Top 100 You're Not Trying Quotes
#1. You must remember what you are and what you have chosen to become, and the significance of what you are doing. There are wars and defeats and victories of the human race that are not military and that are not recorded in the annals of history. Remember that while you're trying to decide what to do.
John Edward Williams
#2. It's extremely difficult to describe interestingly what happens on the pitch. Thousands of journalists write millions of words every week trying to do it, so your chances of avoiding cliche are very slim. And you're trying to write fiction, not a match report.
Mal Peet
#3. We are this world. Its next generation. If you're not trying to save us, then what exactly are you trying to save?
Claudia Gray
#4. Some people are very dictatorial and it's not a good feeling, and it kind of inhibits you, because you feel like you have more to offer than what they're trying to squeeze you into, some kind of box or something like that.
Sasha Grey
#5. For a Westerner to trash Western culture is like criticizing our nitrogen/oxygen atmosphere on the grounds that it sometimes gets windy, and besides, Jupiter's is much prettier. You may not realize its advantages until you're trying to breathe liquid methane.
Neal Stephenson
#6. Sometimes, it's not so bad to listen to some one talk about weapons or horses - or medicine. Honestly, when someone is trying to talk to you about those things, the important thing they're always saying is that they care enough about what you think to try to share themselves with you.
Breeana Puttroff
#7. If you're not stubborn, you'll give up on experiments too soon. And if you're not flexible, you'll pound your head against the wall and you won't see a different solution to a problem you're trying to solve.
Jeff Bezos
#8. When you talk of not wanting children, it is impossible to avoid sounding defensive, like you're trying to prove the questionable beauty of a selfish and too-tidy existence.
Meghan Daum
#9. Always do business as if the person you're doing business with is trying to screw you, because he probably is. And if he's not, you can be pleasantly surprised.
Steve Martin
#10. When people say you're doing something radical in rock or dance music, I'm not sure how special that is. What we do is so old-fashioned. It's like trying to do something innovative in tap-dancing.
Jonny Greenwood
#11. Nights are the worst. You just don't know what it's like for me, trying not to think of [him] ... knowing that we're going to be apart for so long. It's pure torture.
Judy Blume
#12. I'm going to try really hard not to be bossy, but I've only done stand-up comedy and then my own show where you're the total boss of everything!
Rosie O'Donnell
#13. A lot of fancier yarns come from people trying to tell the truth. It's not easy once you're out of the habit.
Dashiell Hammett
#14. Well, you're either lovers or you're wanting to be lovers or you're trying not to be lovers so you can be friends, but any way you look at it, sex is always looming in the picture like a shadow, like an undertow.
Andrew Schneider
#15. Levi watched her carefully again, his gaze roaming over her face, as if he was trying to see into her mind. "You're not lying. Why are you doing this?"
"Because if I try to shut you out you'll cause me more problems than I want to deal with. And I don't want to kill you.
Katie Reus
#16. I like reading reviews. If they're clearly hating on you, I try not to read that deeply. But if they really are trying to understand, it's interesting.
Jon Favreau
#17. Don't call me when you're stuck in traffic. It's not my fault that radio sucks and did it ever occur to you that there wouldn't be so much traffic if people like you put down the phone and concentrated on the road ... besides I can't talk now, I'm in the car behind you trying to watch a DVD.
Bill Maher
#19. You're not a lumberjack trying to hack down a tree. You're a dancer, and the sword is an extension of your arm. Move with the blade and keep your eyes on your enemy's upper body, not their weapon.
Julie Kagawa
#20. If you try to discuss multiculturalism in the UK you're labelled a racist. But here we're still free to talk, and I say multicultural society doesn't work. We're not living closer, we're living apart.
Pim Fortuyn
#21. I think just dreaming big and having aspirations is important. So you know I want to be the greatest of all time at what I do and if you're not trying to be the greatest at what you do then you're not doing it for real.
Big Sean
#22. It's not about going around trying to stir up trouble. As long as you're honest and you articulate what you believe to be true, somebody somewhere will become your enemy whether you like it or not.
Criss Jami
#23. As we speak, that is what we are doing. Projects that come to you are not written for you. We have to take a lesson from Will Smith, who develops projects he can shine in. We're trying to develop things from the ground up.
Columbus Short
#24. Anybody who picks up a guitar and tells you that there's some inner message that they're trying to convey ... it's nonsense. They're not being honest. The reason they're doing this is they wanna get lots of chicks and they don't want to work for a living.
Gene Simmons
#26. Jaden: "Dude, you've found something wrong with every girl. I'm about to play this one solo if you can't make up your mind."
Bastian: "We're not trying to decide between a Big Mac or a chicken sandwich here. This is some serious shit. We want epicness, we have to be choosy.
Nyrae Dawn
#27. Before you try to keep up with the Joneses, be sure they're not trying to keep up with you.
Erma Bombeck
#30. Trying to prove you're not a psychopath is even harder than trying to prove you're not mentally ill,' said Tony.
Jon Ronson
#31. There's nothing tragic about being fifty. Not unless you're trying to be twenty-five.
William Holden
#32. Yeah, but that doesn't mean it couldn't make it this far. Could be drugs, could be sex trade, could be horses."
"If the next option is sex with horses, I need you to stop right there."
"We're not in that part of Texas."
"I bet you look hot in the hat though."
"Stop trying to distract me!
Abigail Roux
#33. He wasn't, but producers are by definition annoying because they have a different agenda from you. They're trying to stop you spending money and you're trying to not spend money, but at the same time we're great artists.
Michael Apted
#34. I'll tell a young kid in a minute, 'If you don't know how to read, then what good is trying to be an MC?' Like, you can MC, but if you're not trying to be a better person, learn and apply that to your MCing, then how far do you think you're really going to go?
Raekwon
#35. Superman when he goes after someone is essentially not trying to beat them, he is trying to save them from themselves ... You're looking at a God who walks amongst men!
Max Landis
#36. This is not necessarily the answer people want, but ultimately, I think writing is an amoral process. Your ultimate responsibility is to the truth of the story you're trying to tell.
Lynn Coady
#37. The only good excuse for not succeeding is DEATH! Unless you're trying to be a ghost. Then it's LIFE!
Craig Benzine
#38. If you're not being rejected regularly - maybe you're not trying hard enough.
Kathy Ireland
#39. Thinking up jokes is easy. The hard part is trying them out on stage, because you never know if they're funny until you get there. Not one comedian in the world ever really knows.
Emo Philips
#40. Hell, is trying to do what you can't do, trying to be what you're not
Anzia Yezierska
#41. It's stupid not to communicate what you know to the adults. They're only trying to protect us. And as far as the no-secrets zone, I can't agree to that. I don't even really know you guys, so why would I tell you my secrets? No way.
Cynthia Hand
#42. I believe the best influence you can have is not by being preachy, but by trying to live. For example, knowing you're not perfect, but trying to treat everyone kind and accepting everyone for who they are.
Paul Butcher
#43. When people see you do alright, then you start winning their hearts. It's not going to come easy, though. It doesn't matter how many people you do right, you're still going to be hated by so many others. You can't live your life trying to make everybody happy.
Cam Newton
#44. When I was 14, and for the next four years, I was lifting and hauling 10-gallon milk cans full of milk. That will put muscles on you even if you're not trying.
Harmon Killebrew
#45. So you're trying to make her happy despite the fact that the reason she's unhappy in the first place is you," said Simon, not very kindly. "That seems contradictory, doesn't it?"
"Love is a contradiction," said Jace.
Cassandra Clare
#46. His English was exceptional. There was a glottal sound in his voice, but it was not harsh. I'd often asked him to help me with my sparse Arabic, trying to get my pronunciation of this or that word right. "Shukran." "Afwan." "Qumbula." Thank you. You're welcome. Bomb.
Kevin Powers
#47. When you're young, you wonder what all these old people are droning on about, trying to impart their wisdom. It's not relevant to you because being young is such a specific thing. Thank God for that. Thank God for the young people who go out and demonstrate against rampant capitalism or whatever.
Helen Mirren
#48. Poetry is like fish: if it's fresh, it's good; if it's stale, it's bad; and if you're not certain, try it on the cat.
Osbert Sitwell
#49. They do you a great honor. In Krasia, if no one is trying to kill you, it is because you're not worth killing.
Peter Brett
#50. 'Made' is about opening your heart to people who deserve your love and not trying to turn other people into something that they're not: not trying to save people who don't want to be saved. If you go down that dark path, you're not going to end up doing any good.
Jon Favreau
#51. To me it's just going for the moment that counts. Sometimes, I'll have all the elements there, and I like to play and push something, and to me, in the end, you do achieve things that you're not aware of in the beginning, even though you're there trying to get them.
Herb Ritts
#52. I think the first feature of any director is going to hold a special place in their heart. It's kind of like a first kiss in that its highly anticipated and will be forever ingrained in your memory, but at the end of the day you're just trying not to slobber all over the other person.
Nicholas Ozeki
#53. When people have expectations, you're going to make a lot of them upset - when in fact I'm not trying to represent anybody but myself.
Steve Grand
#54. If we stay together, I'll have to forgive you over and over again, and if you're still in this, you'll have to forgive me over and over again too. So forgiveness isn't the point. What I really should have been trying to figure out is whether we were still good for each other or not
Veronica Roth
#55. I haven't had to do too many, or many explicit ones. Everybody feels weird, and everybody is trying to tiptoe around and make you think they're not there. The last time I did a love scene, I couldn't keep a straight face.
Gretchen Mol
#56. I don't believe in trying to be somebody you're not - just be a bigger, better version of yourself.
Neon Hitch
#57. Are you trying to protect me?" I asked, starting to get slightly pissed. "Dude. Knock it off. You're not my knight in shining armor. You're a dick in dented tin.
T.J. Klune
#58. NASCAR does a good job of trying to keep things equal with new rules. We're not allowed to have computers in our cars to tell the crew what's going on. So the only thing you have is the driver, and the driver-crew chief relationship. That's the most important thing.
Jimmie Johnson
#59. God accepts us unconditionally, and in his view we are all precious and priceless. Focus on this and you will not waste any time and effort trying to be someone you're not.
Rick Warren
#60. Again, like I said, we're not trying to censor anyone. If you think drugs are cool, fine. Make that movie. We are not going to stop you, or try to stop you, but we would encourage other people to be a bit more responsible about their portrayal of drug usage.
Gerald McRaney
#61. When you're skiing, if you're not falling you're not trying.
Donald Rumsfeld
#62. Every time I make a film, I try to do it slightly different. If you're not 100% engaged and interested, then it's not gonna translate into a successful film.
Jeremy Bolt
#63. I actually don't subscribe to the notion that comedy is easier than drama. When you're trying to be funny and you're not funny, that's really terrible. It's a horrible feeling.
Tom Hollander
#64. What you don't want is to repeat a formula over and over or impose a formula to a movie that ... when you impose yourself and you impose a formula and you're not open to explore and to find what is right for the movie, I think you're doing a disservice to the story and what you're trying to express.
Emmanuel Lubezki
#65. You don't have to love someone to have sex with them.'
'I know that,' I say, trying to act like I'm not embarrassed for thinking love and sex are the same thing. I know they're not but I want them to be close enough to at least brush each other as they pass.
Cath Crowley
#66. I don't try to hit the ball 500 feet. It looks good when you hit it 500 feet, but as long as it goes over the fence, it's a home run. When you swing hard, it takes a little bit of recognition away from you. The power you're trying to increase - you're not all the way through it with your vision.
David Ortiz
#67. With more money brings more fear and when you're trying to be creative in a fear-based environment it's dangerous. Then decisions are made out of fear, not what's best for the film.
Lake Bell
#68. You know what I mean. I'm telling you I was stupid over it. I thought it was about trying so hard to survive that you didn't have the time to be a good parent. Obviously, that's not it. Because you and I, we're both ... wealthy in love.
Maggie Stiefvater
#69. I just find it funny what people will comment on, I try to not pay that much attention to it, but the crazy part is that if I'm doing a squat and I have an action photo, they're like, "Oh your form is off!" And I'm like, are you kidding? I'm still at the gym and you're not!
Khloe Kardashian
#70. I think, for me as an actor, if you get to a place where you're satisfied, you're happy with it, then you're dead. It's over. You're not hungry anymore. You won't try things anymore.
Johnny Depp
#71. As a director, you're only as good as your collaborators. You surround with collaborators that are going to understand what you're trying to do. Not only that, they're going to push and fight for what you're trying to do.
Alfonso Cuaron
#72. As an actor, you're listening to the other person and always trying to be present and take everything they're giving you, but when they're not there, you have to produce that yourself.
Tatiana Maslany
#73. In my 20s because I was working on films so much and travelling so much and doing press, I was single with no kids and I think that's the time when not only are you trying on looks, but you're trying on personalities - you're still really forming.
Gwyneth Paltrow
#74. As an actor, we spend so much putting the mask on and trying to be someone you're not.
Russell Hornsby
#75. You're not trying to pick up a girl?"
"I wasn't.
Cora Carmack
#76. Stop trying to 'fix' yourself; you're NOT broken! You are perfectly imperfect and powerful beyond measure.
Steve Maraboli
#77. I'd prefer not to be the pretty thing in a film. It's such a bloody responsibility to look cute, because people know when you don't and they're like, They're trying to pass her off as the cute girl and she's looking like a bedraggled sack of potatoes.
Minnie Driver
#78. God is the one that's ultimately in control of everything. You can't try to change things when they're not meant to be changed.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
#79. I've always thought of acting as more of an exercise in empathy, which is not to be confused with sympathy. You're trying to get inside a certain emotional reality or motivational reality and try to figure out what that's about so you can represent it.
Edward Norton
#80. You're always trying to do something that, on one hand, honors all those stories, that is still in some way the same character that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were doing back in the sixties. But, at the same time, you want to be able to tell new stories and not just rehash what's come before.
Jason Aaron
#81. You're all murdering life ... You're all trying to change yourselves, all trying to change what is, and thus you're never actually living what is. You're killing who you are every day of your lives by not being who you are ... where you are.
Luke Rhinehart
#82. So, yeah, I'm going to try to win the national championship next year. But I'm not going to kill myself doing it. I'm not going to kill my players either. You really start to realize there's a lot more to what we're trying to do then winning games
Geno Auriemma
#83. Nobody tells young writers it's okay if you're not very good, you'll get better. So I just thought I'm not very good, so I should try to do every other thing besides writing. That's how I ended up being a hitchhiker, a world traveler, and a mathematician.
Bonnie Jo Campbell
#84. I try not to read reviews. It's hard not to hear what the critics are saying, but as an actor, I try not to let it in and to just give the best performances I can. At the end of the day, if you're trying to please the critics, you're missing what's really important: being creative and having fun.
Reid Scott
#85. I hate you." I love you." You're a freak, you know that? Everyone says so. They always have." I'm trying not to be.
Stephen Chbosky
#86. The question, Why try for greatness? would seem almost tautological. If you're doing something you care that much about, and you believe in its purpose deeply enough, then it is impossible to imagine not trying to make it great. It's just a given.
James C. Collins
#87. I hate it when people say they're trying to be your friend. You shouldn't have to try to be somebody's friend. Either you like someone or you don't. Either you want them as a friend or not. Making friends isn't like trying for the lead in the school play.
Emily Wing Smith
#88. If you're not making some mistakes, it probably means you're not trying hard enough.
Evan Davis
#89. It's the worst when you're kissing someone who's not a good kisser, and you're trying to make it look good, but you feel like you're just working on your own.
Drew Barrymore
#90. I'm not an artist, and I want to take risks, and when the possibility of failure occurs, it's because the idea is all exciting or interesting as a high wire act, and sometimes you've got to fall off, just by virtue of the fact that you're constantly trying to evolve and do new things.
Peter Morgan
#91. The dance goes from realizing that you're separate (which is the awakening) to then trying to find your way back into the totality of which you are not only a part, but which you are.
Ram Dass
#92. That's when you're laughing the hardest because you're not really in character. You're just trying to learn the moves, but once they call action, you're in it and it's like you transport yourself to a different place.
Malin Akerman
#93. It's into the same bag as E.T. and Yoda, wherein you're trying to create something that people will actually believe, but it's not so much a symbol of the thing, but you're trying to do the thing itself.
Jim Henson
#94. If you never make mistakes, you're not trying hard enough.
If you make the same mistakes more than once, you're not paying attention.
Ben Delaney
#95. Eventually you're supposed to get so confounded by this whole thing that you just give up completely, and that's when it starts to work. Not give up the practice, but give up trying to figure it out.
Frederick Lenz
#96. You're shaking."
"I'm not used to people trying to kill me."
"Really? I hardly notice anymore.
Leigh Bardugo
#97. Honestly, when you're writing you try to stay on the story, on the character's mind, trying to throw stuff at them. There is danger, and the scares have to kick in the right places with the drama. And you try not to do too much to try to create those moments. Those moments create themselves.
Fede Alvarez
#98. I'm not comfortable in this stadium," I explained, trying to look calm.
"I know. And you hate Fang looking at those girls. But we're still having
fun, and Fang still loves you, and you'll still save the world. Okay?
James Patterson
#99. It's really easy with makeup to look like you're trying too hard, like a clown. That's not what you want!
Becky G
#100. You find when you're writing a detective story that you're actually not trying to solve anything. You're trying to stop the reader from solving the puzzle.
Christopher Bollen
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