Trying quotes
18.3K quotes on this topic — from poets, philosophers, and thinkers across history.
Explore further
Browse quotes that often appear alongside trying — connected by shared ideas and recurring themes.
Quote collection
Follow a thought to its author, or read the full quote page.
"I have always tried to have a message, not to be a preacher, but a message that shows it's better to be a good guy than a bad guy, and I try to make it clear that doing the right thing is more attractive than not."
"I'm a salami writer. I try to write good salami, but salami is salami."
"If you are in difficulties with a book, try the element of surprise: attack it at an hour when it isn't expecting it."
"I'm trying to get at this. That is, a man may know that he belongs to, say, a group - this group or that group - but he feels himself lost within that group, trapped within his own deficiencies and without personal purpose."
"Once in your life, try something. Work hard at something. Try to change. Nothing bad can happen."
"You can waste so much energy trying to make everyone happy, but at the end of the day it's impossible to please everyone, so you just need to focus on what makes you happy."
"It used to be about trying to do something. Now it's about trying to be someone."
"As you get older, it gets harder to get rid of that belly but I do a lot of cardio to try to stay in shape."
"Sir, are you trying to offer me a bribe? How much"
"I'm not the kind of person who tries to be cool or trendy, I'm definitely an individual."
"I have so much music to release, but I'm meticulous. I'm like, "You've got to redo that part, redo that part." And people are like, "Just forget that and go ahead with it." But it's all about perfection, about trying to make it as good as you can."
"It is hopeless for the occasional visitor to try to keep up with Chicago-she outgrows his prophecies faster than he can make them. She is always a novelty; for she is never the Chicago you saw when you passed through the last time."
"I sometimes think that when the prime minister tries to select a weapon it is the boomerang he finds most effective."
"In my next life I will try to commit more errors."
"I feel like I'm waving the flag for musicianship, trying to bring back bands that can play."
"Many things, such as loving, going to sleep, or behaving unaffectedly - are done worst when we try hardest to do them."
"He's a blockhead who wants a proof of what he cannot perceive. And he's a fool a fool who tries to make such a blockhead believe."
"When I was trying to impress Kate, I was trying to cook these amazing fancy dinners and what would happen was I would burn something, something would overspill, something would catch on fire and she would be sitting in the background trying to help, and basically taking control of the whole situation, so I was quite glad she was there at the time."
"A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success. There is no failure except in no longer trying. There is no defeat except from within, no really insurmountable barrier save our own inherent weakness of purpose."
"Life is a short affair; We should try to make it smooth, and free from strife."
