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This page gathers quotes centered on absence and limits - books that stayed unpublished, and a pointed line arguing that secrecy is fundamentally undesirable, merely tolerated when unavoidable.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

If you never try, you'll never know what you are capable of.

Quotes by John Barrow

Have I ever been the shy retiring type? Never. Not since the day I was born.

Quotes by John Barrowman

I never wanted to work for anybody else; I always wanted to be my own boss.

Quotes by John Barry

You never realize how short a month is until you pay alimony.

Quotes by John Barrymore

I've been a Mac guy for almost my entire adult life. I wrote my first college papers on a typewriter, but by the end of my freshman year - almost 20 years ago - I was on an IBM PC....

Quotes by John Battelle

I've never been much given to little social cliques.

Quotes by John Bercow

I never aspired to be Speaker simply so I could say, 'I am the Speaker of the House of Commons,' and tell my children that.

Quotes by John Bercow

My objective was never to make money. I wanted to contribute to human knowledge and betterment.

Quotes by John B. Goodenough

I have never yet met a healthy person who worried very much about his health, or a really good person who worried much about his own soul.

Quotes by John B. S. Haldane

I never found either this or the Northern Shrike return to such prey for food. I have seen them alight on the same thorn bush afterwards, but never made any use of this kind of food.

Quotes by John Bachman

I could never figure out why photography and art had separate histories. So I decided to explore both.

Quotes by John Baldessari

Never again should Ghanaians have to resort to dubious means to get to, or live in, foreign lands, simply to make a living.

Quotes by John Agyekum Kufuor

As a kid, I went from reading kids' books to reading science fiction to reading, you know, adult fiction. There was never any gap. YA was a thing when I was a teenager, but it was a library category, not...

Quotes by John Allison

I never set out to be the man who writes a lot of female characters.

Quotes by John Allison

In violation of the Habeas Corpus Act and the fundamental laws of our constitution these men have never been brought to trail or even allowed to see a lawyer.

Quotes by John Amery

I've never seen oil slicks covering such a large area in the Gulf of Mexico.

Quotes by John Amos

If necessity is the mother of invention, it's the father of cooperation. And we're cooperating like never before.

Quotes by John Ashcroft

At a certain point he was very popular, from THE RAVEN. He was never fully appreciated, never made the money, and you know he was looked upon with admiration by some people, but also as an oddball. But that was...

Quotes by John Astin

The diversity of the phenomena of nature is so great, and the treasures hidden in the heavens so rich, precisely in order that the human mind shall never be lacking in fresh nourishment.

Quotes by Johannes Kepler

I have entered the field to die, if need be, for this government, and never expect to return to peaceful pursuits until the object of this war of preservation has become a fact established.

Quotes by John A. Logan

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.