Logo - Feel The Words

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.

You cannot be responsible for salvation until first you've been responsible for sin.

Quotes by Edwin Louis Cole

I'm an engineer. I studied physics and engineering. In fact, in 1978 I started working as an aerospace engineer with General Dynamics. I used to test cruise missiles, space systems, I worked on the first generation of cruise missile.

Quotes by Edwin Moses

When I first started running there were no computers. There was no such thing as a laptop.

Quotes by Edwin Moses

I've been involved in and out of the U.N. for many years - in fact my first internship was in 1971, so it goes back a couple of years!

Quotes by Edward Luck

It's now clear that from the very moment President Bush took office, Iraq was his highest priority as unfinished business from the first Bush Administration. His agenda was clear: find a rationale to get rid of Saddam.

Quotes by Edward Kennedy

The first willing concert I went to was Aerosmith when I was like 14.

Quotes by Edward Furlong

Where there had been only jeers or taunts at first, crowds come to listen with serious and sympathetic men.

Quotes by Edward Carpenter

We are all mortal until the first kiss and the second glass of wine.

Quotes by Eduardo Galeano

Our culture runs on coffee and gasoline, the first often tasting like the second.

Quotes by Edward Abbey

I first saw the light in the city of Boston in the year 1857.

Quotes by Edward Bellamy

If bread is the first necessity of life, recreation is a close second.

Quotes by Edward Bellamy

I attended Amherst College from 1951 to 1955. The first two years were a revelation. There were innumerable exchanges with brilliant classmates, among them the playwright Ralph Allen, the classics scholar Robert Fagles, and the composer Michael Sahl.

Quotes by Edmund Phelps

Zhvania was the general secretary of the organisation which I founded, the Citizens' Union. It was the biggest organisation and came first in all elections, and Zhvania was the leader.

Quotes by Eduard Shevardnadze

Becoming a 'Sir' is slightly uncomfortable at first, although it is a considerable honor. It is amazing how quickly you become accustomed to it.

Quotes by Edmund Hillary

On the summit of Everest, I had a feeling of great satisfaction to be first there.

Quotes by Edmund Hillary

Pure phenomenology claims to be the science of pure phenomena. This concept of the phenomenon, which was developed under various names as early as the eighteenth century without being clarified, is what we shall have to deal with first of...

Quotes by Edmund Husserl

We do need different types of propulsion to get to Mars. I wrote one of the first Ph.D. theses on that in the 1960s.

Quotes by Edgar Mitchell

Universal orthodoxy is enriched by every new discovery of truth: what at first appeared universal, by wishing to stand still, sooner or later becomes a sect.

Quotes by Edgar Quinet

I'm a novelist from the Haisla and Heiltsuk First Nations of British Columbia, both small coastal reserves hugging the rugged shores of the west coast.

Quotes by Eden Robinson

The First Nations Financial Transparency Act insulted the integrity of the very people in our communities who guide our economic policy and act as our mediators with provincial and federal governments.

Quotes by Eden Robinson

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.