Welcome to our collection of insightful quotes on the theme of paying attention. In a world filled with distractions and constant stimuli, the ability to focus and truly pay attention is a skill that is often undervalued. Whether it’s in our personal relationships, professional endeavors, or simply in our everyday interactions, the act of paying attention can make all the difference in understanding, connecting, and ultimately thriving in our lives.
Throughout history, thinkers, philosophers, and leaders have emphasized the importance of being present and attentive. From ancient wisdom to modern insights, these quotes offer perspectives on the power and significance of paying attention to the world around us. They remind us to slow down, tune in, and appreciate the richness of our experiences. Below, you’ll find a curated selection of quotes that inspire mindfulness, awareness, and the art of paying attention. Feel free to use these quotes as inspiration for reflection, motivation, or to share with others.
I don’t pay attention a whole lot to what my numbers are. Tom Glavine
Nirvana really touched me as a teenager and started making me pay attention to music as a participatory thing that I could do. Phil Elverum
I have always had this view about the modern education system: we pay attention to brain development, but the development of warmheartedness we take for granted. Dalai Lama
I am not a Luddite. I am suspicious of technology. I am perfectly aware of its benefits, but I also try to pay attention to some of the negative effects. Neil Postman
Your children can be around you all day, but if you don’t spend quality time with them and you don’t pay attention to them and talk to them and listen to them, it doesn’t matter that they’re just around you. Brandy Norwood
I don’t sit for six hours a day in front of a computer or console like I used to. I like to work hard, to get tired. I pay attention to diet and training. Krzysztof Piatek
Living inside the shuttle was a little like camping out. We ended up sleeping in our seats. You had to pay attention to housekeeping, not get things too dirty. Robert Crippen
I’m really not good with money, and I don’t pay attention. Bill Cunningham
Tell me to what you pay attention and I will tell you who you are. Jose Ortega y Gasset
Automating some of your finances can be incredibly convenient and is a great way to save time, but automating everything makes it too easy to go on autopilot and forget to pay attention to your personal finances. Alexa Von Tobel
When I pay attention to the little details, such as matching accessories to the entire outfit, I only get more confident on stage. Jennie
Of course, the slightest little mistake on the wire will deprive me of my life, so in that sense, yes, it is a dangerous profession. You have to pay attention; if not, you will lose your life. Philippe Petit
History repeats itself. So you might wanna pay attention. Quavo
You learn a lot more from the lows because it makes you pay attention to what you’re doing. John Elway
My movies just kind of sneak up on you. I don’t have to worry too much about what everybody is going to say. Anyway, I really don’t pay attention to what the world says about my movies. I just care about what my buddies think. Adam Sandler
I encourage everyone to pay attention to the issues that matter to you, from jobs and the economy, to education and our schools, to criminal justice reform. Whatever it is that you care about, make sure you use your voice. Two Chainz
Pay attention to your enemies, for they are the first to discover your mistakes. Antisthenes
If you don’t pay attention to me, I’m going to make you pay attention to me. I’ve always been that way. Alexa Bliss
I like to live in a world of unicorns and rainbows where I don’t pay attention to anything unless it’s positive. Janet Varney
Pay attention, don’t let life go by you. Fall in love with the back of your cereal box. Jerry Seinfeld
We are all connected. The pain and suffering of others is yours also, on some level, whether you choose to pay attention or not. The reason we can’t achieve total bliss is because you’re not here solo. Tara Stiles
Pay attention to your friends; pay attention to that cousin that jumps up on the picnic table at the family reunion and goes a little too ‘nutty,’ you know what I mean? Pay attention to that aunt that’s down in the basement that never comes upstairs. We have to pay attention to our friends, pay attention to your family, and offer a hand. Jenifer Lewis
Empty heads, cognitive science has taught us, learn nothing. The powerful cultural and personal flexibility of our species is owed at least in part to our starting off so well-informed; we are good learners because we know what to pay attention to and what questions are the right ones to ask. Paul Bloom
I think pastors are the worst listeners. We’re so used to speaking, teaching, giving answers. We must learn to be quiet, quit being so verbal, learn to pay attention to what’s going on, and listen. Eugene H. Peterson
I don’t pay attention to the number of birthdays. It’s weird when I say I’m 53. It just is crazy that I’m 53. I think I’m very immature. I feel like a kid. That’s why my back goes out all the time, because I completely forget I can’t do certain things anymore – like doing the plank for 10 minutes. Ellen DeGeneres
For me, it seems to help me take the pressure off if I don’t pay attention to what other people are telling me. Missy Franklin
You have to pay attention to the moments when you’ve felt on top on the world. I remember the first time I was on stage, I was doing ‘West Side Story,’ I was 17 and this woman was crying because she liked what I was doing so much. Sebastian Stan
Sometimes my life is moving so fast that I forget what’s going on. I’m just going with the pace or going with the flow. Like, I don’t really stop and try to pay attention to things for too long. Bryson Tiller
It’s hard to pay attention these days because of multiple affects of the information technology nowadays. You tend to develop a faster, speedier mind, but I don’t think it’s necessarily broader or smarter. Robert Redford
I’m not deceived by people, because I don’t pay attention to people. Yves Saint Laurent
When I was growing up, my family was so poor we couldn’t afford to pay attention. Mr. T
As I grew, I learned to love myself more every day and not pay attention to the negative people, which helped a lot. Khoudia Diop
When I was young, even though I received so much love, I used to pay attention to people who disliked me. That’s why my lyrics were so sharp and dark. IU
You have to have really wide reading habits and pay attention to the news and just everything that’s going on in the world: you need to. If you get this right, then the writing is a piece of cake. Terry Pratchett
The political process does not end on Election Day. Young people need to stay involved in the process by continuing to pay attention to the conversation and holding their leaders accountable for the decisions they make. Patrick Murphy
Surviving and thriving in the wake of my mother’s loss, I learned to believe in God. He has a plan, if you pay attention to the signs. I am inspired by the absolute proof of miracles. Mariska Hargitay
I learned long ago to focus on things you can control and don’t even pay attention to things you don’t. Bryan Cranston
I was raised with hippie parents, so I get down with the positive. I don’t pay attention to the negative. Guy Fieri
Often the magical elements in my books are standing in for elements of the real world, the small and magical-in-their-own-right sorts of things that we take for granted and no longer pay attention to, like the bonds of friendship that entwine our own lives with those of other people and places. Charles de Lint
We pay attention to every demographic in every country, so we’re going to focus on building things that teens are going to like, and we’re also going to focus on building things that other folks are going to like. Mark Zuckerberg
I pay attention to my diet to be a healthier gymnast, but I’m not obsessive over it. Shawn Johnson
I pay attention to lyrics and I know what rap fans care about. I try to write for the average listener and I’m conscious of the mainstream without selling out. J. Cole
The most important thing is to make the technology inclusive – make the world change. Next, pay attention to those people who are 30 years old, because those are the internet generation. They will change the world; they are the builders of the world. Jack Ma
The thing about radio is that it’s got an intimate feel. What I like is that you don’t have to give it your full attention – you can still do something else that the same time, whereas TV is all-enveloping: you have to sit there and pay attention to it, and give yourself over to it. You have to surrender to it, but you don’t with radio. Jarvis Cocker
We had to cope with the media writing things which were not true, which were insulting. At around 13 I decided I was just not going to pay attention. Judit Polgar
An expert is someone who has succeeded in making decisions and judgements simpler through knowing what to pay attention to and what to ignore. Edward de Bono
We spend so much time listening to the things people are saying that we rarely pay attention to the things they don’t. Clint Smith
Like my best friend, I asked for drums for Christmas, and got them. But when he moved on to guitar, I realized two things: (1) guitar is a much more expressive instrument, (2) way more girls pay attention to guitar players than to drummers. Greg Iles
I used to be a real prince charming if I went on a date with a girl. But then I’d get to where I was likely to have a stroke from the stress of keeping up my act. I’ve since learned the key to a good date is to pay attention on her. Matthew Perry
I pay attention to politics and technology. Nipsey Hussle
The haters out there, I don’t really pay attention to them, because I feel like I’m doing the best I can, and I just don’t want that negativity into my heart and into my mind. Ainsley Earhardt
It’s a constant, continuous, spectacular world we live in, and every day you see things that just knock you out, if you pay attention. Robert Irwin
A director’s job is like parenting. You have to look after your actors like children, pay attention to each of their different abilities. Kalki Koechlin
Do just once what others say you can’t do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again. James Cook
We know that’s the bottom line: if money is made, the powers that be pay attention. Regina King
It’s not unreasonable to imagine that, at least as we’re in a transition to a world economy, it’s still necessary now to pay attention to how our country is doing economically in comparison with other countries. Michael Crichton
When men are romantically interested in you, it’s really simple. Just ignore everything they say and only pay attention to what they do. Randy Pausch
It’s very exciting to be able to just work in this business, let alone on stuff you are extremely proud of. So it does make me a little nervous, because ‘Breaking Bad’ is so special. It’s great being part of something so great because people pay attention to you, hopefully because you’re doing good work. Aaron Paul
These days cry out, as never before, for us to pay attention, so we can move through them and get our joy and pride back. Anne Lamott
An average show is two hours. And that’s usually right up to the curfew or the union triple time. I always feel like I could have played a little longer or something, but it’s hard for me to pay attention to anything for longer than that. Tom Petty
I truly believe that everything that we do and everyone that we meet is put in our path for a purpose. There are no accidents; we’re all teachers – if we’re willing to pay attention to the lessons we learn, trust our positive instincts and not be afraid to take risks or wait for some miracle to come knocking at our door. Marla Gibbs
The paradigm shift of the ImageNet thinking is that while a lot of people are paying attention to models, let’s pay attention to data. Data will redefine how we think about models. Fei-Fei Li
We need to do whatever it takes to get our children together and pay attention to them, because that’s our future. What’s in the hearts and minds of our children is what’s in our future. Louis Gossett, Jr.
To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work. Mary Oliver
Next time I tell you someone from Texas should not be president of the United States, please pay attention. Molly Ivins
Although we have, in theory, abolished human slavery, recognized women’s rights, and stopped child labor, we continue to enslave other species who, if we simply pay attention, show quite clearly that they experience parental love, pain, and the desire for freedom, just as we do. Ingrid Newkirk
History is made every day. The challenge is getting everyone to pay attention to it. Adora Svitak
Men don’t pay attention to small things. Katherine Johnson
I’m saying look, here they come, pay attention. Let your eyes transform what appears ordinary, commonplace, into what it is, a moment in time, an observed fragment of eternity. Philip Levine
The strength of my mother is something I didn’t pay attention to for so long. Here she was, this single mom, who was part of the Great Migration, who was part of a Jim Crow south, who said, ‘I’m getting my kids out of here. I’m creating opportunities for these young people by any means necessary.’ Jacqueline Woodson
I put my career in second place throughout both my marriages and it suffered. I don’t regret it. You make choices. If you want a good marriage, you must pay attention to that. If you want to be independent, go ahead. You can’t have it all. Lauren Bacall
I’m English enough to feel something of a gut-reaction to modernism, to continental philosophising and anything that smacks of a refusal to pay attention to the forensics: the empirical facts on the ground. Will Self
Mistakes can be corrected by those who pay attention to facts but dogmatism will not be corrected by those who are wedded to a vision. Thomas Sowell
All of my fights are planned. I study my opponents from A to Z. How he walks, how he looks, how he speaks, gestures of the human body, which is a certain language that provides you lots of information if you have the ability to read it. You just need to pay attention to it and gain experience over the years. Wladimir Klitschko
Keep your blood pressure under control and pay attention to your urine. If it’s foamy, that’s not a good sign, and you need to check out your kidneys. Grizz Chapman
Lesson number one: Pay attention to the intrusion of the camera. Eve Arnold
I find it strange that our children, teenagers are kept captive listening in classrooms. Earlier education was for career and livelihood. Now, it has to rise to solve the crisis facing the earth and nations have to pay attention to the education of children to save this planet. Sonam Wangchuk
Most Americans will let liberals and conservatives play their games because most Americans don’t pay attention. Dennis Miller
At Gallaudet, deafness isn’t an issue. You don’t even think about it. Students can pay attention to accounting or psychology or journalism. But when a deaf person goes to another college, no matter how supportive it is, that person doesn’t get the same access. I. King Jordan
One of the more noble things the Oscars can do is pay attention to movies no one knows about. Blockbusters don’t need much help. Jeff Daniels
By the time I got to the Fox studio for my first major film, I knew how to hit a mark. I knew how to memorize lines. I knew how to pay attention. Shirley Temple
Pay attention to how your thoughts change when you’re faced with negative people. The more time you spend dreading, fretting, worrying, and rehashing, the less time you’ll have to devote to more productive things. Make a conscious effort to reduce the amount of mental energy you expend on negative people. Amy Morin
I am always interested in that relationship between outer reality and inner desire, and I think it is important to pay attention to the inner voice because it is the only way to discover your mission in life and the only way to develop the strength to break with whatever familial or cultural norms are preventing you from fulfilling your destiny. Laura Esquivel
If a person can be said to have the wrong attitude, there is no need to pay attention to his arguments. John McCarthy
I pay attention to the news. I take the ‘New York Times.’ I do the Saturday crossword. Dick Van Dyke
What I always wanna tell young people now: Pay attention. This isn’t gonna happen again. Rather than try to understand it as it’s going along, have it go along for a while and then understand it. Carrie Fisher
There are lots of people shaping decisions, and so if we want to predict correctly, we have to pay attention to everybody who is trying to shape the outcome, not just the people at the pinnacle of the decision-making pyramid. Bruce Bueno de Mesquita
Whether you know who Denzel Washington is or you don’t, when he walks into the room, you’re going to pay attention, because he’s just such a powerful man. Mila Kunis
No one should have to go to bed hungry. It really is a moral issue that we believe the Security Council has to pay attention to. It’s about international peace and security. Linda Thomas-Greenfield
Money is like gasoline during a road trip. You don’t want to run out of gas on your trip, but you’re not doing a tour of gas stations. You have to pay attention to money, but it shouldn’t be about the money. Tim O’Reilly
Pay attention to those employees who respectfully ask why. They are demonstrating an interest in their jobs and exhibiting a curiosity that could eventually translate into leadership ability. Harvey Mackay
I pay attention to every single UFC, top to bottom. It doesn’t matter who’s fighting, it doesn’t matter who’s first or last fight of the night, I’m watching. I like to watch. Marlon Vera
I guess I’m just quite observant and I pay attention to a lot of things. Human behavior really fascinates me. Ellie Goulding
Pay attention to the beauty surrounding you. Anne Lamott
If you don’t pay attention and if your imagination isn’t pretty much engaged, you’re going to miss things and you’re going to miss opportunities for it to be as compelling and as creepy as it can be. Bruce Greenwood
A book tour is not a good opportunity to let your mind wander. You have to pay attention, remember salespeople’s and interviewers’ names, succinctly summarize your book in a ‘selling’ way, and so on. Ian Frazier
Choice of attention – to pay attention to this and ignore that – is to the inner life what choice of action is to the outer. In both cases, a man is responsible for his choice and must accept the consequences, whatever they may be. W. H. Auden
I really don’t pay attention to the outside world when I’m incarcerated, because being in prison is like being in a different world. So I don’t pay attention to what’s going on outside of jail, because it’s all beyond my control. Kevin Gates
The people I’ve respected most in the industry over the years – Paul Newman, for instance. I just loved the way he handled growing old on-screen. It’s understanding that you’re now basically a character actor. Which is fine, but you have to pay attention to it. George Clooney
We have reason to feel good, but it’s also a threat to feel too good and I will pay attention that that doesn’t happen. Sebastian Vettel
