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Being Quotes

On identity, openness and staying true to yourself.

This set of quotes explores what it means to simply be: holding onto a child's spontaneity, embracing honesty that feels inappropriate in creative work, or aging with flexibility instead of resistance. For more on self-belief, see our Able quotes.

In London we give ourselves a pat on the back, rightly, for not killing one another, for our prejudice being subtle rather than lethal.

Quotes by Martin Freeman

Being and time determine each other reciprocally, but in such a manner that neither can the former - Being - be addressed as something temporal nor can the latter - time - be addressed as a being.

Quotes by Martin Heidegger

Language is the house of the truth of Being.

Quotes by Martin Heidegger

Man is not the lord of beings. Man is the shepherd of Being.

Quotes by Martin Heidegger

The human being is not the lord of beings, but the shepherd of Being.

Quotes by Martin Heidegger

Time is not a thing, thus nothing which is, and yet it remains constant in its passing away without being something temporal like the beings in time.

Quotes by Martin Heidegger

To think Being itself explicitly requires disregarding Being to the extent that it is only grounded and interpreted in terms of beings and for beings as their ground, as in all metaphysics.

Quotes by Martin Heidegger

We do not say: Being is, time is, but rather: there is Being and there is time.

Quotes by Martin Heidegger

We name time when we say: every thing has its time. This means: everything which actually is, every being comes and goes at the right time and remains for a time during the time allotted to it. Every thing has...

Quotes by Martin Heidegger

When modern physics exerts itself to establish the world's formula, what occurs thereby is this: the being of entities has resolved itself into the method of the totally calculable.

Quotes by Martin Heidegger

The German language speaks Being, while all the others merely speak of Being.

Quotes by Martin Heidegger

As soon as I got off the plane in L.A., I heard they'd cast the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy and that it was all being shot in New Zealand! That was pretty ironic.

Quotes by Martin Henderson

Israel is the agent and surrogate of the United States and as such is treated entirely differently from every other country in the region. How can anyone expect Iran to accept that it is right for Israel to have nuclear...

Quotes by Martin Jacques

Western countries are thoroughly accustomed to being the centre of global attention, which they have come to regard as their natural birthright. Not so China. It was thwarted in its attempt to hold the 2000 Olympics, which, as a result...

Quotes by Martin Jacques

An increasingly multipolar world requires an entirely different kind of U.S. foreign policy: far from being unilateralist, it necessitates a complex form of power-sharing on both a global and regional basis.

Quotes by Martin Jacques

Wireless is freedom. It's about being unleashed from the telephone cord and having the ability to be virtually anywhere when you want to be.

Quotes by Martin Cooper

The fact is that I loved being in England.

Quotes by Martin Cruz Smith

One of the Age of Enlightenment's most hypnotic images is Ledoux's rendering of his neoclassical theater of 1775 - 1784 in Besancon, surreally reflected in the colossal eye of an unidentified cosmic being.

Quotes by Martin Filler

We take from the art of the past what we need. The variable posthumous reputations of even the greatest artists and the unpredictable revivals of interest in even the most obscure ones tend to reveal more about those who make...

Quotes by Martin Filler

Being a woman in music and having kids, it's very hard to do both without neglecting one a bit.

Quotes by Martha Wainwright

Frequently Asked Questions

What perspectives on "being" show up in these quotes?
The quotes touch on being from a particular place ("Being from Louisiana and a big outdoorsman"), being childlike as a performer, being inappropriate as part of the craft of acting, and being flexible and open as part of aging well.
Is there a quote here about acting and creativity?
Yes, two: "As an actor, you always want to reach back to being a child and having the spontaneity and the imagination of a child," and "There's so much we can't express in our day-to-day interaction with people because it's considered inappropriate. And acting is all about being inappropriate." For more on consistent character traits, see Always.
What does this page say about aging?
"Aging gracefully means being flexible, being open, allowing change, enjoying change and loving yourself" offers a positive take on getting older, tied closely to the idea of "being" open to change.
Is there anything here about personal identity or background?
Yes: "Love the show 'Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.' Being from Louisiana and a big outdoorsman, I'm a big fan of 'Duck Dynasty' as well" ties personal identity to place and interests. For more quotes centered on personal likes, browse Like.
How does this page relate to the Able quotes page?
"Being" here is about states and qualities of a person - childlike, open, flexible - while Able focuses more on capability and what someone can do. Also check Good for more positive, character-focused quotes.

You may also like our Good quotes on positive character traits and Always quotes on consistency and steadfastness.