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First Quotes

On beginnings, and what a 'first' really changes.

The quotes gathered here treat 'first' loosely: a rookie athlete crediting the teammates who set the tone early, a filmmaker's take on what should scare an audience right away, and a physicist weighing what can and can't be known first. If early relationships resonate, see our First Love.

My first book was a car crash. I tried to find all the copies and destroy them.

Quotes by John Burnside

The first law in advertising is to avoid the concrete promise... and cultivate the delightfully vague.

Quotes by John C. Crosby

I wrote my first book at 20, but my whole focus from about the age of 12 was to be a writer.

Quotes by John Boyne

It was in the year 1820, when I was nearly nine years old, that I first went to a regular school.

Quotes by John Bright

Since its first day as a nation, Israel has lived under a cloud of aggression from militant extremists and hostile neighboring governments.

Quotes by John Boehner

My dad is a minister, and my mum is a worker with the less fortunate and the disabled. They're Nigerian natives. Their first language is Yoruba, and their second language is English.

Quotes by John Boyega

We should be the first to help disadvantaged people. What would happen if other countries decided to follow our example?

Quotes by John Barnes

My first professional job was actually at a place called Opryland U.S.A., which no longer exists, but I've been performing since I was a kid.

Quotes by John Barrowman

When it broke out in the mid 1990s, the web was society's first at-scale digital artifact. It spread in orders of ten, first thousands, then millions, then hundreds of millions of pages - and on it went, to the billions...

Quotes by John Battelle

The first car the family owned was a Model A.

Quotes by John B. Goodenough

After this urgent protest against entering into battle at Gettysburg according to instructions - which protest is the first and only one I ever made during my entire military career - I ordered my line to advance and make the...

Quotes by John B. Hood

Who wants to shake the hand of the first man to put it to America's sweetheart.

Quotes by John Agar

I appeal to all Britishers to answer this call to arms for the defence of all the principles that we Englishmen have been the first to proclaim in the world.

Quotes by John Amery

I bought some books in order to learn the first principles of philosophy.

Quotes by Johann Heinrich Lambert

The first object of my endeavours was the means to become perfect and happy.

Quotes by Johann Heinrich Lambert

Brass bands are part of my upbringing. Brass band records were among the first records I listened to.

Quotes by Johann Johannsson

I am a trombone player, and that was my first instrument.

Quotes by Johann Johannsson

Writing was my first occupation, begun at age 23.

Quotes by Johanna Lindsey

In many ways, shooting my first feature was more difficult than I had thought it would be, but it was still the most rewarding experience I have ever had.

Quotes by Johan Renck

When I very first started out, I had that arrogance of youth.

Quotes by Joely Richardson

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this page include a quote about starting an NFL career?
Yes. One quote looks back on the very beginning of an NFL career, crediting teammates named Tim Dwight and Eric Parker with showing what work ethic it takes to be an NFL receiver. It's a good example of first marking an early, formative stage of a career. For more on early milestones, see First Step quotes.
Is there a quote about horror movies or scaring an audience?
Yes - one quote states it plainly: "The first monster you have to scare the audience with is yourself." It's a compact idea about confronting your own fear before you can frighten anyone else. For more on how first moments set the tone, browse First Impression quotes.
Does this collection touch on science, like physics?
It does. One quote discusses the uncertainty relation, explaining that it does not refer to the past, and using the example of an electron's velocity being at first known and its position then exactly measured. It's a more technical, scientific sense of first.
What does the quote about the constitution say?
One quote makes a direct statement: "The constitution does not provide for first and second class citizens." It's a clear, principled statement about equal citizenship. It naturally pairs with First Class quotes on this page.
Do all the quotes here use "first" the same way?
Not at all - that's part of the appeal. Across this page, first describes a rookie's early days in the league, a monster's first scare, an electron's first known velocity, and even first-class citizenship. If you like exploring different kinds of firsts, First Love quotes make a nice companion stop.

One quote pushes past personal firsts into a civic claim about equal standing under the constitution, which broadens the theme beyond simple nostalgia. Related pages include First Impression and First Step.