Quotes & Sayings About Inaction Action

Every action or inaction has an impact-good or bad-upon our surroundings, and anything we do today will have an impact on the lives of our grandchildren. — Ted Turner

Use the losses and failures of the past as a reason for action, not inaction. — Charles J. Givens

The non-action of the wise man is not inaction. It is not studied. It is not shaken by anything. The sage is quiet because he is not moved, not because he wills to be quiet ... Joy does all things without concern. For emptiness, stillness, tranquillity, tastelessness, silence, and non-action are the root of all things. — Zhuangzi

Failure or success do not happen by accident, they are the compound interest of action or inaction. — Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha

Defeat appears to me preferable to total Inaction. — John Adams

I never worry about action, but only inaction. — Winston Churchill

Inaction, contrary to its reputation for being a refuge, is neither safe nor comfortable. — Madeleine M. Kunin

There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction. — John F. Kennedy

We have to accept that any action we take might promote an equal and opposite reaction that we do not want. We have to realize that even the most noble actions or most obviously correct course can have its dark side that we cannot control or reason our way out of. The fighter of the "just war" must understand that her actions will result in the deaths of other humans; many of whom may be innocent. The pacifist who refuses all war must realize that his inaction might likewise result in the deaths of the innocent. There are no actions without contradiction
and yet we must act, for not to act is also a contradictory action with both positive and negative effects. — John Hunter

You can betray someone with a word or an action. You can betray them with silence or inaction too. And in betraying that one person, you can betray a whole world. — Julie Bertagna

No choice recurs. We may get similar choices again, but never that exact one. Hesitation - inaction - is just as irrevocable as action. What the motorist, locked on the one-way road, is to space, we are to the fourth dimension: we truly pass this way but once. — Brian Christian

[ ... ] endless action and reaction. Those beautifully rounded pebbles which you gather on the sand and which you hold in your hand and marvel at their exceeding smoothness, were chiseled into their varies and graceful forms by the ceaseless action of countless waves. Nature is herself a great worker and never tolerates, without certain rebuke, any contradiction to her wise example. Inaction is followed by stagnation. Stagnation is followed by pestilence and pestilence is followed by death. — Frederick Douglass

Not complete inaction, which is an error, a confusion, a self-delusion, an impossibility, but action full and
free done without subjection to sense and passion, desireless and unattached works, are the first secret of perfection. — Sri Aurobindo

Inaction breeds fear and doubt. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy. - Dale Carnegie, writer and lecturer — Meg Jay

We are the sum of our actions, and of our inactions, yes, that is easy enough to understand. What comes harder is finding ourselves the sum of our emotions, which flicker, altered by experience, by the things we cannot bear to tell ourselves, by the trouble we accrue, the flattening and tamping down as we learn how not to be hurt. As we learn protection and the easiest means of protection. — Carrie Snyder

Sometimes the best way to learn a lesson isn't just hearing the words, but putting it into practice by experimenting with it and finding its truth for yourself instead of taking someone else's word for it. — A.J. Darkholme

Once we know and are aware, we are responsible for our action and our inaction. We can do something about it or ignore it. Either way, we are still responsible. — Jean-Paul Sartre

Whatever the dangers of the action we take, the dangers of inaction are far, far greater. — Tony Blair

Dr. Neal Roese makes a fascinating distinction between two types of regret: regrets of action and regrets of inaction. — Mark Batterson

We often don't realize what our action & our inaction do to people we think we will never see & never know. — Jacqueline Novogratz

Doing nothing was as honourable as any available course of action. Think of Hamlet, think of Job, think of Jesus before Pilate. — Johnny Rich

Sometimes the only way to make something happen is to do nothing. — Marty Rubin

Not acting is a policy. Not acting is a choice. Not acting brings its own consequences and you have to weight cost of action against cost of inaction. And for many people across the political spectrum the cost of inaction is rising too high. — Liam Fox

Action is about living fully. Inaction is the way that we deny life. Inaction is sitting in front of the television every day for years because you are afraid to be alive and tot ake the risk of expressing what you are. Expressing what you are is taking action. — Miguel Ruiz

Politics is action and all action is but a flaw in the perfection of inaction, which is peace, just as all being is but a flaw in the perfection of nonbeing. Which is God. For if God is perfection and the only perfection is in nonbeing, then God is nonbeing. Then God is nothing. Nothing can give no basis for the criticism of Thing in its thingness. Then where do you get anything to say? Then where do you get off? — Robert Penn Warren

So much of the world's suffering results from the sinful action or inaction of ourselves and others. For example, people look at a famine and wonder where God is, but the world produces enough food for each person to have 3,000 calories a day. It's our own irresponsibility and self-centeredness that prevents people from getting fed. — Lee Strobel

There is nothing more explosive than a skilled population condemned to inaction. Such a population is likely to become a hotbed of extremism and intolerance, and be receptive to any proselytizing ideology, however absurd and vicious, which promises vast action. — Eric Hoffer

Heavy as they are, the costs of action must be weighed against the price of inaction. If Saddam defies the world and we fail to respond, we will face a far greater threat in the future. Saddam will strike again at his neighbors; he will make war on his own people. And mark my words, he will develop weapons of mass destruction. He will deploy them, and he will use them. — William J. Clinton

Atrocitus: You believe fear to be the most powerful force in the universe? Fear is inaction. Fear is hiding away. Fear is cowering and begging. Rage is action. Rage is spilling blood. Sinestro: Rage is uncontrollable. — William Irwin

Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? — Patrick Henry

Justice is not available to all equally; it is something that many of us must struggle to achieve. As an elected official, I know that fighting for what is just is not always popular but it is necessary; that is the real challenge that public servants face and it is where courage counts the most. Without courage, our action or inaction results in suffering of the few and injustice for all. — Hilda Solis

I never worry about action, but only about inaction. — Winston S. Churchill

Every action (or inaction) involves a choice between what is more important and what is less important. — Brian Tracy

Tolerance never exists without negative judgment. It is the sentiment of having a negative opinion about something yet still putting up with it. — Criss Jami

Tao Te Ching says that it is only through retreat rather than pursuit, through inaction rather than action, that we acquire wisdom. "Those with less become content," says the Tao, "those with more become confused." The poems, still widely read, have been hailed as a hermit manifesto for more than two thousand years. — Michael Finkel

The breeding ground of fear is procrastination and inaction. We overcome them not by preparation, but by taking action. — Debasish Mridha

Every action or perceived inaction shapes credibility. — Mindy Hall

Contentment is never the outcome of fulfillment, of achievement, or of the possession of things; it is not born of action or inaction. It comes with the fullness of what is, not in the alteration of it. — Jiddu Krishnamurti

Procrastination most often arises from a sense that there is too much to do, and hence no single aspect of the to-do worth doing ... Underneath this rather antic form of action-as-inaction is the much more unsettling question whether anything is worth doing at all. — Mark Kingwell

You had decided to take the action, whatever it was." "Yes." "Yes. It involved perhaps a period of inaction." "Of comparative inaction - yes." "Of suspense, shall we say?" "Yes - of suspense, certainly." "Possibly — Dorothy L. Sayers

One of the greatest handicaps is to fear a mistake. You have stopped yourself. You have to move freely into the arena, not just to wait for the perfect situation, the perfect moment ... If you have to make a mistake, it's better to make a mistake of action than one of inaction. If I had the opportunity again, I would take chances. — Federico Fellini

Action without knowledge can be worse than inaction — Me

100,000,000 Guinea Pigs sparked a rising wave of consumer indignation. But ... it takes a major catastrophe to carry legal and enforcement action over the hump of lethargy and inaction ... Today, nearly forty years later, the situation is worse, not better. — John Fuller

Acceptance is not a state of passivity or inaction. I am not saying you can't change the world, right wrongs, or replace evil with good. Acceptance is, in fact, the first step to successful action. If you don't fully accept a situation precisely the way it is, you will have difficulty changing it. Moreover, if you don't fully accept the situation, you will never really know if the situation should be changed. — Peter McWilliams

The action or inaction of any government does not negate the Personal Responsibility of the citizens. — Sunday Adelaja

It requires a certain kind of bravery, I suppose, to choose the status quo. There's a certain boldness to inaction. — Karen Thompson Walker

In a critical sense, doing nothing can mean doing something. Inaction can be action and embracing this paradox can save your life. — Ben Sherwood

You have the right to work, but never to the fruit of work. You should never engage in action for the sake of reward, nor should you long for inaction. Perform work in this world, Arjuna, as a man established within himself - without selfish attachments, and alike in success and defeat. — Anonymous

Do precedes done.
No precedes none. — Khang Kijarro Nguyen

Sometimes the highest form of action is inaction. — Jerry Brown

There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still. — Franklin D. Roosevelt

Take action and be brave Theodor for it is fear and inaction that kills. — Robert Radcliffe

Become a river and then nothing is needed. That's what The Secret of the Golden Flower says: Achieve inaction through action, achieve effortlessness through effort. But first comes the effort, the action - it will melt you - and then the river starts flowing. In that very flow it has reached the ocean. — Osho

Measure the cost of inaction, realize the unlikelihood and repairability of most missteps, and develop the most important habit of those who excel and enjoy doing so: action. — Timothy Ferriss

Idealism + Inaction = Depression — Oli Anderson

Inaction in a deed of mercy becomes an action in a deadly sin. — Helena Petrovna Blavatsky

Most, probably, of our decisions to do something positive, the full consequences of which will be drawn out over many days to come, can only be taken as the result of animal spirits-a spontaneous urge to action rather than inaction, and not as the outcome of a weighted average of quantitative benefits multiplied by quantitative probabilities. — John Maynard Keynes

A miscalculation is not negligence, nor prudence a crime. I am a scientist. I base my action or inaction upon probability and evidence. There is a reason we call science a discipline! Inferior minds bolt or build pyres to roast the witches in their midst! — Rick Yancey

Awareness isn't passive. It directly leads to action (or inaction). — Deepak Chopra

No outward thing - nothing, nobody from without - can hurt me inside, psychologically. I recognized that I could only be hurt psychologically by my own wrong actions, which I have control over; by my own wrong reactions (they are tricky, but I have control over them too); or by my own inaction in some situations, like the present world situation, that need action from me. When I recognized all this how free I felt! And I just stopped hurting myself. — Peace Pilgrim

A wall is a defense of a country that values inaction. But a wall imprisons the people of a country as much as it protects them. That's why Balthasar had us go this way. He wanted me to see the error in the Tao. One can't be free without action. — Christopher Moore

Sometimes procrastination is an action, not inaction. — Jacquelyn Frank

If he acts, if he doesn't, it's meaningless. The whole thing goes forward. No one is important. No one at all. — Jesse Ball

The situation on Earth today is too dire for us to act from habit - to reenact again and again the same kinds of solutions that brought us to our present extremity. Where does the wisdom to act in entirely new ways come from? It comes from nowhere, from the void; it comes from inaction. When we see it, we realize it was right in front of us all along. It is never far away; yet at the same time it is in a different universe - a different Story of the World. — Charles Eisenstein

Drastic action can be costly, but it can be less expensive than continuing inaction. — Richard Neustadt

Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all. — Norman Vincent Peale

Change quotes were meant to move us from inaction to action. — Jon Jones

In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.
[The Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1995: Hearing before the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management and the District of Columbia of the Committee on Governmental Affairs (1996)] — Theodore Roosevelt

To achieve peace, destruction is delivered. To give the gift of freedom, one promises eternal imprisonment. Adjudication obviates the need for justice. This is a studied, deliberate embrace of diametric opposition. It is a belief in balance, a belief asserted with the conviction of religion. But in this case, the proof of a god's power lies not in the cause but in the effect. Accordingly, in this world and in all others, proof is achieved by action, and therefore all action - including the act of choosing inaction - is inherently moral. No deed stands outside the moral context. At the same time, the most morally perfect act is the one taken in opposition to what has occurred before. — Steven Erikson

We have to remind ourselves that we are not the transitory body, we are not the person who is having experiences, we are not affected by action or inaction. — Frederick Lenz

For most people, it is better to lean towards action rather than inaction. — Max McKeown

Change does not surface when you are not ready to be the catalyst. Your reaction matters, not your inaction. — Michael Bassey Johnson

If you recognize that all of your inner hurts are caused by your own wrong actions or your own wrong reactions or your own wrong inaction, then you will stop hurting yourself. — Peace Pilgrim

Don't you see?" She addressed the entire room. "We either fight here and win, or die trying, because there won't be anything left if we fail. This is the moment. This is the crucial point where the future of yet unborn generations will be decided either by our action or inaction. For centuries to come, people will look back at this time and rejoice at our courage or curse our weakness." She looked directly at Royce now. "For we have the power. Here. Now. In this place. We have the power to alter the course of history and we will be forever damned should we not so much as try! — Michael J. Sullivan

I know in my heart the dream will be realized. I choose to believe. And choosing is a powerful thing. It's available to you at every moment. You can choose understanding over anger, believing over nonbelieving, action over inaction. It gives meaning to every choice we make. — Yolanda King

Investing is a simple process of taking into account the present value and future value. The other major factor to understand here, is what you lose as a result of inaction. Consider what you can gain and what you can lose in your decision. — J.R. Rim

It is so important not to let ourselves off the hook or to become apathetic or cynical by telling ourselves that nothing works or makes a difference. Every day, light your small candle ... The inaction and actions of many human beings over a long time contributed to the crises our children face, and it is the action and struggle of many human beings over time that will solve them-with God's help. So every day, light your small candle. — Marian Wright Edelman

Chaotic action is preferable to orderly inaction. — Will Rogers

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you
want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy. — Dale Carnegia

The best antidote to worry is action. If there is an action that will lessen the likelihood of a dreaded outcome occurring, and if that action doesn't cost too much in terms of effort or freedom, then take it. The worry about whether we remembered to close the baby gate at the top of the stairs can be stopped in an instant by checking. Then it isn't a worry anymore; it's just a brief impulse. Almost all of the worry parents feel about keeping their children safe evolves from the conflict between intuition and inaction.
Your choices when worrying are clear: take action, have faith, pray, seek comfort, or keep worrying. — Gavin De Becker

If you practice inaction, nothing will be left undone: For the way to acquire lordship over society is by invariably not interfering. — Laozi

Imperfect action is always better than perfect inaction! — Pablo Pasqualino

Fruitless striving breeds less despair than inaction. — Mason Cooley

You can't say there shouldn't be poisonous serpents - that's the way life is. But in the field of action, if you see a poisonous serpent about to bite somebody, you kill it. That's not saying no to the serpent. That's saying no to that situation. So let's accept what must be accepted, without letting our acceptance justify inaction. — Eric Greitens

When you assume you make a you-know-what out of U and me. Yep, so let's stop assuming so much. We are often quick to explain details to strangers, who we understand might not be reading our minds, but we often assume that those people closest to us, those who share our household such as spouses, children parents and siblings, can read our minds. And we get upset with them when they don't go figure.
I wonder how many angry words are directed not at an action or inaction as would at first appear, but simply at the fact that somebody did not read our minds.
So let's give those people we care most about the benefit of the doubt and do a little less assuming and a little more explaining. — David Leonhardt

You are where you are right now because of the actions you've taken, or maybe, the inaction you've taken. — Steve Maraboli

Free yourself from the need to blame others. There are two reasons that you are where you are right now; action or inaction. — Steve Maraboli

The consequences of successful action seemed almost as terrible as the consequences of inaction, and they could be more horrible for those who took the action. A bubble can easily be punctured. But to incise it with a needle so that it subsides gradually is a task of no small delicacy. — John Kenneth Galbraith

My aunt must have been perfectly well aware that she would not see Swann again, that she would never leave her own house any more, but this ultimate seclusion seemed to be accepted by her with all the more readiness for the very reason which, to our minds, ought to have made it more unbearable; namely, that such a seclusion was forced upon her by the gradual and steady diminution in her strength which she was able to measure daily, which, by making every action, every movement 'tiring' to her if not actually painful, gave to inaction, isolation and silence the blessed, strengthening and refreshing charm of repose. — Marcel Proust

The master action to move forward, is a form of inaction; being still and quiet. — Bryant McGill

A person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inaction, and in either case he is justly accountable to them for the injury. — John Stuart Mill

Action always beats inaction. — T. Harv Eker

One evening an elder Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside all people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us. One is Fear. It carries anxiety, concern, uncertainty, hesitancy, indecision and inaction. The other is Faith. It brings calm, conviction, confidence, enthusiasm, decisiveness, excitement and action." The grandson thought about it for a moment and then meekly asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?" The old Cherokee replied, "The one you feed. — Gary Keller

Sometimes the most heroic action you can take looks a lot like inaction to the rest of the world. Sometimes the hardest, longest walk is the one the white-hat takes offstage. — Karen Marie Moning

Those who claim to be on the side of good yet do nothing to fight evil are on the side of evil. — Joyce Rachelle

Action always beats inaction. These — Robert T. Kiyosaki

Our volitional habits depend, then, first, on what the stock of ideas is which we have; and, second, on the habitual coupling of the several ideas with action or inaction respectively. — William James

So she became impulsive, scared by her inaction into perpetual action. When the Eagle confronted her with the expulsion, maybe she blurted out Marya's name because it was the first that came to mind, because in that moment she didn't want to get expelled and she couldn't think past that moment. She was scared, sure. But more importantly, maybe she'd been scared of being paralyzed by fear again.

~Miles/Pudge on Alaska, pg 120-121 — John Green

Obama is learning very late that, for a superpower, inaction is a form of action. You can abdicate, but you really can't hide. History will find you. It has now found Obama. — Charles Krauthammer

And the fear of not being is born in that space. But in meditation, when this is understood, the mind can enter into a dimension of space where action is inaction. We do not know what love is, for in the space made by thought around itself as the me, love is the conflict of the me and the not-me. This conflict, this torture, is not love. Thought is the very denial of love, and it cannot enter into that space where the me is not. In that space is the benediction which man seeks and cannot find. He seeks it within the frontiers of thought, and thought destroys the ecstasy of this benediction. — Jiddu Krishnamurti