Man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them.
—Adlai Stevenson (1900–65) American Diplomat, Politician, Orator
I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer not neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.
—Unknown
The world is satisfied with words, few care to dive beneath the surface.
—Blaise Pascal (1623–62) French Mathematician, Physicist, Theologian
The safest words are always those which bring us most directly to facts.
—Charles Henry Parkhurst (1842–1933) American Clergyman, Civic Reformer
One forgets words as one forgets names. One’s vocabulary needs constant fertilizing or it will die.
—Evelyn Waugh (1903–66) British Novelist, Essayist, Biographer
Words can be like baseball bats when used maliciously.
—Sidney Madwed (1926–2013) American Poet, Author
A word to the wise is enough, and many words won’t fill a bushel.
—Benjamin Franklin (1706–90) American Political Leader, Inventor, Diplomat
Strong and bitter words indicate a weak cause.
—Victor Hugo (1802–85) French Novelist
He dropped pejoratives like subliminal seasoning.
—Jim Bishop (1907–87) American Journalist, Author
Words are a wonderful form of communication, but they will never replace kisses and punches.
—Ashleigh Brilliant (b.1933) British Cartoonist, Author
One kind word can warm three winter months.
—Japanese Proverb
If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.
—Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) South African Political leader
Uttering a word is like striking a note on the keyboard of the imagination.
—Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951) Austrian-born British Philosopher
The most important things are the hardest to say, because words diminish them.
—Stephen King (b.1947) American Novelist, Short-Story Writer, Screenwriter, Columnist, Film Director
Our expression and our words never coincide, which is why the animals don’t understand us.
—Malcolm de Chazal (1902–81) Mauritian Writer, Painter, Visionary
A thousand words will not leave so deep an impression as one deed.
—Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906) Norwegian Playwright
There are those who understand everything till one puts it into words.
—F. H. Bradley (1846–1924 ) British Idealist Philosopher
Words once printed assume a life of their own.
—Wilma Askinas
Our words should be purrs instead of hisses.
—Kathrine Palmer Peterson (1956–2006) American Author of Grief Books
The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.
—Mark Twain (1835–1910) American Humorist
The words of the world want to make sentences.
—Gaston Bachelard (1884–1962) French Philosopher, Psychoanalyst, Poet
Such little, puny things are words in rhyme: poor feeble loops and strokes as frail as hairs.
—Christopher Morley (1890–1957) American Novelist, Essayist
So difficult it is to show the various meanings and imperfections of words when we have nothing else but words to do it with.
—John Locke (1632–1704) English Philosopher, Physician
The most valuable of all talents is never using two words when one will do.
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) American Head of State, Lawyer
A single word often betrays a great design.
—Jean Racine (1639–1699) French Dramatist
Words are wise men’s counters, they do but reckon by them: but they are the money of fools.
—Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) English Political Philosopher
Wisdom is not in words; Wisdom is meaning within words.
—Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931) Lebanese-born American Philosopher, Poet, Painter, Theologian, Sculptor
It’s a damn poor mind that can only think of one way to spell a word.
—Andrew Jackson (1767–1845) American Head of State
Some so speak in exaggerations and superlatives that we need to make a large discount from their statements before we can come at their real meaning.
—Tryon Edwards American Theologian
It is a damn poor mind indeed which can’t think of at least two ways to spell any word.
—Andrew Jackson (1767–1845) American Head of State
I’ve been asked to say a couple of words about my husband, Fang. How about short and cheap?
—Phyllis Diller (b.1917) American Actor, Comedian
Language is the amber in which a thousand precious thoughts have been safely embedded and preserved. It has arrested ten thousand lightning-flashes of genius, which, unless thus fixed and arrested, might have been as bright, but would have also been as quickly passing and perishing as the lightning. Words convey the mental treasures of one period to the generations that follow; and laden with this, their precious freight, they sail safely across gulfs of time in which empires have suffered shipwreck, and the languages of common life have sunk into oblivion.
—Richard Chenevix Trench (1807-86) Irish Prelate, Philologist, Poet
Our great men have written words of wisdom to be used when hardship must be faced. Life obliges us with hardship so the words of wisdom shouldn’t go to waste.
—Jerry Bock (1928–2010) American Musical Theater Composer
At every word a reputation dies.
—Alexander Pope (1688–1744) English Poet
No one means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous.
—Henry Adams (1838-1918) American Historian, Man Of Letters
There’s a helluva distance between wisecracking and wit. Wit has truth in it; wisecracking is simply calisthenics with words.
—Dorothy Parker (1893–1967) American Humorist, Journalist
I haven’t much opinion of words. They’re apt to set fire to a dry tongue, that’s what I say.
—Ellen Glasgow (1873–1945) American Novelist
For words are magical formulae. They leave finger marks behind on the brain, which in the twinkling of an eye become the footprints of history. One ought to watch one’ s every word.
—Franz Kafka (1883–1924) Austrian Novelist, Short Story Writer
Kind words may be short… but their echoes are endless.
—Mother Teresa (1910–97) Roman Catholic Missionary, Nun
Good words cost no more than bad.
—Thomas Fuller (1608–61) English Cleric, Historian
Words mean nothing. Action is the only thing. Doing. That’s the only thing.
—Ernest J. Gaines (1933–2019) American Novelist, Short Story Writer
I am a dreamer of words, of written words. I think I am reading; a word stops me. I leave the page. The syllables of the word begin to move around. Stressed accents begin to invert. The word abandons its meaning like an overload which is too heavy and prevents dreaming. Then words take on other meanings as if they had the right to be young. And the words wander away, looking in the nooks and crannies of vocabulary for new company, bad company.
—Gaston Bachelard (1884–1962) French Philosopher, Psychoanalyst, Poet
Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning
—Maya Angelou (1928–2014) American Poet
I find it difficult to believe that words have no meaning in themselves, hard as I try. Habits of a lifetime are not lightly thrown aside.
—Stuart Chase (1888–1985) American Economist, Engineer, Author
There can be no doubt that distrust of words is less harmful than unwarranted trust in them. Besides, to distrust words, and indict them for the horrors that might slumber unobtrusively within them –isn’t this, after all, the true vocation of the intellectual?
—Vaclav Havel (1936–2011) Czech Dramatist, Statesman
Where words fail, music speaks.
—Hans Christian Andersen (1805–75) Danish Author, Poet, Short Story Writer
Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one’s weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.
—Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869–1948) Indian Hindu Political leader
Words are the small change of thought.
—Jules Renard (1864–1910) French Writer, Diarist
Words are the coins making up the currency of sentences, and there are always too many small coins.
—Jules Renard (1864–1910) French Writer, Diarist
When ideas fail, words come in very handy.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German Poet
There’s small Revenge in Words, but Words may be greatly revenged.
—Benjamin Franklin (1706–90) American Political Leader, Inventor, Diplomat
On a single winged word hath hung the destiny of nations.
—Wendell Phillips (1811–84) American Abolitionist, Lawyer, Orator
The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words.
—Philip K. Dick (1928–82) American Novelist, Essayist, Short Story Writer
An honest man’s word is as good as his bonds.
—Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616) Spanish Novelist
At painful times, when composition is impossible and reading is not enough, grammars and dictionaries are excellent for distraction.
—Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–61) English Poet
One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can’t utter.
—James Earl Jones (b.1931) American Actor, Theater Personality
Abuse of words has been the great instrument of sophistry and chicanery, of party, faction, and division of society.
—John Adams (1735–1826) American Head of State, Lawyer
Kind words are a creative force, a power that concurs in the building up of all that is good, and energy that showers blessings upon the world.
—Lawrence G. Lovasik
But of all other stupendous inventions, what sublimity of mind must have been his who conceived how to communicate his most secret thoughts to any other person, though very far distant either in time or place? And with no greater difficulty than the various arrangement of two dozen little signs upon paper? Let this be the seal of all the admirable inventions of man.
—Galileo Galilei (1564–1642) Italian Astronomer, Physicist, Mathematician
By words the mind is winged.
—Aristophanes (447–386 BCE) Greek Comic Playwright
Language is not an abstract construction of the learned, or of dictionary makers, but is something arising out of the work, needs, ties, joys, affections, tastes, of long generations of humanity, and has its bases broad and low, close to the ground.
—Noah Webster (1758–1843) American Lexicographer, Journalist, Author
The limits of my language are the limits of my mind. All I know is what I have words for.
—Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951) Austrian-born British Philosopher
Many a true word is spoken in jest.
—Common Proverb
To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it’s about, but the inner music that words make.
—Truman Capote (1924–84) American Novelist
Give the people a new word and they think they have a new fact.
—Willa Cather (1873–1947) American Novelist, Writer
There is no greater impediment to the advancement of knowledge than the ambiguity of words.
—Thomas Reid (1710–96) Scottish Philosopher, Clergyman
In prayer it is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart.
—John Bunyan (1628–88) English Puritan Writer, Preacher
Verbosity leads to unclear, inarticulate things.
—Dan Quayle (b.1947) American Head of State, Politician, Elected Rep
A wise man hears one word and understands two.
—Yiddish Proverb
Among my most prized possessions are words that I have never spoken.
—Orson Scott Card (b.1951) American Author, Critic, Political Activist
A proverb is much matter decocted into a few words.
—Thomas Fuller (1608–61) English Cleric, Historian
If the word has the potency to revive and make us free, it has also the power to blind, imprison, and destroy.
—Ralph Ellison (1914–1994) American Novelist
The last word is the most dangerous of infernal machines, and the husband and wife should no more fight to get it than they would struggle for the possession of a lighted bombshell.
—Douglas William Jerrold (1803–57) English Writer, Dramatist, Wit
We should have a great many fewer disputes in the world if words were taken for what they are, the signs of our ideas only, and not for things themselves.
—John Locke (1632–1704) English Philosopher, Physician
My God! The English language is a form of communication! Conversation isn’t just crossfire where you shoot and get shot at! Where you’ve got to duck for your life and aim to kill! Words aren’t only bombs and bullets — no, they’re little gifts, containing meanings!
—Philip Roth (1933–2018) American Novelist, Short-story Writer
Words are loaded pistols.
—Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–80) French Philosopher, Playwright, Novelist, Screenwriter, Political Activist
Learn the value of a man’s words and expressions, and you know him. Each man has a measure of his own for everything; this he offers you inadvertently in his words. He who has a superlative for everything wants a measure for the great or small.
—Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741–1801) Swiss Theologian, Poet
Do not say a little in many words but a great deal in a few.
—Pythagoras (570–495 BCE) Greek Philosopher