Firstborn Quotes

“That's the way it is with firstborns. Mom and Dad may think they're in charge, but the firstborn knows better, and so does the youngest sibling.”
― Kevin Leman, The Firstborn Advantage: Making Your Birth Order Work for You

“Verse 12 [of Ex. 12) tells us that the judgment of Yahweh is not only on the Egyptians but also on their deities. This is probably an allusion to the fact that Egyptians would often pray for the safety of their firstborn, particularly firstborn sons, as was the custom in many ancient patriarchal cultures. The death of the firstborn would be seen as a sign of the anger or perhaps the impotence of their gods. This is worth pondering when it comes to the death of Jesus as God’s only begotten, or beloved, Son. Would Jesus’ contemporaries have assumed his death was a manifestation of God’s wrath? Probably so. In any event, Yahweh is showing his superiority over the spirits behind the pagan deities, and thus we should not overlook the supernatural struggle that is implied to be behind the contest of wills between Moses and Pharaoh.”
― Ben Witherington III, Making a Meal of It: Rethinking the Theology of the Lord's Supper

“The right of the firstborn gives the man the right to yield seed.”
― Sunday Adelaja

“I know many people will say, "What kind of God orders you to do everything you do? You are deceiving us. You are a primitive man, quite uncivilized." I know all these objections. I will answer them simply. I am man's firstborn, with God's culture and not an animal's.”
― Vaslav Nijinsky, The Diary of Vaslav Nijinsky

“High academic achievers were 2.3 times as likely to be firstborn as lastborn. Rebels were twice as likely to be lastborn as firstborn. And when asked to write about the few most rebellious or unconventional things they had ever done in their lives, laterborns had longer responses and described more unconventional behaviors. Hundreds of studies point to the same conclusion: although firstborns tend to be more dominant, conscientious, and ambitious, laterborns are more open to taking risks and embracing original ideas. Firstborns tend to defend the status quo; laterborns are inclined to challenge it.”
― Adam Grant, Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World

“Julia specialized in answers. From the time she was old enough to speak, she'd bossed her sisters around, pointing out their problems and providing solutions. Sometimes her sisters found this irritating, but they would also admit that having a "master troubleshooter" in their own home was an asset. One by one, they would seek her out and say sheepishly, Julia, I have a problem. It would be about a mean boy, or a strict teacher, or a lost borrowed necklace. And Julia would thrill at their request, rub her hands together, and figure out what to do.”
― Ann Napolitano, Hello Beautiful

“Each one of us also can become an image or likeness of God if we, like Jesus, the firstborn, give our bodies to him”
― Sunday Adelaja

“Older and stronger firstborns dominate their younger brothers and sisters and thus tend to like the world the way it is. The siblings who follow have a harder time competing with the firstborn and consequently rebel against the status quo, developing a “revolutionary personality.” Firstborns are also more introverted and inflexible since they need less support. By contrast, laterborns are more extroverted and agreeable since they need assistance from others to compete with firstborns.”
― David Lockwood

“The first fruits. The firstborn. That's in the law of Moses, for pity's sake--- old as dirt, first fruits are the acceptable offering.”
― Rowenna Miller, The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill

“Calliope," she spoke into the wind.
Her first daughter would be the composed, unflappable leader of the pack; the sister the other girls turned to for guidance. Mnemosyne would give her the gift of storytelling. The thought of another being sharing her love of the written word filled Mnemosyne's heart with unspeakable joy.”
― Farrah Rochon, Bemused