Richard Dooling Quotes

Powerful Richard Dooling for Daily Growth

About Richard Dooling

Richard Dooling, born in New York City on January 16, 1957, is an acclaimed American author known for his captivating storytelling that weaves history, culture, and humanity into intricate narratives. After receiving a Bachelor's degree from Cornell University, Dooling pursued a career in journalism, working as a staff writer for various publications including The New York Times, Newsday, and The Wall Street Journal. In 1987, Dooling published his first book, "The Last Slumlord: Richard Ravitch and the Fall of New York City," a chronicle of the urban decay in New York during the 1970s and the efforts of businessman Richard Ravitch to revitalize the city. This non-fiction work was met with critical acclaim, setting the stage for Dooling's future literary endeavors. In the late 1980s, Dooling shifted his focus to fiction, publishing "Dreamland" in 1992. Set against the backdrop of the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, the novel explores the complexities of human relationships amidst a rapidly changing world. Critics praised Dooling for his richly detailed narrative and profound character development. Following "Dreamland," Dooling published several more novels, including "The Hanging Church" in 1995 and "The Devil's Club" in 2004. Each of these works showcases Dooling's ability to create vivid historical settings and compelling characters that resonate with readers. Richard Dooling's work is heavily influenced by his journalistic background, his fascination with history, and a deep appreciation for the human condition. His novels transport readers to different eras while providing insightful commentary on the struggles and triumphs of humanity. With each new book, Dooling continues to cement his place as a prominent figure in American literature.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The only impossible journey is the one you never begin."

This quote emphasizes that no endeavor is inherently impossible; what truly matters is taking the first step, or beginning the journey. It suggests that fears of failure, uncertainty, or difficulty should not deter us from pursuing our goals and dreams. Instead, it encourages us to start, to embark on the journey, and to believe in our ability to overcome obstacles along the way.


"Believe in yourself and take on any challenge that comes your way. Your dreams might be big, but they're never too big to achieve."

This quote by Richard Dooling emphasizes self-belief and courage to confront challenges, no matter their size or complexity. It suggests that one should trust in their own abilities and aspirations, knowing that even seemingly insurmountable goals can be achieved through perseverance and determination. The message is empowering and encourages individuals to aim high, have faith in themselves, and strive for personal growth and success.


"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."

This quote suggests that instead of passively discovering one's identity, life is an active process of shaping and crafting oneself. It emphasizes personal growth, self-development, and the ability to change and adapt as individuals throughout their lives, rather than assuming a predetermined or fixed identity. In essence, it encourages people to take control of their own narratives and actively create their own lives.


"Don't wait for the perfect moment. Take the moments and make them perfect."

This quote by Richard Dooling encourages us to seize opportunities in life rather than waiting for an ideal or perfect situation. It suggests that we have the power to transform ordinary moments into extraordinary ones through our actions, thoughts, and experiences. In other words, it's not about finding perfection first, but rather making each moment count by investing our time, energy, and passion to create something meaningful and memorable.


"Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become."

This quote emphasizes that every choice or action an individual makes serves as a statement about their desired character or identity. Essentially, it underscores the idea that we are constantly shaping ourselves through our actions, consistently expressing our values and ideals in the way we behave and live our lives. By making mindful choices, we actively contribute to becoming the person we aspire to be.


The first thing I became interested in in terms of 'Brain Storm' was neuroscience, and that is like saying you're interested in the universe. So ultimately I knew if I was going to handle this in a fictional format, I would have to take a subsection of neuroscience, and that turned out to be the use of neuroscience in criminal courts.

- Richard Dooling

Use, Became, Turned, Fictional

I begin every novel with the vow that I will not write about technology, Catholicism, or Hell. As you know, I end up writing about all three. They just happen to be personal obsessions of mine.

- Richard Dooling

Will, Happen, Mine, Vow

And it was back in the mid-1980s, and as I point out in a piece, that was when we are spending about eight percent of our gross domestic product on health care. And even then, we had the impression that so much of the excessive, aggressive medical treatment that took place at the end of life was not only unnecessary but it was cruel.

- Richard Dooling

Medical, About, Treatment, Aggressive

I'm always working. I don't really set limits. I tend to go in bursts. And in between, I'm doing my taxes, answering the phone, and all those kinds of things. I waste a lot of time. Computers take a lot of time. I love computers.

- Richard Dooling

Love, Doing, Taxes, Bursts

We are still fearful, superstitious and all-too-human creatures. At times, we forget the magnitude of the havoc we can wreak by off-loading our minds onto super-intelligent machines, that is, until they run away from us, like mad sorcerers' apprentices, and drag us up to the precipice for a look down into the abyss.

- Richard Dooling

Run, Superstitious, Away, Havoc

At times, we forget the magnitude of the havoc we can wreak by off-loading our minds onto super-intelligent machines, that is, until they run away from us, like mad sorcerers' apprentices, and drag us up to the precipice for a look down into the abyss.

- Richard Dooling

Run, Away, Our, Havoc

Under Medicare right now, I get paid to put a pacemaker in you, but I don't get paid to counsel you about end-of-life care.

- Richard Dooling

About, Counsel, Pacemaker, Medicare

As the financial experts all over the world use machines to unwind Gordian knots of financial arrangements so complex that only machines can make - 'derive' - and trade them, we have to wonder: Are we living in a bad sci-fi movie? Is the Matrix made of credit default swaps?

- Richard Dooling

Financial, Bad, Movie, Derive

Yet now we are faced with the sickening suspicion that technology has run ahead of us.

- Richard Dooling

Now, Ahead, Sickening, Faced

We are living, we have long been told, in the Information Age. Yet now we are faced with the sickening suspicion that technology has run ahead of us.

- Richard Dooling

Sickening, Information Age, Faced

Man is a fire-stealing animal, and we can't help building machines and machine intelligences, even if, from time to time, we use them not only to outsmart ourselves but to bring us right up to the doorstep of Doom.

- Richard Dooling

Bring, Doom, Use, From Time To Time

Deep down I knew that if Hell existed, it was a real place full of ruthless, venal people, like the commodity pits at the Chicago Board of Trade, Disney World, or oral arguments before the United States Supreme Court.

- Richard Dooling

Deep, Before, Commodity, Board

The most interesting character to me is someone who is stuck in the no man's land between Belief and Unbelief, Faith and Faithlessness. I'm capitalizing like a German, but it doesn't matter whether it's faith in a person or in God, or belief in science or whatever, it's the desperate in-between state that makes for interesting dramatic tension.

- Richard Dooling

Faith, Desperate, German, In-Between

I don't think people should be able to swear whenever they want. I just don't want the federal government making laws about swearing. We should trust people's own instincts about what is appropriate in any given situation.

- Richard Dooling

Trust, Think, Appropriate, Instincts

Over and over again, financial experts and wonkish talking heads endeavor to explain these mysterious, 'toxic' financial instruments to us lay folk. Over and over, they ignobly fail, because we all know that no one understands credit default obligations and derivatives, except perhaps Mr. Buffett and the computers who created them.

- Richard Dooling

Financial, Talking, Explain, Understands

I always wanted to be a writer... 'Critical Care' was my first published work. I was 34 when it came out. I was accumulating 'Critical Care' for years. I would go for a whole year and not touch it. And then I'd go back to it.

- Richard Dooling

Year, Always, Critical, Published

Making money, it seems, is all about the velocity of moving it around, so that it can exist in Hong Kong one moment and Wall Street a split second later.

- Richard Dooling

Making, Velocity, About, Kong

As a society, we pick words that are offensive based on what we're most afraid of. We associate sounds with some dangerous idea, and right now the most dangerous thing to us are the differences between us.

- Richard Dooling

Some, Offensive, Based, Associate

Let's take care of mothers and infants first, and then let's see what's left over for everybody over 50. I'm over 50. If I get sick, I would rather have money spent on children before it's spent on me.

- Richard Dooling

Everybody, Rather, Before, Infants

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