Useless Quotes - Page 7

• To understand the works of celebrated authors, to comprehend their systems, and retain their reasonings, is a task more than equal to common intellects; and he is by no means to be accounted useless or idle, who has stored his mind with acquired knowledge, and can detail it occasionally to others who have less leisure or weaker abilities.

  Samuel Johnson

  Knowledge, Mean, Mind

  Samuel Johnson (1810). “The works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.: With An essay on his life and genius”, p.199

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• If the chi is being wasted by useless activities, emotions and associations that drain us, then we don't have enough power when it comes time to perform.

  Frederick Lenz

  Health, Buddhism, Association

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• Accusations are useless.

  Dominique de Villepin

  Accusation

  "Sarkozy’s “Worst Nightmare”: An Interview With Dominique de Villepin". Interview with Alexandre Devecchio, www.huffingtonpost.com. February 14, 2012.

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• I had been a reporter for 15 years when I set out to write my first novel. I knew how to research an article or profile a subject - skills that I assumed would be useless when it came to fiction. It was from my imagination that the characters in my story would emerge.

  Amy Waldman

  Writing, Character, Years

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• "Very" is the most useless word in the English language and can always come out. More than useless, it is treacherous because it invariably weakens what it is intended to strengthen. For example, would you rather hear the mincing shallowness of "I love you very much" or the heart-slamming intensity of "I love you"?

  Florence King

  Love You, Writing, Heart

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• I didn't have any aspirations of becoming famous or successful; in fact I was scared to death of all that. I remember somebody once said that if a rock musician goes on tour, he goes insane. I was very impressionable and I carried this useless weight of fear around with me about going on tour, all because of this thing somebody said.

  Steve Vai

  Successful, Rocks, Insane

  Biography/Personal Quotes, www.imdb.com.

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• Is there anything more useless than a crouton? I sometimes wake up in the small hours with a start and realise that what's roused me is an overpowering urge to visit violence on its originator.

  Will Self

  Wake Up, Violence, Sometimes

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• Programs like 'Jeopardy' and 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' are ridiculous. They're the stupidest shows in history. They're making us dumber. They don't give us information, they give us facts, factoids. You don't learn who Napoleon was and how he was motivated. You learn what year he was born, and when he died. That's useless.

  Ray Bradbury

  Years, Giving, Want

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• I do know what’s been useless to me is the online fantasy name generators. I’ve tried those a few times, and they say, ‘Just hit this button and we’ll generate 50 fantasy names,’ and they all turn out to be ‘Grisknuckle’.

  George R. R. Martin

  Names, Buttons, Fantasy

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• It's responsible for the sloppiness and imprecision of the War on Terror, for example. It's responsible for taking people's tax dollars and spending the country into debt on useless wars and pointless pork projects to buy votes. It's responsible for bailing out the banks instead of standing up for the people the banks cheated. It's responsible for plenty.

  Timothy Hallinan

  Country, War, People

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• To me it seems that too many young women of this time share the same creed. 'Live, laugh, love, be nothing but happy, experience everything, et cetera et cetera.' How monotonous, how useless this becomes. What about the honors of Joan of Arc, Beauvoir, Stowe, Xena, Princess Leia, or women that would truly fight for something other than just their own emotions?

  Criss Jami

  Princess, Fighting, Live Laugh Love

  Criss Jami (2015). “Killosophy”, p.122, Criss Jami

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• We know the product is going to stink. We know that because we live in the world, and we know that everything stinks. We all believe, Hey, maybe this one wont stink. We are a hopeful species. Stupid but hopeful. But were happy in that moment between the commercial and the purchase. And I think spending your life trying to dupe innocent people out of hard-won earnings to buy useless, low-quality, misrepresented items and services is an excellent use of your energy.

  Jerry Seinfeld

  Stupid, Believe, Thinking

  "Jerry Seinfeld Gets Brutally Honest About Advertising in This Hilarious Speech at the Clios". www.adweek.com. October 02, 2014.

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• Anyone I may have used should feel happy that they even had a use. It's better than being useless.

  Marilyn Manson

  Use, May, Should

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• Documentary: That’s a sophisticated and misleading word. And not really clear… The term should be documentary style… You see, a document has use, whereas art is really useless.

  Walker Evans

  Photography, Art, Style

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• A man who is morally clean, other things being equal, has in every instance, greater agility, greater capacity, and greater endurance by far than the man who is not. While the latter is wasting his creative energies in useless pleasures, as well as in disease producing habits, the former is turning all of his creative energy into ability and genius, and the result is evident.

  Christian D. Larson

  Men, Creative, Endurance

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• During many a single week, I daresay, more money is spent in New York upon useless and evil things than would suffice to run the kingdom of Denmark for a year.

  H. L. Mencken

  Running, New York, Years

  H. L. Mencken (1924). “Prejudices Fourth Series”

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• The Spirit does not lead you to pray for useless goals.

  Wesley L Duewel

  Prayer, Goal, Doe

  Wesley L. Duewel (1990). “Mighty Prevailing Prayer”, p.121, Zondervan

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• To find Buddha, you have to see your nature. Whoever sees his nature is a Buddha. If you don't see your nature, invoking buddhas, reciting sutras, making offerings, and keeping precepts are all useless. Invoking buddhas results in good karma, reciting sutras results in a good memory, keeping precepts results in good rebirth, and making offerings results in future blessings-but no Buddha.

  Bodhidharma

  Karma, Wisdom, Memories

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• If you see your nature, you don't need to read sutras or invoke buddhas. Erudition and knowledge are not only useless but also cloud your awareness. Doctrines are only for pointing to the mind. Once you see your mind, why pay attention to doctrines?

  Bodhidharma

  Nature, Clouds, Mind

  Bodhidharma (2009). “The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma”, p.35, Macmillan

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• I hate decaffeinated coffee. It's useless brown water.

  David Letterman

  Hate, Coffee, Water

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• The art of the police is not to see what it is useless that it should see.

  Napoleon Bonaparte

  Art, Police, Should

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• If a tiny spark of God's love already burns within you, do not expose it to the wind, for it may get blown out.... Stay quiet with God. Do not spend your time in useless chatter.... Do not give yourself to others so completely that you have nothing left for yourself.

  Carlo Borromeo

  Faith, Inspiration, Wind

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• Our chief usefulness to humanity rests on our combining power with high purpose. Power undirected by high purpose spells calamity, and high purpose by itself is utterly useless if the power to put it into effect is lacking.

  Theodore Roosevelt

  Power, Humanity, Purpose

  Theodore Roosevelt (2015). “Theodore Roosevelt on Bravery: Lessons from the Most Courageous Leader of the Twentieth Century”, p.78, Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.

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• Beauty Should Begin in the Heart and Soul, otherwise cosmetics are useless.

  Coco Chanel

  Heart, Soul, Cosmetics

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• Worry is useless mulling over of things we cannot change. Worry is not concern, which would motivate you to do everything possible in a situation.

  Peace Pilgrim

  Mulling Over, Worry, Situation

  Peace Pilgrim (1981). “Steps Toward Inner Peace”, p.13, Friends of Peace PIlgrim

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