William Boyd Quotes

We look into mirrors but we only see the effects of our times on us - not our effects on others.

People know what they see but they don't know what's happening inside. If you want to know who you are and how you feel about yourself, take a look at your environment.

Our deeds still travel with us from afar, and what we have been makes us what we are.

The animal is ignorant of the fact that he knows. The man is aware of the fact that he is ignorant.

We never realized how much of an influence we had.

I didn't even know I had a legacy.

I think....you still have no idea. The effect you can have.

If you have it and you know you have it, then you have it. If you have it and don't know you have it, you don't have it. If you don't have it but you think you have it, then you have it.

A world view is probably an expression of self.

I think I am seeing more clearly now than ever.

Recognition of function always precedes recognition of being.

I've always had a philosophy that position doesn't define power. Impact defines power. What impact are you making on people? What impact are you making on business?

It sounds odd coming from me, but I realize what I say and how I look has a great impact.

It's so much easier to know who you are when there aren't a thousand people telling you who they think you are.

What does legacy mean? I never think or go there.

Once I opened my eyes to the realities of life, I couldn't close them.

You know, most people really don't know me.

Knowledge once gained casts a light beyond its own immediate boundaries.

I guess it's nice to know I still resonate in people's minds.

It's funny, as you live through something you're not aware of it.

It's not just for its influence on us, but to know that we can play a part in it, to understand the influence that we have outside our own existence.

What is a face, really? Its own photo? Its make-up? Or is it a face as painted by such or such painter? That which is in front? Inside? Behind? And the rest? Doesn't everyone look at himself in his own particular way? Deformations simply do not exist.

I feel like when people judge me they're not judging me, because they don't know who I am.

Visibility is a tricky thing; is someone visible when you can point her out in a crowd, or when you understand what her life feels like to her?

That's a funny thing, fame. People definitely do treat you differently. When you begin to be successful, people say, 'Don't go changing.' Well, that's easy to say, but the fact is, you don't change at all - other people do.