“I PUT four sides around an idea”

Nick Vedros

Since the beginning of my career, the philosophies, quotes, and aphorisms of others have helped define, humorize, and support life situations. Some “quotes to live by” came from famous people I’ve had the privilege of photographing – Sam Walton, Warren Buffett, Fred Pryor, and James Earl Jones, to name a few. Others, I may have heard in a film or a series. Gathered over a lifetime, it’s impossible to attribute each to its source. Here are some personal favorites:

“Your philosophies create the software of your brain.”

“Immediate gratification takes too long.”

“Procrastination speeds up failure.”

“The Wright brothers never had a pilot’s license.”

“There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept.”

“If you think hiring a professional is expensive, try hiring an amateur.”

“If you don’t ask the answer is already no.”

“Design a career around the life style you want to live.”

“Everything in moderation, including moderation.”

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”

“I was born with a genetic disease called optimism.”

“If you want the rainbow, you got to put up with the rain.”

“You’re never fully dressed without a smile.”

“Vision is the art of seeing the invisible.”

“Form follows function, but both report to emotion.” 

“wake up and smell the pixels.” 

“Heal the past, live the present, dream the future.”

“Success isn’t permanent and failure isn’t fatal.” 

“A fool with a plan can outsmart a genius with no plan.”

“In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible.”  

“I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”

“Culture is roughly anything we do, and the monkeys don’t.”

“Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.”

“The more you own the more you are owned.”

“There is an expiration date for blaming your parents.”

“A person is not old until regrets take the place of dreams.”

“Water separates the people of the world, wine unites them.” 

“Sarcasm is a body’s natural defense against stupid.” 

“I’ve learned that whatever hits the fan is not evenly distributed.”

“Humor is the savior of sanity.”