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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.

It was my study of the two Corinthian letters that first caused me to concentrate my attention more directly on the relation of the apostle Paul to the older apostles.

Quotes by Ferdinand Christian Baur

The first of these phases is that of grammar, invented by the Greeks and carried on unchanged by the French. It never had any philosophical view of a language as such.

Quotes by Ferdinand de Saussure

Within speech, words are subject to a kind of relation that is independent of the first and based on their linkage: these are syntagmatic relations, of which I have spoken.

Quotes by Ferdinand de Saussure

The will to conquer is the first condition of victory.

Quotes by Ferdinand Foch

The constitutional questions are in the first instance not questions of right but questions of might.

Quotes by Ferdinand Lassalle

I made the first Feist album in '98. So at that point, it was my nickname. It was as far as with my circle of friends, and just felt more accurate than two names.

Quotes by Feist

When I wrote 'Mushaboom', I was living in the second verse, but I suddenly found myself in the first.

Quotes by Feist

I finished my studies in England, I opened my studio in London, and the first one-man exhibit I had on Bond Street, which was opened by the Austrian ambassador.

Quotes by Felix de Weldon

Do you know what I'm working on now? My first feature as a director.

Quotes by Faye Dunaway

The effect of sanctions on the Russian economy are clear to everybody, first to the Russians and to the Russian leadership, and the surroundings of the Russian leadership, the circle that is close to the Russian political leadership.

Quotes by Federica Mogherini

Maybe 'America first' means also that you have to deal with America first.

Quotes by Federica Mogherini

When I first started, I thought I was wack. Lyrically, I thought I was wack. The thing I had over everybody was that I was the realest rapper.

Quotes by Fat Joe

During my first visit, I was really struck by how deeply religious many Oklahomans are. It is a very conservative state and as somebody who grew up in a very liberal country, it was jarring to me at first.

Quotes by Famke Janssen

I enrolled in an acting workshop and my first acting role was on the TV soap opera 'Melrose Place.'

Quotes by Famke Janssen

Lauren Conrad has been described as one of the first people to significantly benefit from the popularity of reality TV.

Quotes by Fabrizio Moreira

I want my films to make money first. Awards and all can come later.

Quotes by Fahadh Faasil

My first husband and I never came close to having kids.

Quotes by Faith Salie

Every show finds its groove, I would say. The first season is the season to figure out the dynamics, the workflow.

Quotes by Falk Hentschel

I worked with Harold Pinter once as my first Broadway show. It was one of the most exciting things that ever happened to me.

Quotes by F. Murray Abraham

First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you.

Quotes by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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.