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Never Quotes

Quotes on what never happens.

This page gathers quotes centered on absence and limits - books that stayed unpublished, and a pointed line arguing that secrecy is fundamentally undesirable, merely tolerated when unavoidable. Related reading includes Life Quotes.

One of my last few vices is coffee, but with a spot of almond or soymilk, it's never tasted better!

Quotes by Michelle Forbes

I'd never really considered doing young-adult novels, but one of the things that a friend pointed out to me is that I've actually had a teenage character in almost every adult novel that I've written.

Quotes by Michelle Gagnon

The bane of my existence is the synopses that publishers request for a new novel or series. That's where I'm really producing fiction - my final book never ends up looking like the synopsis.

Quotes by Michelle Gagnon

I have never seen a greater monster or miracle in the world than myself.

Quotes by Michel de Montaigne

My life has been full of terrible misfortunes most of which never happened.

Quotes by Michel de Montaigne

Fame and tranquility can never be bedfellows.

Quotes by Michel de Montaigne

Of course it's fun writing about an egomaniac, but I know there are going to be reviewers who've never met me, who don't know anything about me, who are going to say this is autobiography: he's just changed the names...

Quotes by Michel Faber

I never, ever want to be in a position where people are sitting round a table, saying, 'We've got this book. I don't really get it, but we paid for it, so we've got to sell it.' I'm not Tony...

Quotes by Michel Faber

The frontiers of a book are never clear-cut: beyond the title, the first lines, and the last full stop, beyond its internal configuration and its autonomous form, it is caught up in a system of references to other books, other...

Quotes by Michel Foucault

I find it an absolute pleasure to read travel guides, especially the Michelin guides, and their description of places I know I'll probably never visit. I spend a large part of my life reading descriptions of restaurants.

Quotes by Michel Houellebecq

I was never a prisoner to my footballing status.

Quotes by Michel Patini

I never authorized any payments for someone to be silent. I did not buy anyone's silence.

Quotes by Michel Temer

A beautiful thing never gives so much pain as does failing to hear and see it.

Quotes by Michelangelo

When I am shooting a film I never think of how I want to shoot something; I simply shoot it.

Quotes by Michelangelo Antonioni

Till now I have never shot a scene without taking account of what stands behind the actors because the relationship between people and their surroundings is of prime importance.

Quotes by Michelangelo Antonioni

I was opposed to the U.S. involvement in Libya from the very start. President Obama has never made a compelling national security case on Libya.

Quotes by Michele Bachmann

You never get the role you have worked so hard for, but the dream role, the one who gives you joy, money and maybe even honor, that one just falls into your lap.

Quotes by Michael Wincott

If selling had been part of his job description, Rusbridger, who never met a pound he had to earn that didn't disgust him in some visceral way, would have been disqualified long ago. Indeed, his early enthusiasm for the Internet...

Quotes by Michael Wolff

I have never heard the word brand used so often as I did around The Guardian. Brand was the magical word, particularly as it was uttered by Alan Rusbridger, that would transform the paper and the goal that everyone was...

Quotes by Michael Wolff

Corbyn and Trump don't seem to have anything in common except the assumption on the part of anyone subscribing at any level to the standard thinking that they could never achieve electoral success. They were supposed to doom, if not...

Quotes by Michael Wolff

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of quotes are gathered under "Never"?
These quotes explore things that haven't happened, aren't wanted, or weren't anticipated — unpublished books that never found a marketing angle, the idea that secrets are "never desirable" even when needed, and a reflection on how it "never occurred" to anyone that private conversation might need protecting.
Are these quotes mostly about regret?
Not exactly regret, more observation — noticing gaps, oversights, or things that didn't come to pass, like unpublished books or an unanticipated need for privacy protections.
Is there a quote about problem-solving here?
Yes — one notes that "people constantly face problems they've never seen before" and have to improvise solutions, which is a nice contrast to the other, more resigned quotes on this page.
How is "Never" different from <a href="/always-quotes">Always</a> quotes?
They're natural opposites — "Always" quotes are about consistency and long-held habits, while "Never" quotes are about absence, gaps, and things that haven't happened.
What should I read if I want something more upbeat?
Good quotes or Like quotes lean lighter, while "Never" quotes tend to be more contemplative. For a broader reflective read, Life quotes is also worth checking.

Other quotes touch on constitutional rights never explicitly written down, and the constant stream of new problems people have never faced before. See also Always Quotes and Good Quotes.