Quotes About Inaction

It was Coolidge of whom Dorothy Parker, when told of his death, asked, "How can they tell?" Dorothy Parker was extremely witty, but in this case her amusing observation obscured the fact that Coolidge, who was undoubtedly dull, was also a fairly successful president–for the very reason that he did nothing, and said even less. That would not be possible today, of course. People had to do things, and would not rest until they had done them.

But the real question, boys, is this: do we have a duty to do anything to stop things we may not like? Is it all right just to do nothing, provided that we don't do anything that makes matters worse?

I was born for the peaceful life, for rural quiet: the lyre's voice in the wild is more resounding, creative dreams are more alive. To harmless leisures consecrated, I wander by a wasteful lake and far niente is my rule. By every morn I am awakened unto sweet mollitude and freedom; little I read, a lot I sleep, fugitive fame do not pursue. Was it not thus in former years, that I spent in inaction, in the shade, my happiest days?

O flowers, country, love, inaction, O fields! I am your devotee! I always note with satisfaction Onegin's difference from me, Lest somewhere a sarcastic reader Or publisher or such-like breeder Of complicated calumny Discerns my physiognomy And shamelessly repeats the fable That I have crudely versified Myself like Byron, bard of pride, As if we were no longer able To write a poem and discuss A subject not concerning us.

I won't think about it now, there's nothing I can do about any of those things.

Partly as a result of the president's inaction, by 1956 nearly every southern state had enacted legislation that declared the Brown ruling null and void.

Evil grows when good people do and say nothing.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen.

Action cures fear, inaction creates terror.

Sometimes doing something is worse than doing nothing.

The safest course was actually the simplest-do nothing at all and hope everything turned out for the best. It wasn't a great plan, but it had the benefits of simplicity and a long tradition.

Run! my brain screamed, but my feet didn't move. Seriously. No movement at all, just like in one of those dreams where a giant dinosaur suddenly appears in the grocery store parking lot and you can't seem to start running away or even throw a package of chicken thighs to create a diversion, no matter how hard you try.

stood there and watched and didn't do a thing to help me.

Lazy people tend not to take chances, but express themselves by tearing down other's work.

MUCH of the naughtiness in school is a result of the child's lack of interest in his work, augmented by the physical inaction that results from an attempt to sit quietly.

MUCH of the naughtiness in school is a result of the child's lack of interest in his work, augmented by the physical inaction that results from an attempt to sit quietly. The best teachers try to obviate both of these rather than to punish because of them.

Lots of people haven't done anything,' said longest friend. 'And still they're not doing it, will always be not doing it, in their private coffins down at the usual place.

He lifted his hand to knock, but then he stopped. He could go neither forward nor back, so he simply stayed that way—hand frozen in the air.

Pero, ¿podía haber algo que infundiera más miedo que otra noches de espera, otro día de tensión, el no-suceder, el no-actuar?¿Acaso no se había alcanzado un punto culminante, por encima del cual solo estaba el vacío?

Pero, ¿podía haber algo que infundiera más miedo que otra noche de espera, otro día de tensión, el no-suceder, el no-actuar? ¿Acaso no se había alcanzado un punto culminante, por encima del cual solo estaba el vacío?

We are much more concerned with errors of commission than errors of omission (failures to act). We're more wary of "causing" a bad outcome by acting than "letting it happen" through inaction.

Wrapped within all these forces interfering with quitting decisions is that we do not think of sticking with the status quo as an active decision in the same way that we view switching as one. We are much more concerned with errors of commission than errors of omission (failures to act). We're more wary of "causing" a bad outcome by acting than "letting it happen" through inaction.

You can get assent to almost any proposition so long as you are not going to do anything about it.

Years of government inaction on air pollution has got people thinking that the state cannot even protect basic public goods like clean air.