Provoking Quotes

443 Provoking quotes by 302 unique authors

Names generate meaning in a short amount of space — they provoke thoughts, questions. That's something I like doing. Of course, you have to be… — Joshua Ferris
Let's note, that in what I consider the most disgraceful performance abroad by an American official in my lifetime - something not exampled since Jane… — George Will
The H-bomb rather favors small nations that doesn't as yet possess it; they feel slightly more free to jostle other nations, having discovered that a… — Elwyn Brooks White
The trumpet does not more stun you by its loudness, than a whisper teases you by its provoking inaudibility. — Charles Lamb
It's the admirer and the watcher who provoke us to all the inanities we commit. — Seneca the Younger
The works of nature first acquire a meaning in the commentaries they provoke. — George Santayana
Other nations of different habits are not enemies: they are godsends. Men require of their neighbours something sufficiently akin to be understood, something sufficiently different… — Alfred North Whitehead
The shock of the way I mix patterns and fabrics can be disconcerting, but what I am trying to do is provoke new ideas about… — Jean Paul Gaultier
As far as world war goes, there are really only two possibilities: either war provokes revolution, or revolution averts war. — Mao Zedong
Since governmental quotas expand bureaucratic power, provoke a backlash and are unfair to individuals, we need to find a better way to increase minority opportunities. — Marvin Olasky
Nice writing isn't enough. It isn't enough to have smooth and pretty language. You have to surprise the reader frequently, you can't just be nice… — Anne Bernays
I know I will be breaking a taboo. But I'm sure that it will provoke a new discussion. It's time things change. I feel 30… — Brigitte Nielsen
I feel like a good director provokes you to ask questions about your character, but doesn't answer them for you. — Crystal Reed
I think cinema should provoke thoughts, sure, but using it as I soapbox I think is the wrong place. I never want to be part… — Jeremy Renner
The man who has struggled bravely with the passions of the body, has fought ably against unclean spirits, and has expelled from his soul the… — Maximus the Confessor
I love sci-fi, especially when it thrives on a thought-provoking story, rather than explosions. — William Mapother
This is a confusing and uncertain period, when a thousand wise words can go completely unnoticed, and one thoughtless word can provoke an utterly nonsensical… — Vaclav Havel
The urge to break with a tradition is only appropriate when you're dealing with an outdated, troublesome tradition: I never really thought about that because… — Gerhard Richter
No one provokes me with impunity. — Mary, Queen of Scots
Being able to provoke a different point of view to the standard current ideological or political perspective as played out in conventional newspaper or radio… — Susie Orbach
I would like to provoke ambiguous responses in my readers. — James Ellroy
New forms of media - first movies, then television, talk radio and now the Internet - tend to challenge traditional codes of conduct. They flout… — Willow Bay
The various systems of doctrine that have held dominion over man have been demonstrated to be true beyond all question by rationalists of such power-to… — Wilfred Trotter
You've got to honor your relationship with your audience - that they sit down because they want to be entertained. And that doesn't mean you… — David E. Kelley
I believe in any country, matters that relate to its territory would, of course, provoke strong sentiments amongst the people of that country. — Naoto Kan

Who Wrote These Provoking Quotes

302 authors contributed a total of 443 Provoking Quotes, led by these top contributors: