Logo - Feel The Words

Cannot Quotes

On what cannot be explained, shrunk, or ignored.

Several quotes here sit at the edge of science and philosophy - the statistical, non-deterministic nature of quantum experiments, and the strange fact that a mind cannot fully comprehend itself. Make offers a more constructive counterpoint.

When we have machines that are as intelligent - and then twice as intelligent - as we are, there is no reason why that relationship cannot be synergistic rather than antagonistic.

Quotes by Robert J. Sawyer

I'm against high taxes. But we certainly cannot be so anorexic in government that we cannot function.

Quotes by Robert J. Bentley

I certainly won't vote for Hillary Clinton, but I cannot and will not vote for Donald Trump.

Quotes by Robert J. Bentley

The mind cannot be securely anchored. If we do not advance, we go backward. If we do not grow, we decay. If we do not develop, we shrink and shrivel.

Quotes by Robert Green Ingersoll

If matter cannot be destroyed, cannot be annihilated, it could not have been created. The indestructible must be uncreatable.

Quotes by Robert Green Ingersoll

If you're holding onto negative stuff from before, you cannot deliver excellence.

Quotes by Robert Forster

Correcting bad habits cannot be done by forbidding or punishment.

Quotes by Robert Baden-Powell

Folks, do you agree with me that we cannot afford four more years of Barack Obama?

Quotes by Rob Portman

When it is fair, American workers can compete and win. I cannot support the TPP in its current form because it doesn't provide that level playing field.

Quotes by Rob Portman

I cannot support taxing the taxpayer.

Quotes by Rob Ford

The process for awarding Nobel prizes is so complex that it cannot be corrupted.

Quotes by Rita Levi-Montalcini

We cannot afford four more years of this misguided socialist policies from President Obama and his administration.

Quotes by Rick Perry

We cannot cut and run. If we are to ensure freedom and democracy, it is essential that we follow through on our obligation to bring about stability in Iraq.

Quotes by Richard Shelby

Reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled.

Quotes by Richard P. Feynman

It has not yet become obvious to me that there's no real problem. I cannot define the real problem; therefore, I suspect there's no real problem, but I'm not sure there's no real problem.

Quotes by Richard P. Feynman

The situation in the sciences is this: A concept or an idea which cannot be measured or cannot be referred directly to experiment may or may not be useful. It need not exist in a theory.

Quotes by Richard P. Feynman

We have two political parties in this country; we cannot have one of them be abandoned to complete nutcases. We've got to have two good political parties.

Quotes by Richard Painter

What other nations call religious toleration, we call religious rights. They are not exercised in virtue of governmental indulgence, but as rights, of which government cannot deprive any portion of citizens, however small.

Quotes by Richard Mentor Johnson

Foreign policy must be about priorities. The United States cannot do everything everywhere.

Quotes by Richard N. Haass

Unless a president can protect the privacy of the advice he gets, he cannot get the advice he needs.

Quotes by Richard M. Nixon

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a quote about quantum theory and causality?
Yes — one quote explains that "in quantum theory we cannot rely on strict causality," but that repeating experiments many times lets us "derive from the observations statistical distributions."
Is there a quote about learning from history?
Yes, one quote insists "we cannot just take this historical fact for granted," adding simply, "We must make it live." For more on taking action, see our Make quotes.
Is there a short, philosophical quote about understanding?
Yes — one quote offers a compact reflection: "We cannot comprehend what comprehends us."
Is there a quote about the scale of something vast?
Yes, one quote observes, "A thing is mighty big when time and distance cannot shrink it," a poetic way of describing something's enduring significance.
Where can I find more quotes on similar themes?
Browse our Government quotes, He quotes, or Me quotes for more.

For related reflections on resolve and permanence, see Government and He.