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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This page gathers quotes centered on absence and limits - books that stayed unpublished, and a pointed line arguing that secrecy is fundamentally undesirable, merely tolerated when unavoidable.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've never directed anything before 'Mad Men,' so I don't feel I have any advice for the other directors.

Quotes by John Slattery

I have never smuggled anything in my life. Why, then, do I feel an uneasy sense of guilt on approaching a customs barrier?

John Steinbeck

I never claimed to be a computer engineer, but I did train as an industrial designer, and I am a consumer marketer, and I am very comfortable dealing with complex businesses and complexity in general and simplifying it - basically...

Quotes by John Sculley

The healthcare industry has never had a priority on user experience because there has been little competition. Prices have never been transparent.

Quotes by John Sculley

I really don't have any secrets. I've never met a photographer whose work I respected that had a secret because the secret lies within each and every one of us.

Quotes by John Sexton

I've never seen a surface that I think is more seductive in image making.

Quotes by John Sexton

God is a presence that I can never define but I could never deny.

Quotes by John Shelby Spong

Many of the characters who appear in the pages of the Fourth Gospel are literary creations of its author and were never intended to be understood as real people, who actually lived in history.

Quotes by John Shelby Spong

I never really liked the Gospel of John because I never could find the humanity of Jesus in it. I thought it presented Jesus as a visitor from another planet; in addition, John's gospel is and has been interpreted as...

Quotes by John Shelby Spong

It shouldn't take an emergency for this Administration to deal with the health care needs of our nation's heroes. Funding the VA and our bringing our troops home safely should never be treated as an afterthought.

Quotes by John Salazar

When I was reporting crime... I never had the sense of clockwork conspiracies or some kind of imposing order of evil. What I sensed was things just sort of falling apart.

Quotes by John Sandford

There certainly have been a lot of changes, although they come in such gradations that most people have either forgotten, or, if they're too young, they never knew about them in the first place.

Quotes by John Saxon

I never thought about being a writer as I grew up. A writer wasn't something I wanted to be. An outfielder was something to be. Most of what I know about style I learned from Roberto Clemente.

Quotes by John Sayles

You must never underestimate your opposition.

Quotes by John Scarlett

Many in the media reported that I said Papa John's is going to close stores and cut jobs because of Obamacare. I never said that.

Quotes by John Schnatter

I know that if I concentrate on making other people shine, I will shine. It is really about the other person, never about you.

Quotes by John Schneider

I'm a hardcore gamer and would never let you down by designing a crappy title.

Quotes by John Romero

Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort.

Quotes by John Ruskin

We were never hip, which is fine with me. We aren't that interested in that whole situation. But all the times how we tried and failed to get across in our music, we actually succeeded on 'Superstar Car Wash.'

Quotes by John Rzeznik

It appalls me that the people who decide what Americans will be watching on the tube have never been to the United States. Not the real United States.

Quotes by John Ratzenberger

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.