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.

When I told my parents I wanted to be an actor, it was like saying I wanted to be an astronaut. Not because it was highfalutin' in any way - just because they didn't know anybody in that field. They...

Quotes by David Morrissey

In any operation, what you have to do is to persuade the patient to grant access to the patient's energy. The purest form of that is when you're trying to help a woman through labor: when you're saying, 'Push, push!'...

Quotes by David Milch

I do like to work on a Marvel method, so if I've got the opportunity, and the writer is happy to do it, I like to have a writer detail what happens on a page, but not saying what happens...

Quotes by David Lloyd

No one knows if Saddam is still alive. They keep showing old footage of him on TV saying that it's live. You know, it's like the same thing we do with Dick Cheney.

Quotes by David Letterman

Let me begin by saying, we were almost all wrong, and I certainly include myself here.

Quotes by David Kay

I'm a photographer, period. I love photography, the immediacy of it. I like the craft, the idea of saying 'I'm a photographer.'

Quotes by David LaChapelle

Publicly, we're saying we're better at fighting terrorism. Privately, we know that the bureaucracy has only gotten worse, since the high-level people are scared of being held responsible for 9/11.

Quotes by David Hunt

Many Jews are not Zionists and many non-Jews are. Zionism is a political movement, not a race. To say Zionism is the Jewish people is like saying the Democratic Party is the American people. Jewish people who oppose Zionism, however,...

Quotes by David Icke

I would like 'Frost' to go on forever, but you don't want people in the press hammering you, saying you've outstayed your welcome or that it's not believable anymore.

Quotes by David Jason

It might sound odd, but I want to thank Michael Bay because he's been saying how important it is to show 3D with the right luminescence. And that's very important for this film, a lot of which was shot at...

Quotes by David Heyman

Twitter was a mere prototype in 2006; now, many of us have become adept at saying all we have to say in 140 characters.

Quotes by David Horsey

One of the least appealing aspects of modern presidential candidates is that, to avoid saying anything that might prove to be an embarrassing, costly blunder, they cling to a rigid set of talking points that reveal as little as possible...

Quotes by David Horsey

The old saying that war is a racket has taken on an even more shameful meaning.

Quotes by David Hackworth

Nixon, who spent much of his career attacking the press and saying he was a victim of the press, was in fact created by the press, in this case the L.A. Times.

Quotes by David Halberstam

British people are surprised that I'm British! It's extraordinary, I get tweets every day from British people saying, 'I had no idea you were British.'

Quotes by David Harewood

When I was sent the script for 'Homeland,' I didn't think anything of it. Three months later, my manager rang and said: 'They are interested in you.' I read it and I realised, 'Yes, I do want this.' Then I...

Quotes by David Harewood

Herb Brown is like a basketball icon. What's the saying - he's forgotten more than I'll ever know.

Quotes by David Fizdale

To be willing to sort of die in order to move the reader, somehow. Even now I'm scared about how sappy this'll look in print, saying this.

Quotes by David Foster Wallace

What I'm saying is that, unlike a lot of portrayals of me, I'm not hiding behind the sunglasses. I'm out there working. I'm not trying to sell anybody anything, but I do realize we're entertainers.

Quotes by David Duval

Most people do surprisingly poorly when dealing with a relative who is hurting, depressed, or anxious - we get defensive and try to solve the problem rather than finding the truth in what the person is saying.

Quotes by David D. Burns

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.