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This page gathers quotes centered on absence and limits - books that stayed unpublished, and a pointed line arguing that secrecy is fundamentally undesirable, merely tolerated when unavoidable.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

As much as I love acoustic Neil Young - and I do deeply - I may be more passionate about the electric. Luckily it's not a contest, and we never have to make that choice. But Neil Young on an...

Quotes by Jonathan Demme

I've never fallen into what I consider to be a trap of trying to figure out something analytically that could be a very popular film. I would hope my enthusiasm could match up with something with that potential.

Quotes by Jonathan Demme

There are holes in our lives that can never be filled - not really, not ever.

Quotes by Jonathan Evison

I never wanted to be anything but a writer, and I never let go of it.

Quotes by Jonathan Evison

Seven daughters was never part of my plan.

Quotes by Jonathan Franklin

My father Tom was a workaholic who never missed a single one of my sporting events for nearly two decades, and imparted in me a sense of risk and adventure. Being the one in the middle, I had more room...

Quotes by Jonathan Franklin

I'm working in a form of cinema that can be described, and has been described, as a diaristic form of cinema. In other words, with material from my own life. I walk through life with my camera, and occasionally I...

Quotes by Jonas Mekas

I always work only with friends, but it must be about them and myself. Because I film only very personal moments, nothing preplanned, staged or written, it has to be real and spontaneous. Some of them have become famous, some...

Quotes by Jonas Mekas

I have never been able, really, to figure out where my life begins and where it ends. I have never, never been able to figure it all out, what it's all about, what it all means.

Quotes by Jonas Mekas

I've really never written about my relationships, or things like that. I wouldn't want to divulge things that were too private.

Quotes by Jonathan Ames

Something has happened where you almost never grow up in America. Maybe it's the greater wealth.

Quotes by Jonathan Ames

Girls aren't mean to guys in high school. They are mean to each other. Girls were never mean to me.

Quotes by Jonathan Bennett

I have never heard anyone say This is it. I know right now is the high point of my life. It will never get any better. Only in retrospect do we recognize the best times and of course then it...

Quotes by Jonathan Carroll

I've never seen myself as a fantasy writer - ever.

Quotes by Jonathan Carroll

One of the saddest realities is that we never know when our lives are at their peak. Only after it is over and we have some kind of perspective do we realize how good we had it a day, a...

Quotes by Jonathan Carroll

Writers never feel comfortable having labels attached to them, however accurate they are.

Quotes by Jonathan Coe

My only regret is that I signed away the world rights and in America they've been far and away my most successful books, but I never saw a cent from any of it.

Quotes by Jonathan Coe

At the very least, we want everything to go on hold for a while because there is this feeling that we're heading down a path in a way that we never, ever intended when we were 18 and dreaming of...

Quotes by Jonathan Coleman

Race is used, by all of us, in the most manipulative ways, is often force-fit and reduced to something it isn't, to something that gives us a sense of comfort, a false one. Many of us thought - needed to...

Quotes by Jonathan Coleman

I have probably never voted for a straight ticket in my life, and I am a Democratic U.S. senator.

Quotes by Jon Tester

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.