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This page gathers quotes centered on absence and limits - books that stayed unpublished, and a pointed line arguing that secrecy is fundamentally undesirable, merely tolerated when unavoidable.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

I never feel more useful than when I'm making my kids a bowl of soup.

Quotes by Mary-Louise Parker

I never know why people come up to me. I think a lot of them just get super-excited because they recognize me from TV but they don't remember where.

Quotes by Mary-Louise Parker

For every five well-adjusted and smoothly functioning Americans, there are two who never had the chance to discover themselves. It may well be because they have never been alone with themselves.

Quotes by Marya Mannes

It's never what you say, but how you make it sound sincere.

Quotes by Marya Mannes

Every crazy fad from the 1800s comes back or they never go away. It's like fashion, like everything's already been invented, and somebody stumbles onto it and people will always, always be looking for an answer for some vague illness...

Quotes by Mary Roach

If you could really guarantee that the money would be spent on something more worthwhile, I'd say, absolutely, scrap the space program, but it never works that way.

Quotes by Mary Roach

When you buy my books, you kind of know what you're in for. It's kind of self-selecting. If you have a delicate sensibility, and you're easily grossed out, you probably will never read one of my books.

Quotes by Mary Roach

I never saw a lawyer yet who would admit he was making money.

Quotes by Mary Roberts Rinehart

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you'll have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either of them might run out.

Quotes by Mary Schmich

I'd like to think Helen very much understood what it was to be disadvantaged in the medical field. And that that was something that she never let dictate her choices.

Quotes by Mary Stuart Masterson

Nature's music is never over; her silences are pauses, not conclusions.

Quotes by Mary Webb

Each marriage has to be judged separately, and we never know what's going on in another person's marriage.

Quotes by Mary Wesley

I never really know the title of a book until it's finished.

Quotes by Mary Wesley

It was pretty awful for us children because we never really knew the local children. Mother was keen for us to learn languages, so our travels took us to France and Italy, as well as the West Country.

Quotes by Mary Wesley

My first husband would never make up his mind in less than five years, so I used to get him to think that whatever course of action needed to be taken was his idea. Then he'd go right ahead.

Quotes by Mary Wesley

Rebecca is an example of how not to manage men. The rules of the game never change, it requires subtlety.

Quotes by Mary Wesley

There's only one thing I never did and wish I had done: climbed over a fence.

Quotes by Mary of Teck

I was very careful never to take an interesting job. If you have an interesting job, you get interested in it.

Quotes by Mary Oliver

I consider myself kind of a reporter - one who uses words that are more like music and that have a choreography. I never think of myself as a poet; I just get up and write.

Quotes by Mary Oliver

Make them laugh, make them cry, and hack to laughter. What do people go to the theatre for? An emotional exercise. I am a servant of the people. I have never forgotten that.

Quotes by Mary Pickford

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.