Duke Ellington Quotes

I don't need time, I need a deadline.

Momentum is a fragile force. Its worst enemy: procrastination. Its best friend: a deadline (think Election Day). Implication no. 1 (and there is no no. 2): Get to work! NOW!

Everybody knows the power of deadlines - and we all hate them. But their effectiveness is undeniable.

I'm more focused and have a greater sense of challenge, because I constantly feel the weight of time.

A deadline is negative inspiration. Still, it's better than no inspiration at all.

I like to believe I perform better under pressure and at the last minute.

If we didn't have deadlines, we'd stagnate.

Without a deadline, baby, I wouldn't do nothing.

I'm guessing the stress of having to write for a deadline can be inspiring. Sometimes, pressure is good.

I have a deadline. I'm glad. I think that will help me get it done.

The ultimate inspiration is the deadline.

I mean, I can get things done if I need to, but I can really be completely irresponsible and procrastinate until the very, very, very bitter end. In fact, sometimes I work better under pressure.

I've learned over decades of building that a deadline is a potent tool for problem-solving.

I love a daily deadline.

Don't fool yourself that important things can be put off till tomorrow; they can be put off forever, or not at all

Nobody works better under pressure. They just work faster.

I know what I want to get down and I haven't got much time to do it in.

Deadlines have a lousy name. Call them live-lines instead. That´t what they are.

A goal or decision without a deadline has no urgency. It has no real beginning or end.

Whatever can be done another day can be done today.

My schedule is always tight. But I like to have the pressure of having to finish doing something; it gives me an added edge.

I would never finish a painting if I didn't have a deadline.

Leaders understand that the real fight is the fight against time. There's so much to achieve in such less time.

Having deadlines helps because people are constantly breathing down my neck, and tapping their toes waiting for pages. So I just have to work nine to five. If I didn't have deadlines then I might be more of a golden hour kind of guy, writing from eight to noon and calling it a day, but that's just not the way I work right now.

You never want to have that ticking clock and know that you had all this time and didn't use it.