of the mind, memory is the first that flourishes, and the first that dies.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Memories, Mind, Faculty

  Charles Caleb Colton (1832). “Lacon: Or Many Things in Few Words, Addressed to Those who Think”

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• Before men can find peace and harmony within themselves they must first fall in love with their country.

  Lord Acton

  Country, Falling In Love, Peace

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• If we trace the history of most revolutions, we shall find that the first inroads upon the laws have been made by the governors, as often as by the governed.

  Charles Caleb Colton

  Law, Revolution, Rebellion

  Charles Caleb Colton (1823). “Remarks on the Talents of Lord Byron and the Tendencies of Don Juan”, p.218

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• At first a woman doesn't want anything but a husband, but as soon as gets one, she wants everything else in the world.

  E. W. Howe

  Husband, Women, World

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• The first quality of a soldier is constancy in enduring fatigue and hardship. Courage is only the second. Poverty privation and want are the school of the good soldier.

  Napoleon Bonaparte

  War, School, Soldier

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• But it seems that something has happened that has never happened before; though we know not just when, or why, or how, or where. Men have left God not for gods, they say, but for no gods; and this has never happened before. That men both deny gods and worship gods, professing first Reason, and the money, and power, and what they call life, or race, or dialect.The church disowned, the tower overthrown, the bells upturned, what have we to do but stand with empty hands and palms upturned in an age which advances progressively backwards?

  T. S. Eliot

  Religious, Men, Race

  T.S. Eliot (2011). “The Complete Poems and Plays of T. S. Eliot”, p.144, Faber & Faber

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• To believe in immortality is one thing, but it is first needful to believe in life.

  Robert Louis Stevenson

  Religious, Believe, Immortality

  Robert Louis Stevenson (2014). “Memories, Portraits, Essays and Records (Annotated Edition)”, p.41, Jazzybee Verlag

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• [The woman] paused and seemed to take a deep breath. 'You see,' she declared. 'I am Tom Mallow's aunt.' Catherine's first instinct was to burst out laughing. She wondered why there was something slightly absurd about aunts; perhaps it was because one thought of them as dear, comfortable creatures, somehow lacking in dignity and prestige.

  Barbara Pym

  Aunt, Laughing, Dignity

  Barbara Pym (1982). “Less than angels”, HarperCollins Publishers

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• (Talking about his first computer) Like all kids we not only fooled around with our toys, we changed them. If you've ever watched a child with a cardboard carton and a box of crayons create a spaceship with cool control panels, or listened to their improvised rules, such as "Red cars can jump all others," then you know that this impulse to make a toy do more is at the heart of innovative childhood play. It is also the essence of creativity.

  Bill Gates

  Children, Fun, Heart

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• It's better to read first rate science fiction than second rate science-it's a lot more fun, and no more likely to be wrong.

  Martin Rees

  Fun, Fiction, Rate

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• From the explanatory notes that Willson wrote to accompany his symphony, A Symphony of San Francisco,: "Generally speaking, the first movement is intended to convey pioneer courage, loyalty, strength of purpose and freedom." The trumpet motive in the closing Allegro "is a call of defiance to the very elements themselves that had the temerity to dispute the spiritual strength and courage of the golden city of the West."

  Meredith Willson

  Loyalty, Spiritual, Freedom

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• Satan had two conditions [to his plan]: the first was the denial of agency, and the second, that he would have the honor. In other words, something had to be in it for him. And thus he became the father of lies and selfishness. Taking up one's cross and following the Savior means overcoming selfishness; it is a commitment to serve others. Selfishness is one of the baser human traits, which must be subdued and overcome. We torture our souls when we focus on getting rather than giving.

  James E. Faust

  Selfish, Lying, Father

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• The first thing I learned is when times are tough, you need to hedge your bets - you need to diversify.

  Donald Trump

  Challenges, Needs, Tough

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• An ordinary favor we do for someone or any compassionate reaching out may seem to be going nowhere at first, but may be planting a seed we can't see right now. Sometimes we need to just do the best we can and then trust in an unfolding we can't design or ordain.

  Sharon Salzberg

  Motivational, Compassion, Design

  FaceBook post by Sharon Salzberg from Sep 22, 2013

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• I think a person who takes a job in order to live - that is to say, for the money - has turned himself into a slave. Work begins when you don't like what you're doing. There's a wise saying: make your hobby your source of income. Then there's no such thing as work, and there's no such thing as getting tired. That's been my own experience. I did just what I wanted to do. It takes a little courage at first, because who the hell wants you to do just what you want to do; they've all got lots of plans for you. But you can make it happen.

  Joseph Campbell

  Wise, Courage, Jobs

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• And from the first time I picked up a basketball at age eight - I had a lot of difficulty when I first picked up a basketball, because I was a scrub - there were things that I liked about it.

  Julius Erving

  Inspirational, Basketball, Eight

  The Academy of Achievement Interview, www.achievement.org. June 26, 1992.

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• We're going to miss Damon. He was a great shooter. . . . He got what he wanted, but he gave up a lot. No more night life, no more warm weather and no more a lot of media attention. . . . I guess this was his first shot at getting something big. I guess he had to take it.

  Shaquille O'Neal

  Basketball, Night, Media

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• All the courage and competitiveness of Jackie Robinson affects me to this day. If I patterned my life after anyone it was him, not because he was the first black baseball player in the majors but because he was a hero.

  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

  Basketball, Baseball, Courage

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• I don't how anybody taller than 6-4 can sit in those seats. And the airline executives don't give a damn 'cause they never walk back there in the first place. I don't fly first class because I have a lot of money. I do it because I need the room.

  Charles Barkley

  Basketball, Class, Giving

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