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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.

Clark Gable was the first to have called me a mermaid.

Quotes by Esther Williams

I was first introduced to Kafka's writing during my compulsory army-service basic training. During that period, Kafka's fiction felt hyperrealistic.

Quotes by Etgar Keret

The first Matrix genius, the second one, what's up with the dancing? I haven't even seen the third one.

Quotes by Ethan Embry

The first few years I was in Vermont quite a bit, but I don't think I ever spent years and years there.

Quotes by Ethan Suplee

The country comes first, then the record book.

Quotes by Essam El Hadary

It may not always be profitable at first for businesses to be online, but it is certainly going to be unprofitable not to be online.

Quotes by Esther Dyson

Baseball is the president tossing out the first ball of the season. And a scrubby schoolboy playing catch with his dad on a Mississippi farm.

Quotes by Ernie Harwell

I got my first guitar in October of 1968. I'm self-taught.

Quotes by Ernie Isley

My first gig was in Philadelphia and I played the drums for my older brothers. That same night, I also played drums for Martha and the Vandellas. Ah, the fond memories of being 14.

Quotes by Ernie Isley

Swinging first and swinging to kill is all that matters now.

Quotes by Ernie Pyle

According to the concept of transformational evolution, first clearly articulated by Lamarck, evolution consists of the gradual transformation of organisms from one condition of existence to another.

Quotes by Ernst Mayr

The courts are using the First Amendment to attack religion, when they should be using it to protect religion.

Quotes by Ernest Istook

If I had not some strength of will I would make a first class drunkard.

Quotes by Ernest Shackleton

On the 27th we came to the Cascade Rapids. The first or Little Cascade has about two feet fall, the second or Grand Cascade, a mile farther, is about a six foot sheer drop.

Quotes by Ernest Thompson Seton

Though so trifling, the success of our first Buffalo hunt gave us quite a social lift.

Quotes by Ernest Thompson Seton

For the average player, most three-putts happen because of a poorly judged first putt from long range.

Quotes by Ernie Els

With shorter clubs, your ball position should be just back of middle, to really promote hitting the ball first on a downward strike.

Quotes by Ernie Els

I spent most of my childhood welded to my Atari 2600, until I got my first computer, a TRS-80.

Quotes by Ernest Cline

The first interview I went on I got at age 5. It was a commercial for First Federal Bank.

Quotes by Erin Moran

I never intended to be a defense contractor in the first place.

Quotes by Erik Prince

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.