Useless Quotes - Page 10

I know a lot about a few things - mostly useless things.

Mo Rocca

Useless Things, Knows

8 Copy quote
Remember that nothing will supply the want of prudence, and that negligence and irregularity long continued will make knowledge useless, wit ridiculous, and genius contemptible.

Samuel Johnson

Long, Genius, Want

17 Copy quote
Suspicion is very often a useless pain.

Samuel Johnson

Pain, Suspicion

James Boswell, Samuel Johnson, Edmond Malone (1824). “The life of Samuel Johnson, LL. D., comprehending an account of his studies, and numerous works, in chronological order: a series of his epistolary correspondence and conversations with many eminent persons; and various original pieces of his composition, never before published; the whole exhibiting a view of literature and literary men in Great Britain, for near half a century during which he flourished”, p.132

7 Copy quote

Show source
Stories are the only thing that I can be bothered with. Its the only way that I can do anything, even if Im quite useless. Its the only area in being human where I could be a little useful.

Alice Englert

Stories, Littles, Way

7 Copy quote
I'm useless scrabbling around at home. I get on everyone's nerves, including my own. I'm not very good at amusing myself.

Laurence Fox

Home, Nerves, Amusing

"Laurence Fox: 'I knew Billie was the one for me...'". Daily Mirror Interview, www.mirror.co.uk. May 2, 2010.

4 Copy quote

Show source
Go to bed before 8 p.m. Thieves generally break in between 12 and 2 a.m., so if you spend the evening in useless talk and go to bed late, you are likely to lose your valuables and your reputation as well. Save the firing and the light that will be wasted by staying up late and get up at four in the morning. Have a cold bath and say your prayers, and after you have dressed, give your orders for the day to your wife and children and retainers and so be ready to go on duty before 6 [a.m.]

Hojo Soun

Morning, Prayer, Children

11 Copy quote
To practice Zen means to realize one's existence in the beauty and clarity of this present moment, rather than letting life unravel in useless daydreaming of the past and future.

John Daishin Buksbazen

Beauty, Future, Mean

John Daishin Buksbazen (2010). “Zen Meditation in Plain English”, p.5, ReadHowYouWant.com

8 Copy quote

Show source
In the biggest companies, seek out the most useless positions: those in consultancy, appraisal, research, and study. The more useless your position, the less possible it will be to assess your 'contribution to the firm's assets.

Corinne Maier

Business, Work, Research

Corinne Maier (2007). “Bonjour Laziness: Why Hard Work Doesn't Pay”, p.65, Vintage

7 Copy quote

Show source
You can't say life is useless because it ends in the grave.

Joseph Campbell

Life Is, Ends, Graves

Joseph Campbell, Bill Moyers (2011). “The Power of Myth”, p.165, Anchor

7 Copy quote

Show source
Low minded people are fraudulent, wicked and chaeat. They shouldnot be trusted. To h ave faith in low minded ones is mistake in policy and useless because they are not trustworthy. An administrator should not invited calamity by trusting the low minded ones.

Chanakya

Mistake, People, Political

12 Copy quote
In the first place, then, men should guard against the beginning of change, and in the second place they should not rely upon the political devices of which I have already spoken invented only to deceive the people, for they are proved by experience to be useless.

Aristotle

Men, Rely Upon, People

Aristotle, (2016). “Aristotle's Politics: Writings from the Complete Works: Politics, Economics, Constitution of Athens”, p.142, Princeton University Press

17 Copy quote

Show source
The existence of a medium, after all, is its absolute justification, if as so many seem to think, it needs one and all comparison of potentialities is useless and irrelevant. Whether a water-color is inferior to an oil, or whether a drawing, an etching, or a photograph is not as important as either, is inconsequent. To have to despise something in order to respect something else is a sign of impotence. [emphasis added] Let us rather accept joyously and with gratitude everything through which the spirit of man seeks to an ever fuller and more intense self-realization.

Paul Strand

Gratitude, Thinking, Men

4 Copy quote
The Andrians were the first of the islanders to refuse Themistocles' demand for money. He had put it to them that they would be unable to avoid paying, because the Athenians had the support of two powerful deities, one called Persuasion and the other Compulsion.The Andrians had replied that Athens was lucky to have two such useful gods, who were obviously responsible for her wealth and greatness; unfortunately, they themselves, in their small & inadequate land, had two utterly useless deities, who refused to leave the island and insisted on staying; and their names were Poverty and Inability.

Herodotus

Powerful, Greatness, Land

13 Copy quote
I don't have any experience with film schools. I suspect that they're useless, because I've had experience with drama schools, and have found them to be useless.

David Mamet

Drama, School, Film

David Mamet (1991). “On directing film”, Viking Pr

6 Copy quote

Show source
It was part of war; men died, more would die, that was past, and what mattered now was the business in hand; those who lived would get on with it. Whatever sorrow was felt, there was no point in talking or brooding about it, much less in making, for form's sake, a parade of it. Better and healthier to forget it, and look to tomorrow.The celebrated British stiff upper lip, the resolve to conceal emotion which is not only embarrassing and useless, but harmful, is just plain commons sense

George MacDonald

War, Men, Past

6 Copy quote
In reality, not one of us will ever be worthy. It is useless to attempt earning it; you'll never feel ready. It is unknown and uncomfortable. But there really is a God who forgives everything and loves endlessly.

Francis Chan

Reality, Earning It, Forgiving

14 Copy quote
The folly of men has enhanced the value of gold and silver because of their scarcity; whereas, on the contrary, it is their opinion that Nature, as an indulgent parent, has freely given us all the best things in great abundance, such as water and earth, but has laid up and hid from us the things that are vain and useless.

Thomas More

Men, Water, Parent

Sir Thomas More (2009). “Utopia: On the Best State of a Republic and on the New Island of Utopia”, p.93, The Floating Press

29 Copy quote

Show source
Being locked up is one thing, but to have no concept of confinement, to be ignorant of its terms and never understand that struggle is useless - that's what hell must be like.

David Sedaris

Struggle, Ignorant, Hell

David Sedaris (2010). “When You Are Engulfed In Flames”, p.109, Hachette UK

4 Copy quote

Show source
It would be useless to bomb Washington. If you destroy one building, they already have two other buildings completely staffed with people doing exactly the same thing.

Sam Levenson

Government, Two, People

Sam Levenson (2016). “You Don't Have to Be in Who's Who to Know What's What: The Choice Wit and Wisdom of Sam Levenson”, p.103, Open Road Media

4 Copy quote

Show source
Certainly it's nice to have historic moments like this but eventually somebody will break this record. We're aiming for the end result, otherwise the rest is useless.

Fabio Capello

Soccer, Nice, Records

7 Copy quote
I'm useless when I meet writers I love - I go slack-jawed and stupid with awe.

Katherine Boo

Stupid, Awe

8 Copy quote
In a way, a garden is the most useless of creations, the most slippery of creations: it is not like a painting or a piece of sculpture-it won't accrue value as time goes on. Time is its enemy' time passing is merely the countdown for the parting between garden and gardener.

Jamaica Kincaid

Garden, Enemy, Sculpture

Jamaica Kincaid (2001). “My Garden (Book)”, p.96, Macmillan

8 Copy quote

Show source
Good resolutions are useless attempts to interfere with scientific laws. Their origin is pure vanity. Their result is absolutely nil. They give us, now and then, some of those luxurious sterile emotions that have a certain charm for the weak.... They are simply cheques that men draw on a bank where they have no account.

Oscar Wilde

Men, Vanity, Law

Oscar Wilde (2007). “The Picture of Dorian Gray and Three Stories”, p.101, Penguin

4 Copy quote

Show source
Once I actually get in the studio and I start working, I'm fine, but it's just getting there and these hours of torment with myself and self doubt, thinking 'I'm useless' and 'Who am I, conning myself into thinking I can do it again.'

Imogen Heap

Thinking, Self, Doubt

6 Copy quote
I know war as few other men now living know it, and nothing to me is more revolting. I have long advocated its complete abolition, as its very destructiveness on both friend and foe has rendered it useless as a means of settling international disputes... But once war is forced upon us, there is no other alternative than to apply every available means to bring it to a swift end.

Douglas MacArthur

War, Mean, Men

Farewell Address to Congress, delivered 19 April 1951

70 Copy quote

Show source