"You don't realize how language actually interferes with communication until you don't have it, how it gets in the way like an overdominant sense. You have to pay much more attention to everything else when you can't understand the words. Once comprehension comes, so much else falls away. You then rely on their words, and words aren't always the most reliable thing."
Attention quotes
Attention
2.5K quotes on this topic — from poets, philosophers, and thinkers across history.
Explore further
Topics related to Attention
Browse quotes that often appear alongside attention — connected by shared ideas and recurring themes.
Quote collection
Attention quotes (page 3 of 124)
Follow a thought to its author, or read the full quote page.
"My nephew has HDADHD. High Definition Attention Deficit Disorder. He can barely pay attention, but when he does it's unbelievably clear."
"Whatever you put attention on will start manifesting in your life. Intention, attention, manifestation; that is how the universe works."
"You become what you give your attention to...If you yourself don't choose what thoughts and images you expose yourself to, someone else will, and their motives may not be the highest."
"He who pays no attention to what his neighbor does, says or thinks, preferring to concentrate on making his own actions appropriate and justifiable, better uses his time."
"Sometimes you just have to go and make a mess of things to get people to pay attention."
"The best way to live a miserable life is to pay attention to what other people are saying about you."
"Failure honestly can be like the best lesson and it's like the one that like God wants you to really pay attention to. That's why it hurts. The pain will help you remember how not to walk, what directions not to go."
"Accidentally consumed five biscuits when I wasn't paying attention. Those biscuits are wily fellows - they leap in like sugary ninjas"
"Don't pay attention to "authorities," think for yourself."
"I don't pay no attention to what critics say about me, the good or the bad. The toughest critic I got is myself...and I'm too vain to play anything I think is bad."
"We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure, but not delight. Not enjoyment. We must have the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless furnace of this world. To make injustice the only measure of our attention is to praise the Devil."
"Pay attention. Don't just stagger through the day."
"Multitasking divides your attention and leads to confusion and weakened focus."
"You have to pay attention to the moment and make it the best it can be for you. I've been trying to do that. It's really made a major difference for me. I'm a happier person."
"That which holds our attention determines our action."
"If you pay attention to when you are hungry, what your body wants, what you are eating, when you've had enough, you end the obsession because obsession and awareness cannot coexist."
"Every single person has a story that will break your heart. And if you're paying attention, many people... have a story that will bring you to your knees. Nobody rides for free."
"The women who don't seek attention are usually the women you need to be giving your attention to."
"As a mortal being you are limited, but as a child of God you are unlimited... Focus your attention on God, and you shall have all the power you want, to use in any direction."