Logo - Feel The Words

Saying Quotes

The gap between what's said and what's meant.

This set focuses on the friction around saying things: doubts other people voice about an unusual project, the strangeness of writing lyrics meant for someone else's voice, and family conflicts that get said and later forgiven. It pairs well with our Know quotes.

Saying, 'I'm sorry' is the same as saying, ' I apologize.' Except at a funeral.

Quotes by Demetri Martin

When I was playing good, nobody was saying I was playing good. When I was playing bad, I would be the first one on the front of the journal.

Quotes by Dejan Lovren

There's a lot of power in saying no to big things that you don't want to do in order to say yes to the kind of things that really inspire you.

Quotes by Dee Rees

Going into a room and saying, 'I'm a black lesbian' - it's a strike against you.

Quotes by Dee Rees

Actors need to know why they're saying what they're saying, more than just learning their lines.

Quotes by Dee Rees

Don't restrict yourself by saying things are not possible.

Quotes by Debra L. Reed

I had this instinct and I just knew it. It was a very strange thing and as soon as I finished recording it, we were all in the studio saying we have something really special here.

Quotes by Deborah Cox

It's like I was taught and I'm always saying it. Offense wins games, defense wins championships.

Quotes by DeAndre Jordan

I'm just saying if one team out of 30 goes small, that don't mean everybody else is doing it.

Quotes by DeAndre Jordan

I've been saying it before the lottery, before the Phoenix Suns even had the No. 1 pick. I've just been talking it into the existence. I'm not saying I'm the best player in the draft and trying to be cocky...

Quotes by Deandre Ayton

Brock Lesnar likes to get his rest time, you know what I'm saying?

Quotes by Dean Ambrose

We listen to the entrepreneur. We try to have a fine tuning fork to understand what they are saying and whether that makes sense and know it when we see it. We don't try to do too much predicting.

Quotes by David Sze

There is no point mucking around and saying we are just going to have one or two shops and that's it... we are going to reach, you know, 40 shops around the world. I want 150 shops in China.

Quotes by David Tang

When I'm sat in the pub with my mates, they've got their stories: Richard and Tracy have split up, they went to Arsenal and this fight broke out... My anecdotes are like, 'I was in this bar, and Michelle Pfeiffer...

Quotes by David Thewlis

I love things made out of animals. It's just so funny to think of someone saying, 'I need a letter opener. I guess I'll have to kill a deer.

Quotes by David Sedaris

Teenagers have no advocate. I think any other minority so maligned by Hollywood would have pickets around the theater saying, 'We are not just idiots.'

Quotes by David Seltzer

I don't really try to get involved politically by giving money to politicians or by saying I'm a Democrat or Republican. Right now, I just view myself as an American.

Quotes by David Rubenstein

I will forever be grateful to my oncologist for opening the door and saying, 'Damn it, the tumor's 10 percent bigger,' before he even said hello.

Quotes by David Rakoff

The American people are screaming out saying it's unfair that the wealthiest, the largest corporations who can afford the best attorneys, the best accountants, take advantage of these special tax treatments that the lobbyists have, along with lawmakers, have cooked...

Quotes by David Plouffe

And so whether it's failing to move forward on the Dream Act, failing to move forward on putting teachers back to work, failing to do all the things we could do right now to help the economy and middle class,...

Quotes by David Plouffe

Frequently Asked Questions

What do these Saying quotes explore?
These quotes look at how what people say gets received — from criticism about taking on different projects, to why writing for someone else's voice is hard, to messy family dynamics, and being misunderstood even when you're being honest. It's a mixed bag; for lighter, more upbeat lines, see our Good collection.
Is there a quote about facing criticism for trying different projects?
Yes — one quote recalls getting pushback from people saying things like, "Why does Whit Stillman think he can do a film about blacks in early '60s Jam..." after taking on projects outside the expected mold. The quote is cut short in our records, but the gist is clear: branching out invited some pointed questions.
Is there a quote about the challenge of writing for someone else?
Yes — one quote points out that it's "weird to try to write lyrics for somebody else," because they can't fully get behind what you're saying if they haven't experienced it themselves. This speaks to how personal voice shapes what rings true, a theme you'll also find in our I Am collection.
Is there a quote about family always forgiving you?
There is. One quote admits, "You always end up saying and doing such horrible things to your family, 'cause you know they're never going anywhere, and at some point, they're going to forgive you." For more on the word 'always' as a theme, see our Always collection.
Is there a quote about being honest even when it's not enough?
Yes — one quote reads, "I know what you're saying, but I already told you all the truth and I, I don't what, I don't know what else to do. I just do the best I can and tell you the only thing I can, and that's what I already..." It's a raw, honest moment about doing your best even when it doesn't resolve things. For more on knowing and understanding, see our Know collection.

A few lines describe the frustration of repeating oneself and still feeling misunderstood, a mood also present in I Am quotes, while the theme of consistency in what one says connects to Always quotes.