Logo - Feel The Words

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.

I typically start out almost every speech I give making some kind of joke about me being in a wheelchair.

Quotes by Greg Abbott

No kid is seeking anything when he joins a gang; he's always fleeing something. He's not being pulled; he's being pushed by the circumstances in which he finds himself.

Quotes by Greg Boyle

When I was 17, my dad was teaching in the States. He hired an A-Team-style van, and we drove all over. My resounding memory of it was that we saw all these wonderful places but that my sister and I...

Quotes by Greg Davies

Being a teacher was great, but it wasn't what I wanted to do, so it was ultimately crushing.

Quotes by Greg Davies

Hmmmm... It's fun being in front of people, playing shows and all. But hotels? Being away from home? That's different.

Quotes by Grandmaster Flash

My game is about being aggressive, and I'm not the same player if you take that away from me.

Quotes by Granit Xhaka

A cookbook is not like being an author. It's writing down recipes; it's not writing.

Quotes by Grant Achatz

Consciousness, rather than being something that we have, is something we participate in.

Quotes by Grant Morrison

Being an actor is a much more structured life than being a musician.

Quotes by Grant-Lee Phillips

I have to use all these programs that cut off the internet, force me to be bored, because being bored is an essential part of writing, and the internet has made it very hard to be bored.

Quotes by Graham Linehan

Writing 'Father Ted' with Arthur Mathews was like being hooked up to a drip full of endorphins.

Quotes by Graham Linehan

Being bad at stuff is hard, and we all deal with it every day because we're all bad at stuff.

Quotes by Graham Moore

Being in a different band always brings great musical experiences to be able to draw on.

Quotes by Graham Nash

I like to employ a form of repetition, in which the same elements recur but in different and unexpected ways. rather than being discarded as soon as they are understood or passed over.

Quotes by Graham Nelson

Writing a really general parser is a major but different undertaking, by far the hardest points being sensitivity to context and resolution of ambiguity.

Quotes by Graham Nelson

I share my name with an aerobatic bird that can whiz across a whole summer sky in seconds. A swift is so equipped for speed that it can scarcely cope with being stationary.

Quotes by Graham Swift

The novel that's contemporary in the sense of being wholly 'of now' is an impossibility, if only because novels may take years to write, so the 'now' with which they begin will be defunct by the time they're finished.

Quotes by Graham Swift

I respond to the sound of London being spoken - to the sound of London.

Quotes by Graham Swift

What it all boils down to for me is having the enthusiasm to do something for enjoyment and being stimulated by what's around you. That's what photography does for me.

Quotes by Graeme Le Saux

I found that being top put all the pressure on second place, not first. The focus is on the second-place team, who can't afford to slip up again.

Quotes by Graeme Souness

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.