A Quote by Mary Oliver

I wanted to hurry into the work of my life; I wanted to know, whoever I was, I was alive for a little while.

Mary Oliver

Quote Topics

Alive Hurry Know Life Little Little While My Life Wanted While Whoever Work

Quote Author

Mary Oliver
American - Poet
September 10, 1935 - January 17, 2019

I wanted the past to go away, I wanted to leave it, like another country; I wanted my life to close, and open like a hinge, like a wing, like the part of the song where it falls down over the rocks: an explosion, a discovery; I wanted to hurry into the work of my life; I wanted to know, whoever I was, I was alive for a little while.

Mary Oliver

There's an African proverb: 'When death finds you, may it find you alive.' Alive means living your own damned life, not the life that your parents wanted, or the life some cultural group or political party wanted, but the life that your own soul wants to live.

Michael Meade

When I was a teenager, I wanted to be in a group, or I wanted to work for Greenpeace, or I wanted to be a Buddhist monk. Those were the only three things I really wanted to do. I was doing some sort of soul searching in life.

Dave Wakeling

One of the reasons I wanted to start a company is because I wanted an environment that I wanted to work in. I wanted people to be able to have a life - for it to be OK to leave for a lacrosse game or a doctor's appointment. So I think women do work differently; it's important to have both men and women. They offer different things.

Tory Burch

I went to New York. I had a dream. I wanted to be a big star, I didn’t know anybody, I wanted to dance, I wanted to sing, I wanted to do all those things, I wanted to make people happy, I wanted to be famous, I wanted everybody to love me. I wanted to be a star. I worked really hard, and my dream came true.

Madonna Ciccone

I moved to Paris and I didn't really know what I wanted to do, but I moved in with a friend who had an apartment there and was looking for a roommate. Quickly, I discovered that I didn't know what exactly I wanted to do, but I wanted it to be a little creative.

Pauline Chalamet

I never wanted to be a writer. I wanted to be a book illustrator. I used to hurry home from school and draw.

Natalie Babbitt

All I wanted was a little piece of life, to be married, to have children.... I was trying my damnedest to lead a conventional life, for that was how I was brought up, and it was what my husband wanted of me. But one can't build little white picket fences to keep the nightmares out.

Anne Sexton

I was 16, I just wanted to do something in my life. I wanted to be healthy, I wanted to lose some weight and I went for my first training. In the beginning I didn't know what Muay Thai meant. You know? But I liked it so much, and after six months of training I had my first competition in Poland. I won, and after that I knew that I wanted to do it.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk

I really wanted, when I was a little, little kid, I wanted to collect rocks. I don't know why. I didn't know nothin' about them. I just liked to pick them up and keep em.

Fivio Foreign

I wanted to work with Mike Leigh. I had my list of British people I wanted to work with, and I wanted to work with David Lynch and Woody Allen.

Carmen Ejogo

I wanted to go and I wanted to drive the miles for no pay, I wanted to set up the rings, I wanted to set up the chairs, I wanted to go to training six-seven days a week for hours upon hours and blow myself up to where I can only work on instinct. I wanted to sleep in my car. I wanted to do all of that.

Tessa Blanchard

but it wasn't just about my feelings. The more I got to know you, the more I was certain that you'd do whatever it took to provide for your family. That was important to me. You have to understand that back then, a lot of people our age wanted to change the world. Even though it's a noble idea, I knew I wanted something more traditional. I wanted a family like my parents had, and I wanted to concentrate on my little corner of the world. I wanted someone who wanted to marry a wife and a mother, and someone who would respect my choice.

Nicholas Sparks

While I was doing stand-up, I thought I knew for sure that success meant getting everyone to like me. So I became whoever I thought people wanted me to be. I'd say yes when I wanted to say no, and I even wore a few dresses.

Ellen DeGeneres

I don't know. I really don't. While I was in the living room, I kept asking myself what I really wanted in life." She squeezed his hand. "And do you know what the answer was? The answer was that I wanted two things. First, I want you. I want us. I love you and I always have.

Nicholas Sparks

I saw you, and I wanted to be close to you. I wanted you to let me in. I wanted to know you in a way no one else did. I wanted you, all of you.