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 wasn't planning on being a guitar player; I was going to be a singer. And I was for a little bit in the Sex Pistols - that is, until we got John Lydon. And then I realized I wasn't...

Quotes by Steve Jones

I grew up with the television product being old Western serials like Roy Rogers, and John Wayne and Gary Cooper, and many others were my favorites when I was a young person going to films.

Quotes by Steve Kanaly

The best part of being on a television series for all those years is that you really get to hone your craft.

Quotes by Steve Kanaly

When we started off, we weren’t even thinking of being a global band. We just ended up becoming that.

Quotes by Steve Harris

What's going on for half the country? Who's lost out? The victims of elitist agenda; standing up for them, being a voice for them. That's the idea behind positive populism, that's what drives the content.

Quotes by Steve Hilton

You see it with Brexit, you see it in Donald Trump's election, you see it with the fact that neither of the main parties ended up in the final round of the French presidential election, you see it with the...

Quotes by Steve Hilton

Most parents don't want their kids to have smartphones in the first place. But parents worry about the social stigma of their child being the only one without a phone.

Quotes by Steve Hilton

I hated being a lawyer.

Quotes by Steve Eisman

The earliest recollection I have of being in the kitchen and cooking was in the third grade, and we lived in Germany. And I remember cooking scrambled eggs.

Quotes by Steve Ells

Being in compliance with industry standards is less than 5 percent of what companies need to do to make food safe. Company after company finds that out after they have events.

Quotes by Steve Ells

'Downton Abbey' is a pageant, a cavalcade of a time when being born right is the first and most irrevocable career move, and in which an older order - whose passing 'Downton's' creator, Julian Fellowes, clearly mourns - is submerging...

Quotes by Steve Erickson

Being the family's literate one, my wife doesn't watch television much, preferring third-world novels, though she'll sit in now and then when I have on Jon Stewart.

Quotes by Steve Erickson

In the beginning, it wasn't even a question of deciding I'm going to do independent film and not commercial films - I wasn't being offered any commercial films, and there wasn't an independent scene.

Quotes by Steve Buscemi

Being a leading man... that's like saying, 'I want to be astronaut.' That's not going to happen.

Quotes by Steve Carell

It's lovely being back in the west of Scotland, really nice.

Quotes by Steve Clarke

I will miss the day to day stuff because I love coaching. I love being out on the pitch.

Quotes by Steve Clarke

In corporations, the penalty for repeated failure on known tasks is being reassigned to other tasks or asked to leave the company.

Quotes by Steve Blank

Being the lowest one on the totem pole is sometimes the fun part to play.

Quotes by Stephnie Weir

I'm going to have to go with math. Even though that's one of my harder subjects, but it's one of the funnest. Because I also want to be an architect when I grow up, if I can, and I know...

Quotes by Sterling Beaumon

Being a musician since I was a teen, Guitar Center is the staple. You need anything to create, it's there. You need a Guitar Center. You gotta give it homage. It's a tool shed, and without the tool shed, it's...

Quotes by Steve Aoki

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.