Logo - Feel The Words

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This page gathers quotes centered on absence and limits - books that stayed unpublished, and a pointed line arguing that secrecy is fundamentally undesirable, merely tolerated when unavoidable.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'd never been to acting school, so I never thought I'd get this far.

Quotes by John Ratzenberger

Never meet trouble half-way.

Quotes by John Ray

Under Conservative, Labour, and coalition governments, the U.K. was never willing to accept all the moves to union or all the requirements of the E.U.

Quotes by John Redwood

I'll never get a Humanitas Award, but I'll have fun.

Quotes by John Requa

Seriously, you know - I love to write. I enjoy the process; I enjoy the different processes, because writing for film and television and graphic novels is all very different. So I've never had the feeling of, 'Oh, you have...

Quotes by John Ridley

I don't know what's hipper: to Facebook or to Twitter. I just know for me, personally, discretion never went out of style.

Quotes by John Ridley

I've never been much of a European traveler. London once on a book tour, and Italy because that's where Ferraris are from. That's about it.

Quotes by John Ridley

I never feel frustrated. I really feel fulfilled and very lucky.

Quotes by John Ritter

Either God is alive, in which case he'll deal with us as he sees fit. Or he is dead, in which case he was never alive, it being unlikely that he died of old age.

Quotes by John Ralston Saul

There's no question in my mind that it was C.I.A. sanctioned, and most - many Latin American investigators have come to the same conclusion. Of course, we never heard about that in our country.

Quotes by John Perkins

We tire of those pleasures we take, but never of those we give.

Quotes by John Petit-Senn

I have never yet heard of a murderer who was not afraid of a ghost.

Quotes by John Philpot Curran

Science never gives up searching for truth, since it never claims to have achieved it.

Quotes by John Polanyi

Science never gives up searching for truth, since it never claims to have achieved it. It is civilizing because it puts truth ahead of all else, including personal interests.

Quotes by John Polanyi

I never deliberately set out to shock, but when people don't walk out of my plays I think there is something wrong.

Quotes by John Osborne

I really just wanted to play the drum set and match that. I was never really into the percussion thing.

Quotes by John Otto

In an ever changing world, you never learn it all, even if you keep growing into your 90s.

Quotes by John P. Kotter

I'll never retire. I like what I'm doing.

Quotes by John Paul DeJoria

It is to the last degree distressing to contemplate the state and establishment of our navy... unless the private emolument of individuals in our navy is made superior to that in privateers, it never can become respectable; it never will...

Quotes by John Paul Jones

I must repeat what I asserted formerly, that unless some happy expedient can be fallen upon to induce the seamen to enter into the service for a longer term than twelve months, it will never be possible to bring them...

Quotes by John Paul Jones

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.