Words form the thread on which we string our experiences.
—Aldous Huxley (1894–1963) English Humanist, Pacifist, Satirist, Short Story Writer
Words may show a man’s wit, but actions his meaning.
—Benjamin Franklin (1706–90) American Political Leader, Inventor, Diplomat
Words are but the signs and counters of knowledge, and their currency should be strictly regulated by the capital which they represent.
—Charles Caleb Colton (c.1780–1832) English Clergyman, Aphorist
Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don’t know the ten-dollar words. I know them all right. But there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use.
—Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961) American Author, Journalist, Short Story Writer
A word to the wise is enough, and many words won’t fill a bushel.
—Benjamin Franklin (1706–90) American Political Leader, Inventor, Diplomat
What a wee little part of a person’s life are his acts and his words! His real life is led in his head, and is known to none but himself
—Mark Twain (1835–1910) American Humorist
Today the discredit of words is very great. Most of the time the media transmit lies. In the face of an intolerable world, words appear to change very little. State power has become congenitally deaf, which is why—but the editorialists forget it—terrorists are reduced to bombs and hijacking.
—John Berger (1926–2017) English Art Critic, Novelist
Words mean nothing. Action is the only thing. Doing. That’s the only thing.
—Ernest J. Gaines (1933–2019) American Novelist, Short Story Writer
When ideas fail, words come in very handy.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German Poet
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
Words are only postage stamps delivering the object for you to unwrap.
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) Irish Playwright
A proverb is much matter decocted into a few words.
—Thomas Fuller (1608–61) English Cleric, Historian
Fools live to regret their words, wise men to regret their silence.
—Unknown
“But” is a word that cools many a warm impulse, stifles many a kindly thought, puts a dead stop to many a brotherly deed. No one would ever love his neighbor as himself if he listened to all the “Buts” that could be said.
—Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton (1803–73) British Novelist, Poet, Politician
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
The last thing a political party gives up is its vocabulary.
—Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–59) French Historian, Political Scientist
Words are made for a certain exactness of thought, as tears are for a certain degree of pain. What is least distinct cannot be named; what is clearest is unutterable.
—Rene Daumal (1908–44) French Poet, Critic
He who wants to persuade should put his trust not in the right argument, but in the right word. The power of sound has always been greater than the power of sense.
—Joseph Conrad (1857–1924) Polish-born British Novelist
Man is a creature who lives not upon bread alone, but principally by catch words.
—Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–94) Scottish Novelist
A knife wound heals; a wound caused by words does not
—Turkish Proverb
Words are also actions, and actions are a kind of words
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
Weigh the meaning and look not at the words.
—Ben Jonson (1572–1637) English Dramatist, Poet, Actor
The 500 most commonly used words have an average of 28 meanings each.
—Unknown
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
The finest language is mostly made up of simple unimposing words.
—George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans) (1819–80) English Novelist
In fact, words are well adapted for description and the arousing of emotion, but for many kinds of precise thought other symbols are much better.
—J. B. S. Haldane (1892–1964) British Scientist, Geneticist
A bad wound heals but a bad word doesn’t
—Persian Proverb
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
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
A word too much always defeats its purpose.
—Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) German Philosopher
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