--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My philosophy is never start talking…" description: "\"My philosophy is never start talking about 'if,' 'and,' 'but' or the past, because 90 percent of what follows will be negative.\" — Gordie Howe" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73d/gordie-howe-18126_ifs-and_my-philosophy-is-never-start-talking-abo_17082.jpg" --- # My philosophy is never start talking about 'if,' 'and,'… ![“My philosophy is never start talking about 'if,' 'and,' 'but' or the past, because 90 percent of what follows will be negative.” quote by Gordie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73d/gordie-howe-18126_ifs-and_my-philosophy-is-never-start-talking-abo_17082.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73d/gordie-howe-18126_ifs-and_my-philosophy-is-never-start-talking-abo_17082.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73d/gordie-howe-18126_ifs-and_my-philosophy-is-never-start-talking-abo_17082.jpg) > “My philosophy is never start talking about 'if,' 'and,' 'but' or the past, because 90 percent of what follows will be negative.” [Gordie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordie-howe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focusing on present possibilities avoids the mental trap of negativity that arises from conditional or past‑oriented thinking. **In simple terms:** Stay present, avoid negative speculation. Key Takeaway Present focus reduces pessimism. Themes mindset positivity decision‑making communication psychology Mood determined optimistic Type advice motivational When to use this quote - goal setting - team meetings - personal reflection - coaching sessions Key Concepts cognitive bias future orientation Practical Applications - motivational speaking - leadership training Questions to Reflect On - How does avoiding 'if' statements change outcomes? - What benefits arise from focusing on the present? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) ## Related quotes > [I hope to be around past the 90's. I don't want to just be categorized as one of this era. My goal is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariah-carey/i-hope-to-be-around-past-the-90-s-i-don-t-want-to-just-be-categorized/) [Mariah Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariah-carey/) > [Any good practical philosophy must start out with the recognition of our having a body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-yutang/any-good-practical-philosophy-must-start-out-with-the-recognition-of/) [Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/) > [If I had a religious experience, what I know for sure is that I would stop doing philosophy and would start doing religion, teaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-critchley/if-i-had-a-religious-experience-what-i-know-for-sure-is-that-i-would/) [Simon Critchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-critchley/) > [“My desire and wish is that the things I start with should be so obvious that you wonder why I spend my time stating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/my-desire-and-wish-is-that-the-things-i-start-with-should-be-so/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [True philosophy must start from the most immediate and comprehensive fact of consciousness: 'I am life that wants to live, in the midst of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/true-philosophy-must-start-from-the-most-immediate-and-comprehensive/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [“The XP philosophy is to start where you are now and move towards the ideal. From where you are now, could you improve a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-beck/the-xp-philosophy-is-to-start-where-you-are-now-and-move-towards-the/) [Kent Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-beck/) > [The point of philosophy is to start with something so simple as not to seem worth stating, and to end with something so paradoxical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/the-point-of-philosophy-is-to-start-with-something-so-simple-as-not/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [I would say 90 percent of my mail and phone calls are from people who want some kind of help or succor or commitment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-coyote/i-would-say-90-percent-of-my-mail-and-phone-calls-are-from-people-who/) [Peter Coyote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-coyote/) > [“Ideally, only 10 percent of Taijiquan movement is expressed externally, as 90 percent of the true functioning occurs internally and is unseen by others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-alve-olson/ideally-only-10-percent-of-taijiquan-movement-is-expressed-externally/) [Stuart Alve Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-alve-olson/) > [At the constitutional level where we work, 90 percent of any decision is emotional. The rational part of us supplies the reasons for supporting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/at-the-constitutional-level-where-we-work-90-percent-of-any-decision/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [This 90/10 rule holds true in almost anything financial. Take the game of golf, for example. Ten percent of the professional golfers make 90…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/this-90-10-rule-holds-true-in-almost-anything-financial-take-the-game/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [I'd say I'm friends with 90 percent of the girls I meet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-van-ness/i-d-say-i-m-friends-with-90-percent-of-the-girls-i-meet/) [Laurel Van Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-van-ness/) > [It's immoral and wrong that the top 1 percent of the USA owns almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent. We should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/it-s-immoral-and-wrong-that-the-top-1-percent-of-the-usa-owns-almost/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [I've never been one of those who wanted to fill my calendar up 90 percent of the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-gottfried/i-ve-never-been-one-of-those-who-wanted-to-fill-my-calendar-up-90/) [Gilbert Gottfried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-gottfried/) > [To be a critic, you have to have maybe three percent education, five percent intelligence, two percent style, and 90 percent gall and egomania…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-crist/to-be-a-critic-you-have-to-have-maybe-three-percent-education-five/) [Judith Crist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-crist/) ## More by Gordie Howe > [The first time I met Wayne Gretzky... he never said anything back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordie-howe/the-first-time-i-met-wayne-gretzky-he-never-said-anything-back/) [Gordie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordie-howe/) > [I don't want to retire, because you stay retired for an awfully long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordie-howe/i-don-t-want-to-retire-because-you-stay-retired-for-an-awfully-long/) [Gordie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordie-howe/) > [If you make it anywhere in life, you owe that success to the people along the way who stuck up for you, or made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordie-howe/if-you-make-it-anywhere-in-life-you-owe-that-success-to-the-people/) [Gordie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordie-howe/) > [I like to think that I'm a family man first and a professional athlete second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordie-howe/i-like-to-think-that-i-m-a-family-man-first-and-a-professional/) [Gordie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordie-howe/) > [The kid looks good in his first game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordie-howe/the-kid-looks-good-in-his-first-game/) [Gordie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordie-howe/) > [People say I'm henpecked. Well, let them say it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordie-howe/people-say-i-m-henpecked-well-let-them-say-it/) [Gordie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordie-howe/) > [Growing up, I probably raised a bit more hell than I should have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordie-howe/growing-up-i-probably-raised-a-bit-more-hell-than-i-should-have/) [Gordie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordie-howe/) > [I always tell kids, you have two eyes and one mouth. Keep two open and one closed. You never learn anything if you're the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordie-howe/i-always-tell-kids-you-have-two-eyes-and-one-mouth-keep-two-open-and/) [Gordie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordie-howe/) > [I'm aware that not everyone approved of how I played, but I don't think any apologies are in order. Early in my career, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordie-howe/i-m-aware-that-not-everyone-approved-of-how-i-played-but-i-don-t/) [Gordie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordie-howe/) > [Growing up during the Depression, we didn't have much, but we had each other, we had our friends, and that was pretty much all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordie-howe/growing-up-during-the-depression-we-didn-t-have-much-but-we-had-each/) [Gordie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordie-howe/) > [Everybody whose anybody in hockey has played in Hershey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordie-howe/everybody-whose-anybody-in-hockey-has-played-in-hershey/) [Gordie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordie-howe/) > [American professional athletes are bilingual; they speak English and profanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordie-howe/american-professional-athletes-are-bilingual-they-speak-english-and/) [Gordie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordie-howe/) > [It doesn't matter whether I'm in an NHL arena, at a local rink, or on a sheet of ice in the middle of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordie-howe/it-doesn-t-matter-whether-i-m-in-an-nhl-arena-at-a-local-rink-or-on-a/) [Gordie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordie-howe/) > [I might have some quibbles with the way the game is played today, but at its core, I know that hockey will always be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordie-howe/i-might-have-some-quibbles-with-the-way-the-game-is-played-today-but/) [Gordie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordie-howe/) > [If Colleen Howe had been a hockey player, she would have been a centremen. I can see her as a centreman because you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordie-howe/if-colleen-howe-had-been-a-hockey-player-she-would-have-been-a/) [Gordie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordie-howe/) [Explore all 35 Gordie Howe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordie-howe/) ## More Ifs and quotes > [There's no ifs and buts or maybes, you're gonna miss, you're gonna miss my loving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-rawls/there-s-no-ifs-and-buts-or-maybes-you-re-gonna-miss-you-re-gonna-miss/) [Lou Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-rawls/) > [ I just have to deal with it \[injuries\] if and when problems happen. 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I want to continue contributing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-abbott/if-and-when-i-decide-to-retire-i-want-to-perform-i-want-to-be-on-the/) [Jeremy Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-abbott/) > [You are rich if and only if money you refuse tastes better than money you accept.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/you-are-rich-if-and-only-if-money-you-refuse-tastes-better-than-money/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Two questions form the foundation of all novels: "What if?" and "What next?" (A third question, "What now?", is one the author asks himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/two-questions-form-the-foundation-of-all-novels-what-if-and-what-next/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [If - and it can be in a movie or in a department store - I hear someone arguing with their child, I break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/if-and-it-can-be-in-a-movie-or-in-a-department-store-i-hear-someone/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [Sometimes I think about dying. And then I wonder about going to hell. And then I think that if and when I go there,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-sheffield/sometimes-i-think-about-dying-and-then-i-wonder-about-going-to-hell/) [Charles Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-sheffield/) > [Some communities will be abandoned, others will struggle along, others will split, others will flourish, gain members, and be duplicated elsewhere. Each community must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-nozick/some-communities-will-be-abandoned-others-will-struggle-along-others/) [Robert Nozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-nozick/) > [One should not as a rule reveal one's secrets, since one does not know if and when one may need them again. The essential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-goebbels/one-should-not-as-a-rule-reveal-one-s-secrets-since-one-does-not-know/) [Joseph Goebbels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-goebbels/) > [Beans are highly nutritious and satisfying, they can also be delicious if and when properly prepared, and they posses over all vegetables the great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-simon/beans-are-highly-nutritious-and-satisfying-they-can-also-be-delicious/) [Andre Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-simon/) > [I am perfectly happy to compromise and work with anybody. Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians. I’ll work with Martians. If — and the if is critical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/i-am-perfectly-happy-to-compromise-and-work-with-anybody-republicans/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [As a relatively young woman - I'm 33 - I hope to one day have a family and already have commitments. If and when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/as-a-relatively-young-woman-i-m-33-i-hope-to-one-day-have-a-family/) [Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/) > [If and when I do get "down," the last thing on my mind is writing a song. Usually, being bummed just involves lying around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wooden-wand/if-and-when-i-do-get-down-the-last-thing-on-my-mind-is-writing-a-song/) [Wooden Wand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wooden-wand/) > [We need groups like the Women's March reminding elected officials that they have a responsibility to create pathways of opportunity, and if - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-turner/we-need-groups-like-the-women-s-march-reminding-elected-officials/) [Nina Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-turner/) Browse all 103 Ifs and quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My philosophy is never start talking about 'if,' 'and,' 'but' or the past, because 90 percent of what follows will be negative.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gordie Howe" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordie-howe/my-philosophy-is-never-start-talking-about-if-and-but-or-the-past/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ifs and" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordie-howe/my-philosophy-is-never-start-talking-about-if-and-but-or-the-past/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73d/gordie-howe-18126_ifs-and_my-philosophy-is-never-start-talking-abo_17082.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73d/gordie-howe-18126_ifs-and_my-philosophy-is-never-start-talking-abo_17082.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73d/gordie-howe-18126_ifs-and_my-philosophy-is-never-start-talking-abo_17082.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My philosophy is never start talking about 'if,' 'and,' 'but' or the past, because 90 percent of what…” — Gordie Howe", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Gordie Howe", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordie-howe/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My philosophy is never start talking...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordie-howe/my-philosophy-is-never-start-talking-about-if-and-but-or-the-past/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordie-howe/my-philosophy-is-never-start-talking-about-if-and-but-or-the-past/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```