Don’t pay any attention to the critics. Don’t even ignore them.
—Samuel Goldwyn (1879–1974) Polish-born American Film Producer, Businessperson
Equality is the public recognition, effectively expressed in institutions and manners, of the principle that an equal degree of attention is due to the needs of all human beings.
—Simone Weil (1909–1943) French Philosopher, Political Activist
A good advertisement is one which sells the product without drawing attention to itself.
—David Ogilvy (1911–99) British-American Advertising Executive
No man is lonely while eating spaghetti; it requires so much attention.
—Christopher Morley (1890–1957) American Novelist, Essayist
Working in an office with an array of electronic devices is like trying to get something done at home with half a dozen small children around. The calls for attention are constant.
—Marilyn vos Savant (b.1946) American Columnist, Author, Lecture, Playwright
In the successful organization, no detail is too small to escape close attention.
—Lou Holtz (1893–1980) American Stage Performer
Never pay the slightest attention to what a company president ever says about his stock.
—Bernard M. Baruch (1870–1965) American Financier, Economic Consultant
I was made a revolutionary in spite of myself… [A]ll creation presupposes as its origin a sort of appetite that is brought on by the foretaste of discovery. This foretaste of the creative art accompanies the intuitive grasp of an unknown entity that will not take definite shape except by the action of a constantly vigilant technique. This appetite that is aroused in me at the mere thought of putting in order musical elements that have attracted my attention is not at all a fortuitous thing like inspiration, but as habitual and periodic, if not constant, as a natural need… The very act of putting my work on paper, of, as we say, kneading the dough, is for me inseperable from the pleasure of creation. So far as I am concerned, I cannot seperate the spiritual effort from the psychological and physical effort; they confront me on the same level and do not present a hierarchy…What concerns us here is not imagination itself, but rather creative imagination: the facultyy that helps us to pass from the level of conception to the level of realization. In the course of my labors I suddenly stumble upon something unexpected. this unexpected element strikes me. I make note of it. At the proper time I put it to profitable use… The faculty of creating is never given to us all by itself. It always goes hand in hand with the gift of observation. And the true creator may be recognized by his ability always to find about him, in the commonest and humblest thing, items worthy of note… The least accident holds his interest and guides his operations. If his finger slips, he will notice it; on occasion, he may draw profit from something unforeseen that a momentary lapse reveals to him. One does not contrive an accident: one observes it to draw inspiration therefrom.
—Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971) Russian-born American Composer, Musician
Dealing with complexity is an inefficient and unnecessary waste of time, attention and mental energy. There is never any justification for things being complex when they could be simple.
—Edward de Bono (1933–2021) Maltese-British Psychologist, Writer
Few things are impracticable in themselves; and it is for want of application, rather than of means, that men fail of success.
—Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613–80) French Writer
In the intellectual order, the virtue of humility is nothing more nor less than the power of attention.
—Simone Weil (1909–1943) French Philosopher, Political Activist
When you can do the common things of life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.
—George Washington Carver (1864–1943) American Scientist, Botanist, Educator, Inventor
The highest ecstasy is the attention at its fullest.
—Simone Weil (1909–1943) French Philosopher, Political Activist
Don’t pay any attention to what they write about you. Just measure it in inches.
—Andy Warhol (1928–87) American Painter, Printmaker, Film Personality
Pay no attention to what the critics say. A statue has never been erected in honor of a critic.
—Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) Finnish Composer
It takes a big idea to attract the attention of consumers and get them to buy your product. Unless your advertising contains a big idea, it will pass like a ship in the night. I doubt if more than one campaign in a hundred contains a big idea.
—David Ogilvy (1911–99) British-American Advertising Executive
There is one thing we can do, and the happiest people are those who an do it to the limit of their ability. We can be completely present. We can be all here. We can… give all our attention to the opportunity before us.
—Mark Van Doren (1894–1972) American Poet, Writer, Critic
You can rest assured that if you devote your time and attention to the highest advantage of others, the Universe will support you, always and only in the nick of time.
—Buckminster Fuller (1895–1983) American Inventor, Philosopher
The relationship of the toastmaster to the speaker should be the same as that of the fan to the fan dancer. It should call attention to the subject without making any particular effort to cover it.
—Adlai Stevenson (1900–65) American Diplomat, Politician, Orator
Do not pay too much attention to the advice or suggestions of those around you.
—Wallace Wattles (1860–1911) American New Thought Author
The ego is nothing other than the focus of conscious attention.
—Alan Watts (1915–73) British-American Philosopher, Author
Attention is psychic energy, and like physical energy, unless we allocate some part of it to the task at hand, no work gets done.
—Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1934–2021) Hungarian-American Psychologist
Us sing and dance, make faces and give flower bouquets, trying to be loved. You ever notice that trees do everything to git attention we do, except walk?
—Alice Walker (b.1944) American Novelist, Activist
Behold a worthy sight, to which the God, turning his attention to his own work, may direct his gaze. Behold an equal thing, worthy of a God, a brave man matched in conflict with evil fortune.
—Seneca the Younger (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) (c.4 BCE–65 CE) Roman Stoic Philosopher, Statesman, Tragedian
To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.
—Mary Oliver (1935–2019) American Poet
There have been times when I have deliberately tried to take my life… I think I must have been crying for some attention.
—Judy Garland (1922–69) American Actress, Singer
Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end, We are in great haste to construct a magnetic telegraph from Maine to Texas; but Maine and Texas, it may be, have nothing important to communicate.
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–62) American Philosopher
As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do.
—Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919) Scottish-American Industrialist
In every forest, on every farm, in every orchard on earth, it’s what’s under the ground that creates what’s above the ground. That’s why placing your attention on the fruits that you have already grown is futile. You cannot change the fruits that are already hanging on the tree. You can, however, change tomorrow’s fruits. But to do so, you will have to dig below the ground and strengthen the roots.
—T. Harv Eker (b.1954) American Motivational Speaker, Lecturer, Author
An expert is someone who has succeeded in making decisions and judgements simpler through knowing what to pay attention to and what to ignore.
—Edward de Bono (1933–2021) Maltese-British Psychologist, Writer