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.

Every man of genius is considerably helped by being dead.

Quotes by Robert Staughton Lynd

Primates are super smart and organized just enough to devote their free time to being miserable to each other and stressing each other out.

Quotes by Robert Sapolsky

There's no future in being poor.

Quotes by Robert Shaw

Indeed, if our ancestors of millions of years ago hadn't learned how to care for one another and hunt in packs, they'd all have ended up being eaten by leopards.

Quotes by Robert Shea

Screwing things up is a virtue. Being correct is never the point. I have an almost fanatically correct assistant, and by the time she re-spells my words and corrects my punctuation, I can't read what I wrote. Being right can...

Quotes by Robert Rauschenberg

I've always thought of science fiction as being, at some level, a 19th-century business.

Quotes by Robert Reed

Being on 'Star Trek,' you have a funny relationship with fame.

Quotes by Robert Picardo

In Scouting, a boy is encouraged to educate himself instead of being instructed.

Quotes by Robert Powell

I'm used to being productive, ever since I was young.

Quotes by Robert Pozen

Acting is not being emotional, but being able to express emotion.

Quotes by Robert Quillen

Examples one finds in the philosophical literature are somebody who's seen the trial of a child of theirs, where they're being proved guilty of some crime that would drive the parent into a depression, maybe a suicidal depression.

Quotes by Robert Nozick

I couldn't become a policeman, so being county prosecutor is the next best thing.

Quotes by Robert P. McCulloch

Among the American contemporaries I read with most enjoyment are several North Carolinians. I think the best poetry being written these days is being written by Southerners.

Quotes by Robert Morgan

In most recent times, as the West started being hostile to us, we deliberately declared a Look East policy.

Quotes by Robert Mugabe

The greatest luxury is being able to go to movies and plays now and then in the afternoons.

Quotes by Robert MacNeil

You need supporting actors to help to tell the story. For me, I'm lucky to be a part of the films. Being an actor, I'll take any role, whether it's supporting or leading.

Quotes by Robert Maillet

There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world.

Quotes by Robert Louis Stevenson

In marriage, a man becomes slack and selfish, and undergoes a fatty degeneration of his moral being.

Quotes by Robert Louis Stevenson

The habit of being happy enables one to be freed, or largely freed, from the domination of outward conditions.

Quotes by Robert Louis Stevenson

I would have liked to have had more to do with Kristin Bauer van Straten. She's the nicest human being that I think I've ever met.

Quotes by Robert Kazinsky

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.