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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.

To know ourselves, is agreed by all to be the most useful Learning; the first Lessons, therefore, given us ought to be on that Subject.

Quotes by Eliza Haywood

Dick Wolf was my first boss after coming out of Sarah Lawrence.

Quotes by Elisabeth Rohm

I write my novels in English first; then they are translated into Turkish by professional translators. Then I take their translation and rewrite. So basically, I write the same novel twice.

Quotes by Elif Safak

It's just assumed that a horror sequel is going to be bad. It's never going to be as good as the first one.

Quotes by Eli Roth

Anytime you're the first to speak out against something, there's going to be a backlash.

Quotes by Eli Roth

My first Western was called The Magnificent Seven.

Quotes by Eli Wallach

And then the first was The Misfits, which I enjoyed very much, with Marilyn and Gable.

Quotes by Eli Wallach

The first thing you should do with an actor is not sign a contract with him. Take him to dinner. And take him for a walk afterwards.

Quotes by Elia Kazan

A little simplification would be the first step toward rational living, I think.

Quotes by Eleanor Roosevelt

After filming the first season of 'Poldark,' I went with the cast on a trip to Iceland. We started off in Reykjavik and then went into the mountains and swam in naturally heated pools.

Quotes by Eleanor Tomlinson

The first thing I started collecting was stamps. Until I started discovering girls. That was the end of stamps.

Quotes by Eli Broad

The position of vice president does not exist in France; neither does a role comparable that of the first lady of the United States.

Quotes by Elaine Sciolino

In order to have friends, you must first be one.

Elbert Hubbard

I studied in American school, so yes, I grew up speaking English and Spanish. Obviously, Spanish is my first language.

Quotes by Eiza Gonzalez

I'm the first secretary of labor in the 21st century, and the competitiveness of the American work force and the modernization of decades-old regulations have been among our top priorities.

Quotes by Elaine Chao

My first port of call was Los Angeles. That's where I laid my first foot on America.

Quotes by Elaine Chao

Americans did not suffer alone. World trade overall fell two-thirds in the first few years of the Depression.

Quotes by Elaine Chao

The first intifada, I was then commander of Central Command, commanding the West Bank, basically. And I know to what extent the first intifada was a popular uprising.

Quotes by Ehud Barak

I think first of all that Iran is a problem for the whole world.

Quotes by Ehud Barak

Saddam Hussein has set an example of defiance, especially against the first President Bush, that other Arab leaders cannot and should not emulate; the example leads only to empty gestures and developmental stagnation, both of which the Arab nations have...

Quotes by Ehud Barak

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.