The Why Quotes

#1. Why had he wanted to be rich, or to feel rich? Was he an unhappy mouse before? Didn't he see the King himself often looking sad? Was anyone completely happy?

William Steig

#2. It is naive to think that self-assertiveness is easy. To live self-assertively
which means to live authentically
is an act of high courage. That is why so many people spend the better part of their lives in hiding
from others and also from themselves.

Nathaniel Branden

#3. It's a balance. Like, we are shooting the big car chase at the end and it's me with everybody. And I got my stunt coordinator who shot some stuff and I'm like, you are right next to me, why don't we do it together.

George Tillman Jr.

#4. The reason why rivers and seas are able to be lords over a hundred mountain streams, is that they know how to keep below them. That is why they are able to reign over all the mountain streams.

Laozi

#5. Throughout the centuries, man has considered himself beautiful. I rather suppose that man only believes in his own beauty out of pride; that he is not really beautiful and he suspects this himself; for why does he look on the face of his fellow-man with such scorn?

Comte De Lautreamont

#6. You don't want to be the smartest person in the room; you want to be the dumbest in the room. You want to be surrounded by other thinking people who are going to say something that makes you think, "Oh, my God, that's an amazing idea. Why didn't I think of that."

Madonna Ciccone

#7. On the three pigs he and his wife own: We acquired the pigs last year. My wife was born on a pig farm and has always been very fond of pigs. Of course, they are for eating, which is why they are named Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. You wouldn't want to eat Rufus, Marcus and Esmeralda.

John Mortimer

#8. Oh my God! Why did I leave India? I fell in love with a white man. That's what it was. It was the most boring, predictable reason in the world. I met him in India, we fell in love, and we got married. And then, we got divorced. Sorry about that.

Deepa Mehta

#9. Cinna slid down the bar, sassing three groomsmen and
winking at a fourth on her way.
"I totally get why some animals eat their young," Pepper said.

Jamie Farrell

#10. When i ask God why all of these injustices are allowed to exist in the world, i can feel the Spirit whisper to me, 'you tell me why we allow this to happen. You are my body, my hands, my feet.

Shane Claiborne

#11. Not one word," Kel warned. "Tobe and I have reached an understanding."
Neal's lips twitched. "Why do I feel you did most of the understanding.

Tamora Pierce

#12. I still do not understand why we don't have people on the streets every single day raising their voices for climate.

Christiana Figueres

#13. If we live in the Nineteenth Century, why should we not enjoy the advantages which the Nineteenth Century offers? Why should our life be in any respect provincial?

Henry David Thoreau

#14. There are no limits to starting over. That's why the sun rises every day. Unless you're running in circles and then the outcome never changes.

Karen White

#15. Fairy tales had been her first experience of the magical universe, and more than once she had wondered why people ended up distancing themselves from that world, knowing the immense joy that childhood had brought to their lives.

Paulo Coelho

#16. The Bible has been a bestseller for centuries. Why should I let two thousand years of publicity go to waste?

Cecil B. DeMille

#17. But that's the wrong question. Ask why everyone else is so pathetically stupid and why they're always whining about detention, I should get a medal for not slapping people in the face every day.

Laurie Halse Anderson

#18. The reason why we are disenchanted with ourselves is because we entertain in the depths of our psyche a kind of vision-an anticipated vision of what we could be if we would be what we might be.

Vilayat Inayat Khan

#19. It seemed that I was the only one who cared about me.

Jay Asher

#20. Why should we think upon things that are lovely? Because thinking determines life. It is a common habit to blame life upon the environment. Environment modifies life but does not govern life. The soul is stronger than its surroundings.

William James

#21. Every human being makes mistakes, so why should you be afraid? Go to the One who can get rid of the mistakes and tell him, 'Sir, these are the kind of mistakes I make', so he will show you the solution.

Dada Bhagwan

#22. often thought that the simple fact, the mechanical fact, is no closer to the truth than a vague feeling, rumor, vision. Why repeat the facts - they cover up our feelings.

Svetlana Alexievich

#23. The military is a very cool world to write about. I went down to Ft. Benning, Ga., for military training, and I learned a lot about soldiers and officers and why they joined up and what their life has been like.

David Baldacci

#24. He [God] chooses not to intervene in the world. Why not? Because he figures he's done enough and the rest is up to us? Or he wouldn't know where to begin? Or because he's in awe of his own miracle? That's how I picture him, his mouth slightly agape, his eyes wide in disbelief.

Jon Cohen

#25. I never understood who all those people are behind the actors! When you see them on the red carpet on TV, you go, 'Why does that person need such a large entourage?' And then you realize that every single person there has a role to play.

Lupita Nyong'o

#26. You keep doing that, and you'll find yourself mated quick enough."
"It's no' for me. I'm perfectly content just as I am."
Ryder made a face. "Are you insane? why say something like that and temp the cosmos?"
Laith watch him walk away, wondering if he had just drawn the interest of fate.

Donna Grant

#27. Why are cancer patients so hard to buy for? This question always puzzles me. When people are healthy, things are so simple, including gift buying. A jaunt to the local mall or a day in front of the TV watching QVC can be just enough for all the loved ones on your list.

Jenna Morasca

#28. It makes no sense to worry about things you have no control over because there's nothing you can do about them, and why worry about things you do control? The activity of worrying keeps you immobilized.

Wayne Dyer

#29. It definitely seems like we are connecting with people, which is nice, because I've had a lot of music do the same for me. It's not like I don't I understand why we get the reactions we do.

Jon Crosby

#30. The whole of science, and one is tempted to think the whole of the life of any thinking man, is trying to come to terms with the relationship between yourself and the natural world. Why are you here, and how do you fit in, and what's it all about.

David Attenborough

#31. She understood now why pain was the tithe for magic: It was more powerful than joy. Than anything.
Than hope?

Laini Taylor

#32. Tell me why the gardener trims and prunes his rosebushes, sometimes cutting away productive branches, and I will tell you why God's people are afflicted. God's hand never slips.

Billy Graham

#33. I chose to deal with the underdogs on '1 Train.' I could've got the biggest superstars in the rap game, but why do that when you can let the young boys shine?

ASAP Rocky

#34. More than ever before in human history, we share a common destiny. We can master it only if we face it together. And that is why we have the United Nations.

Kofi Annan

#35. I feel like I have to do the best job I can to basically say, "OK, I understand - you have every right to be angry, but anger is not a plan. Here's what I want to do, and that's why I hope you will support me, because I think it will actually improve the lives of Americans."

Hillary Clinton

#36. Well, when you're relaxed, your mind takes you to the whole reality. There's no such thing as time when you're really relaxed. That's why meditation works.

Shirley Maclaine

#37. You mean on YouTube?" "No, I mean I was watching the game when you got laid out. Hardest hit I've ever seen. I don't know how you survived it, Amos, I really don't." "Why'd

David Baldacci

#38. To me, a feminist belongs in the same category as a humanist or an advocate for human rights. I don't see why someone who's a feminist should be thought of differently.

Suzanne Vega

#39. Where were the peacekeepers? Where was the UN? Why was the entire world ignoring Saddam's attack upon his own people? Were we Kurds considered so unworthy, so disposable? I longed to stand at the top of the mountain and shout out, Where are you, world? Where are you ?

Jean Sasson

#40. Performing on stage is my first love - it's why I wanted to be an actor in the first place - and 'Arcadia' is the highlight of my career so far. I love the intimacy of a live theatre audience - you can really squeeze every last drop out of each scene.

Tom Riley

#41. God makes me play well. That is why I always make the sign of a cross when I walk out on to the pitch. I feel I would be betraying him if I didn't.

Diego Maradona

#42. Why do you always look like you just rolled out of bed?'
'Because usually I have.' And the way he raised his eye-brow at me made me blush.
'Classy,' I said.

Michelle Hodkin

#43. The world is full of wonders that cannot be measured. That is why they are wonders.

David Liss

#44. Nothing remains idle and thrives. Life needs a moving force to prevent the devastating effects of stagnancy. That is why life employs change.

Richelle E. Goodrich

#45. On the 8th day, God created Mankind. Why was he having such a bad day? Why did he create all of you normal ... but forget so many important parts of me?

Mick Foley

#46. Even in high school I was very interested in history - why people do the things they do. As a kid I spent a lot of time trying to relate the past to the present.

George Lucas

#47. You don't want the children to know how afraid / you are. You want to be sure their hold on life / is steady, sturdy. Were mothers and fathers / always this anxious, holding the ringing / receiver close to the ear: / 'Why don't they answer where could they be?

Gail Mazur

#48. As Gansey led the way out, Noah said to Ronan, "I know why you're mad."
Ronan sneered at him, but his pulse heaved. "Tell me then, prophet."
Noah said, "It's not my job to tell other people's secrets.

Maggie Stiefvater

#49. There isn't a lot of poverty literature in the young-adult world. And I don't know why that is, but I think certainly I felt a gap.

Sherman Alexie

#50. I have all the time in the world from life to life to do what is to do, to do what is done, to do the timeless doing, infinitely perfect within, why cry, why worry, perfect like mind essence and the minds of banana peels.

Jack Kerouac

#51. You got to tell me the brave captain
Why are the wicked so strong?
How do the angels get to sleep
When the devil leaves the porch light on?

Tom Waits

#52. Don't know why folks need diamonds and pearls, fur coats, first-class tickets, island adventures when simple shit like this is the best thing you could ever do.

Kristen Ashley

#53. When I look at the fields, all I can see is how fake they are, how poor an imitation they are of the pictures of Sol-Earth fields.
[ ... ]
And that's why I'll never be as good an Eldest as he is.
Because I like a little chaos.

Beth Revis

#54. No, Ben. What I'm asking is: Are you the vehicle, and Georgie rides around in you? That is why Ben's the driver, right?

Jonathan Harnisch

#55. I've always been a deep thinker. Since I was a kid I was delving into the very depths of why we existed, often driving my parents crazy with unanswerable questions.

Missy Higgins

#56. Good blurbs are short, sweet, and limited to six. They answer the question Why should I buy this book?

Guy Kawasaki

#57. A group of little creatures is coming up the walk. A pirate, a dinosaur, two fairies, and a bride. Why is it that you never see a kid dressed as a groom on Halloween?

Laurie Halse Anderson

#58. Explain to the mothers and fathers of American servicemen that may come home in body bags why their son or daughter have to give up their life?

Sean Hannity

#59. They weren't in a room, as he had supposed. They were in a corridor. The forbidden corridor on the third floor. And now they knew why it was forbidden.

J.K. Rowling

#60. In life you must often choose between getting a job done or getting credit for it. In science, the most important thing is not the ideas you have but the decision which ones you choose to pursue. If you have an idea and are not doing anything with it, why spoil someone else's fun by publishing it?

Leo Szilard

#61. The only thing that relaxes me is archery. That's why I have to have apartments with gardens.

Paulo Coelho

#62. No guy is ever gonna be like, 'Well, I'm not into her because she just doesn't seem into me!' That's never been a complaint for why a guy doesn't like a girl. Ever! That's an attractive thing, so always err on the side of aloofness.

Nikki Glaser

#63. She left me alone in the riddle. I needed her because I loved her - or I loved her because I needed her. Why had the feelings turned to a maze? Now I was lost in the dark.

M. Pierce

#64. It is clear that these are alternative methods of co-ordinating production. Yet, having regard to the fact that, if production is regulated by price movements, production could be carried on without any organization at all might we ask, why is there any organization?

Ronald Coase

#65. Some of the reasons John McCain lost in 2008 were his lackluster campaign, his refusal to showcase Obama's extreme liberalism and, thus, his failure to demonstrate why he would make a better president than Obama.

David Limbaugh

#66. Flora would have liked to ask her parents why the words 'to father' have such a different meaning from the words 'to mother'.

Claire Fuller

#67. We have walked through the darkness of this world, that's why we are able to see even a sliver of light.
-Gaara

Masashi Kishimoto

#68. The primary needs can be filled without language. We can eat, sleep, make love, build a house, bear children, without language. But we cannot ask questions. We cannot ask, 'Who am I? Who are you? Why?

Madeleine L'Engle

#69. God is at work in the mess. That's the message of the Bible. That's why the Bible is not pretty. That's why it's grimy, because God is working in the mess. He's working in the tears.

Matt Chandler

#70. I can't understand
why dark northern soldiers
and light ones
are seperated into different brigades.
The dead are all buried together
in hasty mass graves,
bones touching.

Margarita Engle

#71. You'll attract the employees you need if you can explain why your mission is compelling: not why it's important in general, but why you're doing something important that no one else is going to get done.

Peter Thiel

#72. I can understand going for Botox at 45-50, when you want to keep things in place. But I don't understand 25 year olds going for Botox or under the knife. You don't require it. Your skin is fresh, young. Why would you do that to yourself?

Kajol

#73. It was a mystery why the army bothered with a signal communication system when its men were so good at gossip.

Ruth Downie

#74. But what's regret anyway? Regret, I am learning these days, is a lot of things. But mostly, it's a slippery seed of longing, of looking back and asking yourself why you didn't know better when the answers were so obvious all along.

Allison Winn Scotch

#75. Man may live and man may die searching for the question why. But if he tries to rule the sky, he must fall.

Cat Stevens

#76. The word Palestine always brought to my mind a vague suggestion of a country as large as the United States. I do not know why, but such was the case. I suppose it was because I could not conceive of a small country having so large a history.

Mark Twain

#77. O sleepers! what a thing is slumber! Sleep resembles death. Ah, why then dost thou not work in such wise as that after death thou mayst retain a resemblance to perfect life, when, during life, thou art in sleep so like to the hapless dead?

Leonardo Da Vinci

#78. Why do we go to all this trouble' Parker asked. 'Men don't notice anyway.'
'Because what we wear affects how we feel, how we act, how we move. And that they do notice. Especially the move. Get dressed, smoke the eyes. You'll know you look good so you'll feel good. You'll have a better time.

Nora Roberts

#79. The best reason why Monarchy is a strong government is, that it is an intelligible government. The mass of mankind understand it, and they hardly anywhere in the world understand any other.

Walter Bagehot

#80. It's probably why I'm a short story writer. I tend to remember things in the past in narrative form, in story form, and I grew up around people who told stories all the time.

Tobias Wolff

#81. The Internet, and the computers that made it possible, came from a rather dark place, much more missile than ballet, and they might yet return there. This book is about how and why that could happen, and what might be done about it.

Scott Malcomson

#82. Any reason why we couldn't just ditch the condoms from now on?" Surprise

Madeleine Urban

#83. Why the hell do we make such a big deal out of things that shouldn't be a big deal?

Neil Cavuto

#84. If anyone wants to know why three kids in one family made it to the big leagues they just had to know how we helped each other and how much we practiced back then. We did it every minute we could.

Joe DiMaggio

#85. Why couldn't you turn into a fireball when we were on the same team!

Pittacus Lore

#86. Kids are never the problem. They are born scientists. The problem is always the adults. They beat the curiosity out of kids. They outnumber kids. They vote. They wield resources. That's why my public focus is primarily adults.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson

#87. No child should be raised in a system. A system isn't a parent. Even the system knows this, which is why the Children and Family Services Division puts so much effort into finding permanent homes for the kids who are never going to be reunited with their birth parents.

Rhea Perlman

#88. Less than 1 percent of ancient Egypt has been discovered and excavated. With population pressures, urbanization, and modernization encroaching, we're in a race against time. Why not use the most advanced tools we have to map, quantify, and protect our past?

Sarah Parcak

#89. The moon is considered a relatively easy object to land humans on, everything else is much harder by orders of magnitude. It is the reason why we have not been to Mars and will likely never go there successfully with humans.

Steven Magee

#90. Pure love was always difficult to witness. Why was that, she wondered? Because it was so rare? So beautiful? SO damned unattainable for most of the poor saps muddling through this life?

Lynda Sandoval

#91. When a filmmaker does not make films, it is as if he is jailed. Even when he is freed from the small jail, he finds himself wandering in a larger jail. The main question is: why should it be a crime to make a movie? A finished film, well, it can get banned but not the director.

Jafar Panahi

#92. Why should any man have power over any other man's faith, seeing Christ Himself is the author of it?

George Fox

#93. I mean, if no one knows for sure what God's like, then why don't you just believe the people who think he's all rainbows and sunshine and loves you no matter what?

J.C. Lillis

#94. I always had that sense of being censored for the things that I thought. Why is it wrong to embroider your pants, or paint with acrylics on your clothing? Why is that weird? Isn't it weirder to want to be like everyone else?

Alice Sebold

#95. I think when you wear the brand anyway, why not go out and try to promote it and make it as cool as you can? The fact that I can continue to do what I've always done and kind of become the face of that brand is to me, kind of just makes sense. It doesn't make sense not to do it I guess.

Jason Aldean

#96. I just don't see why the past has to matter.

Cassandra Clare

#97. So much emotion can be brought in an animated film that's very hard to get in a live-action film. I haven't quite put my finger on why, but it might be because the characters can make facial expression that, if you made them in a movie, they'd call them corny.

Steve Martin

#98. I don't know why I do what I do. I tend to go for the really weird, bizarre stuff. I actually have to tone it down for the show.

Andy Milonakis

#99. They asked me to do a show, and I was planning on showing my figure paintings. But my friends told me I shouldn't - the paintings were good but a little old-fashioned. They said, "Why don't you show the other stuff?" I had also been making rather strange objects, more in the Freudian tradition.

Claes Oldenburg

#100. When came the invasion of privacy.That kind of thing turns the newspaper from a friendly organ - not necessarily appeasing everybody - into the enemy. It's one reason why newspapers have suffered circulation falls.

Harold Evans