Words are often seen hunting for an idea, but ideas are never seen hunting for words.

—Josh Billings

About Josh Billings

Portrait of Josh Billings

Henry Wheeler Shaw (April 21, 1818 – October 14, 1885), better known by the pen name Josh Billings, was a 19th-century American humorist and lecturer.

More quotations from Josh Billings

Genius ain't anything more than elegant common sense.

—Josh Billings

genius common sense

Every man has his follies—and often they are the most interesting thing he has got.

—Josh Billings

Laughter is the sensation of feeling good all over and showing it principally in one place.

—Josh Billings

As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand.

—Josh Billings

The time to pray is not when we are in a tight spot but just as soon as we get out of it.

—Josh Billings

More quotations tagged with “ideas”

It is not simply the brightest who have the best ideas; it is those who are best at harvesting ideas from others. It is not only the most determined who drive change; it is those who most fully engage with like-minded people. And it is not wealth or prestige that best motivates people; it is respect and help from peers.

—Alex Pentland in Social Physics

ideas innovation engagement motivation

To get the right word in the right place is a rare achievement. To condense the diffused light of a page of thought into the luminous flash of a single sentence is worthy to rank as a prize composition just by itself.… Anybody can have ideas—the difficulty is to express them without squandering a quire of paper on an idea that ought to be reduced to one glittering paragraph.

words writing ideas achievement

The only good ideas are the ones I can take credit for.

Photography is more than a medium for factual communication of ideas. It is a creative art.

ideas communication art photography

Ideas pull the trigger, but instinct loads the gun.

History

16 May 2018 Added