WIST Quotations

Howell, James -- Paroimiographia [Παροιμιογραφία]: Proverbs, or, Old Sayed Sawes & Adages, “English Proverbs” (1659) [compiler]

Dave — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:20:34 +0000

Words cutt more than swords.

James Howell (c. 1594–1666) Welsh historian, writer, aphorist
Paroimiographia [Παροιμιογραφία]: Proverbs, or, Old Sayed Sawes & Adages, “English Proverbs” (1659) [compiler]

A common proverbial concept before and after. See also the Bible, Shakespeare (1590), Shakespeare (1598), Herbert (1640), Franklin (1744), Irving (1820), Lowell (1914), Sarton (1973), Fry (1997), Ginott (2003).

Montaigne, Michel de -- Essays, Book 2, ch. 18 (2.18), “Of Giving the Lie [Du Démentir]” (1578–79) [tr. Screech (1987)]

Dave — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 21:40:04 +0000

Our understanding is conducted solely by means of the word: anyone who falsifies it betrays public society. It is the only tool by which we communicate our wishes and our thoughts; it is our soul’s interpreter: if we lack that, we can no longer hold together; we can no longer know each other. When words deceive us, it breaks all intercourse and loosens the bonds of our polity.

[Nostre intelligence se conduisant par la seule voye de la parolle, celuy qui la faulse, trahit la societé publique. C’est le seul util, par le moyen duquel se communiquent noz volontez & noz pensees : c’est le truchement de nostre ame : s’il nous faut, nous ne nous tenons plus, nous ne nous entreconnoissons plus. S’il nous trompe, il rompt tout nostre commerce, & dissoult toutes les liaisons de nostre police.]

Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592) French essayist
Essays, Book 2, ch. 18 (2.18), “Of Giving the Lie [Du Démentir]” (1578–79) [tr. Screech (1987)]

This essay (and this passage) appeared in the 1st (1580) edition.

(Source (French)). Other translations:

Our intelligence being onely conducted by the way of the Worde: Who so falsifieth the same, betraieth publike society. It is the onely instrument, by meanes wherof our wils and thoughts are communicated: it is the interpretour of our souls: If that faile us we hold our selves no more, we enterknow one another no longer. If it deceive us, it breaketh all our commerce, and dissolveth all bonds of our policie.
[tr. Florio (1603)]

Our intelligence being by no other canal to be conveyed to one another but by words, he, who falsifies them, betrays public society: it is the only tube through which we communicate our thoughts and wills to one another; it is the interpreter of the soul, and, if it fails us, we no longer know, nor have any farther tie upon another: if that deceive us, it breaks all our correspondence, and dissolves all the bands of our government.
[tr. Cotton (1686)]

Our intelligence being by no other way communicable to one another but by a particular word, he who falsifies that betrays public society. ’Tis the only way by which we communicate our thoughts and wills; ’tis the interpreter of the soul, and if it deceive us, we no longer know nor have further tie upon one another; if that deceive us, it breaks all our correspondence, and dissolves all the ties of government.
[tr. Cotton/Hazlitt (1877)]

Our intelligence being conducted solely by the way of the word, he who falsifies that betrays all society. It is the only instrument by means of which our desires and our thoughts are exchanged; it is the interpreter of our souls; if it fails us, we no longer have any hold upon one another, we no longer mutually know one another. If it deceives us, it severs all our intercourse and dissolves all the ties of our government.
[tr. Ives (1925)]

Our intercourse being carried on solely by means of the word, he who falsifies that is a traitor to society. It is the only instrument by which our thoughts and wills are communicated, it is the interpreter of our soul. If it fails us, we no longer hold together, we no longer know one anther. If it deceives us, it breaks up all our intercourse and dissolves all the ties of our government.
[tr. Zeitlin (1934)]

Since mutual understanding is brought about solely by way of words, he who breaks his word betrays human society. It is the only instrument by means of which our wills and thoughts communicate, it is the interpreter of our soul. If it fails us, we have no more hold on each other, no more knowledge of each other. If it deceives us, it breaks up all our relations and dissolves all the bonds of our society.
[tr. Frame (1943)]

Orwell, George -- Essay (1946-04), “Politics and the English Language,” Horizon Magazine

Dave — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 17:02:06 +0000

If thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.

George Orwell (1903–1950) English journalist, essayist, writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]
Essay (1946-04), “Politics and the English Language,” Horizon Magazine

Moliere -- Les Femmes Savantes [The Learned Ladies], Act 2, sc. 7, (1692) [tr. Marks (2018)]

Dave — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 21:08:43 +0000

CHRYSALE: As for me, I’d prefer that, while peeling the veggies,
She misaligns a few subjects and verbs,
And repeats fifty times a low and vulgar word,
Than that she burns my meat or over-salts my stew.
I live on good soup, not on fine language.

[J’aime bien mieux, pour moi, qu’en épluchant ses herbes,
Elle accommode mal les noms avec les verbes,
Et redise cent fois un bas ou méchant mot,
Que de brûler ma viande ou saler trop mon pot.
Je vis de bonne soupe, et non de beau langage.]

Molière (1622–1673) French playwright, actor [stage name for Jean-Baptiste Poquelin]
Les Femmes Savantes [The Learned Ladies], Act 2, sc. 7, (1692) [tr. Marks (2018)]

(Source (French)). Other translations:

For my part, I had much rather that she join'd the Nouns and Verbs falsely, and repeated a servile bad Word a hundred times in picking her Herbs, than have her burn my Meat or oversalt my Broth. I live by good Soup, and not by fine Language.
[tr. Clitandre (1739)]

I would rather, I would, that in cleaning the vegetables she should make the verbs agree ill with the nouns, and say a hundred times a low or bad word, than that she should burn my meat or put too much salt in my soup; I live on good soup;, and not on fine language.
[tr. Van Laun (1876)]

I had much rather that while picking her herbs, she should join wrongly the nouns to the verbs, and repeat a hundred times a coarse or vulgar word, than that she should burn my roast, or put too much salt in my broth. I live on good soup, and not on fine language.
[tr. Wall (1879), The Learned Women]

For my part, I had much rather that in picking her herbs she made the nouns and the verbs agree wrongly and repeated some outrageous word a hundred times, than have her burn my meat or oversalt my broth. I live by good soup, and not by fine language.
[tr. Matthew (1890), The Blue-Stockings]

For my part, I'd rather she would make a mess of nouns and verbs, or use a low and vulgar word a dozen times a day, than burn my meat and oversalt my soup. Good food is what I live on, not fine language.
[tr. Wormeley (1895), The Female Pedants]

Truly, I would much rather she failed to make her nouns agree with her verbs while washing her vegetables, and indulged in low or bad words a hundred times over, than burn my meat or oversalt my soup. I live by good soup, and not on fine language.
[tr. Waller (1903)]

I'd rather have her, while she cleans her salad,
Make verbs and subjects disagree, and say
Some low or vulgar word a hundred times,
Than burn my roast or over-salt my broth.
I live on well-cooked food, and not fine language.
[tr. Page (1908)]

For my part, I would rather that, while peeling her vegetables, she makes her verbs agree badly with her nouns and repeats a hundred times a low or bad word, than that she burns my meat or puts too much salt into my soup. I live by good soup and not by beautiful language.
[tr. Waldinger (1967)]

If she makes a tasty salad, it seems to me
Her subjects and her verbs need not agree.
Let all her talk be barbarous, if she’ll not
Burn up my beef or over-salt the pot.
It’s food, not language, that I’m nourished by.
[tr. Wilbur (1977)]

Her crudités for salad were sublime,
So if her verbal crudité's a crime
She has atoned for it in her cuisine.
Her language and her legumes may be green
But when my appetite rears up its voice,
The latter, not the former is its choice.
[tr. Thomas (2005 ed.)]

Talleyrand -- (Attributed)

Dave — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 18:29:01 +0000

Speech was given to man to conceal his thoughts.

[La parole a été donné à l’homme pour déguiser sa pensée.]

Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (1754–1838) French secularized clergyman, statesman, wit, diplomat
(Attributed)

For more discussion of the sources of this quote, see S. A. Bent, ed., Familiar Short Sayings of Great Men (1887). The sentiment, if not the precise wording, predates Talleyrand.

Carlin, George -- Show (1972-05-27), Class Clown, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, California

Dave — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 18:43:10 +0000

There are four hundred thousand words in the English language, and there are seven of them you can’t say on television. What a ratio that is: 399,993 to 7. They must really be bad; they’d have to be outrageous to be separated from a group that large! “All of you over here. You seven? BAD WORDS.” That’s what they told us they were, remember? “That’s a bad word!” No bad words; bad thoughts, bad intentions … and words.
You know the seven, don’t you, that you can’t say on television? Shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, and tits. Those are the heavy seven. Those are the ones that will infect your soul, curve your spine, and keep the country from winning the war.

George Carlin (1937–2008) American comedian
Show (1972-05-27), Class Clown, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, California

(Source (Audio))

Carlin's famous "Seven Words" sketch -- which led to his arrest at some venues where he performed it.

Lewis, C.S. -- The Screwtape Letters, Letter 3 (1942)

Dave — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 17:48:48 +0000

In civilised life domestic hatred usually expresses itself by saying things which would appear quite harmless on paper (the words are not offensive) but in such a voice, or at such a moment, that they are not far short of a blow in the face.

C. S. Lewis (1898–1963) English writer, literary scholar, lay theologian [Clive Staples Lewis]
The Screwtape Letters, Letter 3 (1942)

Wilcox, Ella Wheeler -- Poem (1911), “Love’s Language,” st. 2, Poems of Progress, Preface

Dave — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 18:45:01 +0000

There is no language that Love does not speak:
To-day commanding and to-morrow meek,
One hour laconic and the next verbose,
With hope triumphant and with doubt morose,
His varying moods all forms of speech employ.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850–1919) American author, poet, temperance advocate, spiritualist
Poem (1911), “Love’s Language,” st. 2, Poems of Progress, Preface

Dick, Philip K. -- Speech (1978) “How To Build A Universe That Doesn’t Fall Apart Two Days Later”

Dave — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 23:15:51 +0000

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 (1928–1982) American writer
Speech (1978) “How To Build A Universe That Doesn’t Fall Apart Two Days Later”

First collected in Dick's I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon (1985) [ed. Mark Hurst and Paul Williams], where it serves as the introduction.

Lawrence Sutin, editor of The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick (1995) (where this is reprinted) suggests this speech was "likely never delivered."

Lewis, C.S. -- “Bluspels and Flalansferes: A Semantic Nightmare” (1936), Rehabilitations and Other Essays (1939)

Dave — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 22:06:41 +0000

For me, reason is the natural organ of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning. Imagination, producing new metaphors or revivifying old, is not the cause of truth, but its condition.

C. S. Lewis (1898–1963) English writer, literary scholar, lay theologian [Clive Staples Lewis]
“Bluspels and Flalansferes: A Semantic Nightmare” (1936), Rehabilitations and Other Essays (1939)

First given as a lecture at Manchester University.

Orwell, George -- Essay (1946-04), “Politics and the English Language,” Horizon Magazine

Dave — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 20:07:25 +0000

Political language — and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists — is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.

George Orwell (1903–1950) English journalist, essayist, writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]
Essay (1946-04), “Politics and the English Language,” Horizon Magazine

Orwell, George -- Essay (1946-04), “Politics and the English Language,” Horizon Magazine

Dave — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 19:57:01 +0000

Defenceless villages are bombarded from the air, the inhabitants driven out into the countryside, the cattle machine-gunned, the huts set on fire with incendiary bullets: this is called pacification. Millions of peasants are robbed of their farms and sent trudging along the roads with no more than they can carry: this is called transfer of population or rectification of frontiers. People are imprisoned for years without trial, or shot in the back of the neck or sent to die of scurvy in Arctic lumber camps: this is called elimination of unreliable elements. Such phraseology is needed if one wants to name things without calling up mental pictures of them.

George Orwell (1903–1950) English journalist, essayist, writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]
Essay (1946-04), “Politics and the English Language,” Horizon Magazine

Jerome, Jerome K. -- Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow, “On Memory” (1886)

Dave — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 14:53:01 +0000

It is at school […] that he learns of the importance attached by the French nation to pens, ink, and paper. “Have you pens, ink, and paper?” is the first question asked by one Frenchman of another on their meeting. The other fellow has not any of them, as a rule, but says that the uncle of his brother has got them all three. The first fellow doesn’t appear to care a hang about the uncle of the other fellow’s brother; what he wants to know now is, has the neighbor of the other fellow’s mother got ’em? “The neighbor of my mother has no pens, no ink, and no paper,” replies the other man, beginning to get wild. “Has the child of thy female gardener some pens, some ink, or some paper?” He has him there. After worrying enough about these wretched inks, pens, and paper to make everybody miserable, it turns out that the child of his own female gardener hasn’t any. Such a discovery would shut up any one but a French exercise man. It has no effect at all, though, on this shameless creature. He never thinks of apologizing, but says his aunt has some mustard.

Jerome K. Jerome (1859–1927) English writer, humorist [Jerome Klapka Jerome]
Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow, “On Memory” (1886)

First published in Home Chimes (1885-09-26).

Burgess, Anthony -- A Mouthful of Air: Language, Languages … Especially English, ch. 21 “Sounds from the Past” (1992)

Dave — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 16:18:13 +0000

Languages never stand still. Modern spelling crystallizes lost pronunciations: the visual never quite catches up with the aural.

Anthony Burgess (1917–1993) English novelist
A Mouthful of Air: Language, Languages … Especially English, ch. 21 “Sounds from the Past” (1992)

Herbert, George -- Jacula Prudentum, or Outlandish Proverbs, Sentences, &c. (compiler), # 302 (1640 ed.)

Dave — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 16:58:44 +0000

That is not good language which all understand not.

George Herbert (1593–1633) Welsh priest, orator, poet.
Jacula Prudentum, or Outlandish Proverbs, Sentences, &c. (compiler), # 302 (1640 ed.)

Martin, Judith -- Common Courtesy, “On Etiquette as Language, Weapon, Custom, and Craft” (1985)

Dave — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 15:45:53 +0000

The idea that people can behave naturally, without resorting to an artificial code tacitly agreed upon by their society, is as silly as the idea that they can communicate by a spoken language without commonly accepted semantic and grammatical rules.

Judith Martin (b. 1938) American author, journalist, etiquette expert [a.k.a. Miss Manners]
Common Courtesy, “On Etiquette as Language, Weapon, Custom, and Craft” (1985)

Martin, Judith -- Common Courtesy, “Of Etiquette as Language, Weapon, Custom, and Craft” (1985)

Dave — Mon, 13 May 2024 16:00:43 +0000

Like language, a code of manners can be used with more or less skill, for laudable or for evil purposes, to express a great variety of ideas and emotions. In itself, it carries no moral value, but ignorance in use of this tool is not a sign of virtue.

Judith Martin (b. 1938) American author, journalist, etiquette expert [a.k.a. Miss Manners]
Common Courtesy, “Of Etiquette as Language, Weapon, Custom, and Craft” (1985)

Joubert, Joseph -- Pensées [Thoughts], ch. 4 “De la Nature des Esprits [On the Nature of Minds],” ¶ 36 (1850 ed.) [tr. Calvert (1866), ch. 5]

Dave — Mon, 06 May 2024 14:48:47 +0000

To be enlightened: a big phrase! Certain men think themselves enlightened because they are decided: thus taking conviction for truth, and strong conception for intelligence. There are others who, because they know all the words, think they know all the truths.

[Être éclairé, c’est un grand mot! Il y a certains hommes qui se croient éclairés, parce qu’ils sont décidés, prenant ainsi la conviction pour la vérité, et la forte conception pour l’intelligence. Il en est d’autres qui, parce qu’ils savent tous les mots, croient savoir toutes les vérités.]

Joseph Joubert (1754–1824) French moralist, philosopher, essayist, poet
Pensées [Thoughts], ch. 4 “De la Nature des Esprits [On the Nature of Minds],” ¶ 36 (1850 ed.) [tr. Calvert (1866), ch. 5]

(Source (French)). Other translations:

Enlightenment -- a great word! Some men think themselves enlightened, because they are decided, taking conviction for truth, and strong conception for intelligence. Others, because they know all that can be said think that they know all truth.
[tr. Lyttelton (1899), ch. 3, ¶ 15]

Enlightenment is a fine word! Some men fancy themselves enlightened because they are decisive, thus taking conviction for truth, and force of conception for intelligence. Others think that because they have every word at their command, they have every truth also.
[tr. Collins (1928), ch. 4]

Because they know all the words, they think they know all the truths.
[tr. Auster (1983)], 1819 entry]

Byron, George Gordon, Lord -- “Beppo,” st. 44 (1818)

Dave — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 15:33:44 +0000

I love the language, that soft bastard Latin,
Which melts like kisses from a female mouth,
And sounds as if it should be writ on satin,
With syllables which breathe of the sweet South,
And gentle liquids gliding all so pat in,
That not a single accent seems uncouth,
Like our harsh northern whistling, grunting guttural,
Which we’re obliged to hiss, and spit, and sputter all.

George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788–1824) English poet
“Beppo,” st. 44 (1818)

Augustine of Hippo -- On Christian Doctrine [De Doctrina Christiana], Book 3, ch. 5 / § 9 (3.5.9) (AD 397) [tr. Shaw (1858)]

Dave — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 18:11:18 +0000

But the ambiguities of metaphorical words, about which I am next to speak, demand no ordinary care and diligence. In the first place, we must beware of taking a figurative expression literally. For the saying of the apostle applies in this case too: “The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”

[Sed verborum translatorum ambiguitates, de quibus deinceps loquendum est, non mediocrem curam industriamque desiderant. Nam in principio cavendum est ne figuratam locutionem ad litteram accipias. Et ad hoc enim pertinet quod ait Apostolus: Littera occidit, spiritus autem vivificat.]

Augustine of Hippo (354–430) Christian church father, philosopher, saint [b. Aurelius Augustinus]
On Christian Doctrine [De Doctrina Christiana], Book 3, ch. 5 / § 9 (3.5.9) (AD 397) [tr. Shaw (1858)]

Quoting 2 Cor. 3:6.

(Source (Latin)). Alternate translations:

But the ambiguities of figurative words, which are now to be treated, require no little care and industry. For at the outset you must be very careful lest you take figurative expressions literally. What the apostle says pertains to this problem: "For the letter killeth, but the spirit quickeneht."
[tr. Robertson (1958)]

But the ambiguities of metaphorical words, about which I must now speak, require no ordinary care and attention. To begin with, one must take care not to interpret a figurative expression literally. What the apostle says is relevant here: "the letter kills but the spirit gives life."
[tr. Green (1995)]

Joubert, Joseph -- Pensées [Thoughts], 1805 (1850 ed.) [tr. Auster (1983)]

Dave — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 17:30:48 +0000

All ways of expressing ourselves are good if they make us understood. Thus, if the clarity of our thoughts comes through better in a play of words, then the wordplay is good.

Joseph Joubert (1754–1824) French moralist, philosopher, essayist, poet
Pensées [Thoughts], 1805 (1850 ed.) [tr. Auster (1983)]

Analog not found in standard translations of the Pensees.

Baudelaire, Charles -- L’Art Romantique, ch. 28 “Théophile Gautier,” sec. 3 (1868) [tr. Gilman (1958)]

Dave — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 00:34:56 +0000

There is in the word, in the logos, something sacred which forbids us to gamble with it. To handle a language skillfully is to practice a kind of evocative sorcery.

[Il y a dans le mot, dans le verbe, quelque chose de sacré qui nous défend d’en faire un jeu de hasard. Manier savamment une langue, c’est pratiquer une espèce de sorcellerie évocatoire.]

Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867) French poet, essayist, art critic
L’Art Romantique, ch. 28 “Théophile Gautier,” sec. 3 (1868) [tr. Gilman (1958)]

Originally published in L'Artiste (1859-03-13). It appears in Vol. 3, ch. 8 of the 1885 Œuvres complètes de Charles Baudelaire.

(Source (French)). Other translations:

There exists in the word, in the verb, something sacred which prohibits us from viewing it as a mere game of chance. To manipulate language with wisdom is to practice a kind of evocative sorcery.
[tr. Jakobson (1981)]

There is in a word, in a verb, something sacred which forbids us from using it recklessly. To handle a language cunningly is to practice a kind of evocative sorcery.
[E.g.]

Maggio, Rosalie -- Unspinning the Spin: The Women’s Media Center Guide to Fair and Accurate Language, “Writing Guidelines / Introduction” (2014)

Dave — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 00:53:04 +0000

Language both reflects and shapes society. Culture shapes language and then language shapes culture. Little wonder that the words we use to talk to each other, and about each other, are the most important words in our language: they tell us who I am, they tell us who you are, they tell us who “they” are.

Rosalie Maggio (1944–2021) American writer
Unspinning the Spin: The Women’s Media Center Guide to Fair and Accurate Language, “Writing Guidelines / Introduction” (2014)

The first sentence (and much of the groundwork for the overall work) is included in her The Bias-Free Word Finder: A Dictionary of Non-Discriminatory Language, Introduction (1992).

The source link is to the web page that the WMC set up for the book.

Maggio, Rosalie -- Talking About People: A Guide to Fair and Accurate Language, “Writing Guidelines” (1997)

Dave — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 05:43:55 +0000

Language doesn’t belong to grammarians, linguists, wordsmiths, writers, or editors. It belongs to the people who use it. It goes where people want it to go, and, like a balky mule, you can’t make it go where it doesn’t want to go.

Rosalie Maggio (1944–2021) American writer
Talking About People: A Guide to Fair and Accurate Language, “Writing Guidelines” (1997)

Maggio, Rosalie -- Unspinning the Spin: The Women’s Media Center Guide to Fair and Accurate Language, “Writing Guidelines / Introduction” (2014)

Dave — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 22:25:37 +0000

And yet if there’s one thing consistent about language it is that it is constantly changing. The only languages that do not change are those whose speakers are dead.

Rosalie Maggio (1944–2021) American writer
Unspinning the Spin: The Women’s Media Center Guide to Fair and Accurate Language, “Writing Guidelines / Introduction” (2014)

This is sometimes attributed to Maggio's earlier The Bias-Free Word Finder (1992), but only the first sentence is present in that version.

The source link is to the web page that the WMC set up for the book.

Child, Julia -- Julia Child’s Kitchen, Introduction (1975)

Dave — Thu, 25 May 2023 15:08:48 +0000

French food, by the way, isn’t fancy unless, like other cooking, it wants to be fancy; perhaps it sounds so because it is in a foreign language, but a Coq au Vin is a chicken stew, a Pot-au-feu is a boiled dinner, a Mayonnaise de Volaille is a chicken salad, Soubise is plain old rice cooked with onions, and there is nothing fancy about any of them.

Julia Child (1912–2004) American chef and writer
Julia Child’s Kitchen, Introduction (1975)

Fry, Stephen -- “Trefusis on Any Questions,” Loose Ends, BBC Radio 4 (c. 1987)

Dave — Wed, 10 May 2023 19:51:08 +0000

These poor afflicted creatures spend their time with an ear against the speaker counting occurrences of the word bugger. If I had a large amount of money I should certainly found a hospital for those whose grip upon the world is so tenuous that they can be severely offended by words and phrases and yet remain all unoffended by the injustice, violence and oppression that howls daily about our ears.

Stephen Fry (b. 1957) British actor, writer, comedian
“Trefusis on Any Questions,” Loose Ends, BBC Radio 4 (c. 1987)

Reprinted in Paperweight (1992).

Confucius -- The Analects [論語, 论语, Lúnyǔ], Book 13, verse 3 (13.3.2, 5-7) (6th C. BC – AD 3rd C.) [tr. Soothill (1910)]

Dave — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 14:51:30 +0000

The one thing needed is the correction of terms. […] If terms be incorrect, then statements do not accord with facts; and when statements and facts do not accord, then business is not properly executed; when business is not properly executed, order and harmony do not flourish; when order and harmony do not flourish, then justice becomes arbitrary; and when justice becomes arbitrary the people do not know how to move hand or foot. Hence whatever a wise man denominates he can always definitely state, and what he so states he can put into practice, for the wise man will no no account have anything remiss in his definitions.

[擧爾所知、爾所不知、人其舍諸。 … 名不正、則言不順、言不順、則事不成。事不成、則禮樂不興、禮樂不興、則刑罰不中、刑罰不中、則民無所措手足。故君子名之必可言也、言之必可行也、君子於其言、無所茍而已矣。]

Confucius (c. 551- c. 479 BC) Chinese philosopher, sage, politician [孔夫子 (Kǒng Fūzǐ, K'ung Fu-tzu, K'ung Fu Tse), 孔子 (Kǒngzǐ, Chungni), 孔丘 (Kǒng Qiū, K'ung Ch'iu)]
The Analects [論語, 论语, Lúnyǔ], Book 13, verse 3 (13.3.2, 5-7) (6th C. BC – AD 3rd C.) [tr. Soothill (1910)]

On the first thing he would do if given administration of a government. See also Socrates. Brooks identifies this as an interpolation to Book 13 around the time of Book 19.

(Source (Chinese)). Other translations:

What is necessary is to rectify names. [...] If names be not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth of things. If language be not in accordance with the truth of things, affairs cannot be carried on to success. When affairs cannot be carried on to success, proprieties and music will not flourish. When proprieties and music do not flourish, punishments will not be properly awarded. When punishments are not properly awarded, the people do not know how to move hand or foot. Therefore a superior man considers it necessary that the names he uses may be spoken appropriately, and also that what he speaks may be carried out appropriately. What the superior man requires, is just that in his words there may be nothing incorrect.
[tr. Legge (1861)]

One thing of necessity, the rectification of terms. [...] If terms be incorrect, language will be incongruous; and if language be incongruous, deeds will be imperfect. -- So, again, when deeds are imperfect, propriety and harmony cannot prevail, and when this is the case laws relating to crime will fail in their aim; and if these last so fail, the people will not know where to set hand or foot. -- Hence, a man of superior mind, certain first of his terms, is fitted to speak; and being certain of what he says can proceed upon it. In the language of such a person there is nothing heedlessly irregular, -- and that is the sum of the matter.
[tr. Jennings (1895)]

I would begin by defining the names of things. [...] Now, if names of things are not properly defined, words will not correspond to facts. When words do not correspond to facts, it is impossible to perfect anything. Where it is impossible to perfect anything, the arts and institutions of civilisation cannot flourish. When the arts and institutions of civilisation cannot flourish, law and justice cannot attain their ends; and when law and justice do not attain their ends, the people will be at a loss to know what to do. Therefore a wise and good man can always specify whatever he names; whatever he can specify, he can carry out. A wise and good man makes it a point always to be exact in the words he uses.
[tr. Ku Hung-Ming (1898)]

Settle the names (determine a precise terminology). [...] If words (terminology) are not (is not) precise, they cannot be followed out, or completed in action according to specifications. When the services (actions) are not brought to true focus, the ceremonies and music will not prosper; where rites and music do not flourish punishments will be misapplied, not make bullseye, and the people won’t know how to move hand or foot (what to lay hand on, or stand on). Therefore the proper man must have terms that can be spoken, and when uttered be carried into effect; the proper man’s words must cohere to things, correspond to them (exactly) and no more fuss about it.
[tr. Pound (1933)]

It would certainly be to correct language. [...] If language is incorrect, then what is said does not concord with what was meant; and if what is said does not concord with what was meant, what is to be done cannot be effected. If what is to be done cannot be effected, then rites and music will not flourish. If rites and music do not flourish, then mutilations and lesser punishments will go astray. And if mutilations and lesser punishments go astray, then the people have nowhere to put hand or foot. Therefore the gentleman uses only such language as is proper for speech, and only speaks of what it would be proper to carry into effect. The gentleman, in what he says, leaves nothing to mere chance.
[tr. Waley (1938)]

The indispensable is to render designations correct. [...] If the designations are not correct, language will not be clear. If language is not clear, duties will not be carried out. If duties arc not carried out, rites and music will not flourish. If rites and music do not flourish, then punishments will not be specific. If punishments arc not specific, then the people will do nothing without getting into trouble, lienee when the perfect gentleman has given something a name it may with all certainty be expressed in language; when he expresses it, it may with certainty be set in operation. In regard to his language the perfect gentleman is never careless in any respect.
[tr. Ware (1950)]

If something has to be put first, it is, perhaps, the rectification (cheng) of names. [...] When names are not correct, what is said will not sound reasonable; when what is said does not sound reasonable, affairs will not culminate in success; when affairs do not culminate in success, rites and music will not flourish; when rites and music do not flourish, punishments will not fit the crimes; when punishments do not fit the crimes, the common people will not know where to put hand or foot. Thus when the gentleman names something, the name is sure to be usable in speech, and when he says something this is sure to be practicable. The thing about the gentleman is that his is anything but casual where speech is concerned.
[tr. Lau (1979)]

What is necessary is to rectify names, is it not? [...] If names are not rectified, then words are not appropriate. If words are not appropriate, then deeds are not accomplished. If deeds are not accomplished, then the rites and music do not flourish. If the rites and music do not flourish, then punishments do not hit the mark. If punishments do not hit the mark, then the people have nowhere to put hand or foot. So when a gentleman names something, the name can definitely be used in speech; and when he says something, it can definitely be put into practice. In his utterances the gentleman is definitely not casual about anything.
[tr. Dawson (1993)]

It would certainly be to rectify the names. [...] If the names are not correct, language is without an object. When language is without an object, no affair can be effected. When no affair can be effected, rites and music wither. When rites and music wither, punishments and penalties miss their target. When punishments and penalties miss their target, the people do not know where they stand. Therefore whatever a gentleman conceives of, he must be able to say; and whatever he says, he must be able to do. In the matter of language, a gentleman leaves nothing to chance.
[tr. Leys (1997)]

It must be the rectification of character. [...] For if characters are not correct, speech will not be relevant; if speech is not relevant, affairs will not be accomplished; if affairs are not accomplished, the rituals and music will not prevail; if the rituals and music do not prevail, tortures and penalties will not be just right; if tortures and penalties are not just right, the people will not know where to put their hands and feet. Therefore, when the gentleman adopts a character, he surely can used it to say things; when he says something, it surely can be put into practice. The gentleman, in regard to his speech, is never negligent, that is all.
[tr. Huang (1997)]

I must define the intention of names! [...] If the intention of names is not defined, the word will not be exact; if the word is not exact, the thing will not be done; if the thing is not done, the rituals and music will not be practiced; if the rituals and music are not practiced, the penalty will not be appropriate; if the penalty is not appropriate, people will not know where to go and how to do. So a gentleman must can word out its intention when he names a thing, and must can practice it after he words out the intention. So a gentleman is never unserious to his words.
[tr. Cai/Yu (1998), #313]

Without question it would be to insure that names are used properly (zhengming). [...] When names are not used properly, language will not be used effectively; when language is not used effectively, matters will not be taken care of; when matters are not taken care of, the observance of ritual propriety (li) and the playing of music (yue) will not flourish; when the observance of ritual propriety and the playing of music do not flourish, the application of laws and punishments will not be on the mark. When the application of laws and punishments is not on the mark, the people will not know what to do with themselves. Thus, when the exemplary person puts a name to something, it can certainly be spoken, and when spoken it can certainly be acted upon. There is nothing careless in the attitude of the exemplary person toward what is said.
[tr. Ames/Rosemont (1998)]

It would certainly be to rectify names, would it not? [...] If names are not rectified, speech will not be representative. If speech is not representative, things will not get done. If things do not get done, rites and music will not flourish. If rites and music do not flourish, punishments and penalties will not be just. And if punishments and penalties are not just, the people will have nowhere to put hand or foot. Therefore, as to the gentleman: if he names something, it must be sayable, and if he says something, it must be doable. The gentleman's relation to words is to leave nothing whatever to chance.
[tr. Brooks/Brooks (1998)]

The rectification of names. Without a doubt. [...] Listen. If names aren't rectified, speech doesn't follow from reality. If speech doesn't follow from reality, endeavors never come to fruition. If endeavors never come to fruition, then Ritual and music cannot flourish. If Ritual and music cannot flourish, punishments don't fit the crime. If punishments don't fit the crime, people can't put their hands and feet anywhere without fear of losing them. Naming enables the noble-minded to speak, and speech enables the noble-minded to act. Therefore, the noble-minded are anything but careless in speech.
[tr. Hinton (1998)]

It would, of course, be the rectification of names. [...] If names are not rectified, speech will not accord with reality; when speech does not accord with reality, things will not be successfully accomplished. When things are not successfully accomplished, ritual practice and music will fail to flourish; when ritual and music fail to flourish, punishments and penalties will miss the mark. And when punishments and penalties miss the mark, the common people will be at a loss as to what to do with themselves. This is why the gentleman only applies names that can be properly spoken and assures that what he says can be properly put into action. The gentleman simply guards against arbitrariness in his speech. That is all there is to it.
[tr. Slingerland (2003)]

If I had to name my first action, I would rectify names. [...] If names are not rectified, then speech will not function properly, and if speech does not function properly, then undertakings will not succeed. If undertakings do not succeed, then rites and music will not flourish. If rites and music do not flourish, then punishments and penalties will not be justly administered. And if punishments and penalties are not justly administered, then the common people will not know where to place their hands and feet. Therefore, when the gentleman names a thing, that naming can be conveyed in speech, and if it is conveyed in speech, then it can surely be put into action. When the gentleman speaks, there is nothing arbitrary in the way he does so.
[tr. Watson (2007)]

It would have to be rectifying names. [...] If names are not rectified, what is said will not seem reasonable. When what is said does not seem reasonable, nothing will be accomplished. When nothing gets accomplished, rites and music will not flourish. When rites and music do not flourish, punishment and penalties [will take their place, and they] will fail to be just when put into use. And when punishments and penalties fail to be just in practice, people will not know where to put their hands and feet. Thus when a gentleman names something, the name can surely hold up in speech. When he says something, his words can surely be carried out in action. When a gentleman speaks, there is nothing casual or careless about what he says.
[tr. Chin (2014)]

Socrates -- (Paraphrase)

Dave — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 20:15:11 +0000

The beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms.

[Η αρχή της σοφίας είναι ο καθορισμός των όρων]

Socrates (c.470–399 BC) Greek philosopher
(Paraphrase)

Frequently attributed to Socrates (or, our source for most Socratic material, Plato), but not found as such in their works.

That said, there are places where Socrates indicates that searching out the meanings of ambiguities is important, and his "Socratic method" often involves calling definitions (or their implications) into question.

For example, in Phaedrus, 256d [tr. Jowett (1892)], Plato has Socrates note:

First, the comprehension of scattered particulars in one idea; as in our definition of love, which whether true or false certainly gave clearness and consistency to the discourse, the speaker should define his several notions and so make his meaning clear.

[εἰς μίαν τε ἰδέαν συνορῶντα ἄγειν τὰ πολλαχῇ διεσπαρμένα, ἵνα ἕκαστον ὁριζόμενος δῆλον ποιῇ περὶ οὗ ἂν ἀεὶ διδάσκειν ἐθέλῃ. ὥσπερ τὰ νυνδὴ περὶ Ἔρωτος -- ὃ ἔστιν ὁρισθέν -- εἴτ᾽ εὖ εἴτε κακῶς ἐλέχθη, τὸ γοῦν σαφὲς καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ αὑτῷ ὁμολογούμενον διὰ ταῦτα ἔσχεν εἰπεῖν ὁ λόγος.]

Possibly from this sentiment, Socrates' student Antisthenes said the very similar to the subject quotation, As recorded in Arrianus, The Discourses of Epictetus [Epictetus Diatibai], Book 1, ch. 17 [tr. Long (1877)]:

The beginning of education is the examination of terms.

[ἀρχὴ παιδεύσεως ἡ τῶν ὀνομάτων ἐπίσκεψις]

Arrianus was a student of Epictetus, who had been a pupil of Antisthenes. In the full passage, Epictetus ties this phrase back to Antisthenes and Socrates, possibly establishing the phrasing as a something directly said by Socrates.

More discussion of this quotation:

Waley, Arthur -- “Notes on Translation,” Atlantic Monthly (Nov 1948)

Dave — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 17:08:23 +0000

When translating prose dialogue one ought to make the characters say things that people talking English could conceivably say. One ought to hear them talking, just as a novelist hears his characters talk.

Arthur Waley (1889–1966) English orientalist, sinologist, literary translator
“Notes on Translation,” Atlantic Monthly (Nov 1948)

Confucius -- The Analects [論語, 论语, Lúnyǔ], Book 15, verse 41 (15.41) (6th C. BC – AD 3rd C.) [tr. Lau (1979)]

Dave — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 23:30:05 +0000

It is enough that the language one uses gets the point across.

[辭、達而已矣]
[辞达而已矣]

Confucius (c. 551- c. 479 BC) Chinese philosopher, sage, politician [孔夫子 (Kǒng Fūzǐ, K'ung Fu-tzu, K'ung Fu Tse), 孔子 (Kǒngzǐ, Chungni), 孔丘 (Kǒng Qiū, K'ung Ch'iu)]
The Analects [論語, 论语, Lúnyǔ], Book 15, verse 41 (15.41) (6th C. BC – AD 3rd C.) [tr. Lau (1979)]

Currently identified as 15.41; older sources use the Legge numbering, as noted below. (Source (Chinese) 1, 2). Other translations:

In language it is simply required that it convey the meaning.
[tr. Legge (1861), 15.40]

In speaking, perspicuity is all that is needed.
[tr. Jennings (1895)], 15.40]

Language should be intelligible and nothing more.
[tr. Ku Hung-Ming (1898), 15.40]

In language, perspicuity is everything.
[tr. Soothill (1910), 15.40]

Words should be used simply for conveying the meaning, ornateness is not their aim.
[tr. Soothill (1910), alternate. 15.40]

Problem of style? Get the meaning across and then STOP.
[tr. Pound (1933), 15.40]

In official speeches all that matters is to get one's meaning through.
[tr. Waley (1938), 15.40]

Expressiveness is the only principle of language.
[tr. Lin Yutang (1938)]

It is enough that one’s words express fully one’s thought.
[tr. Ware (1950)]

In words, the purpose is simply to get one's point across.
[tr. Dawson (1993)]

Words are merely for communication.
[tr. Leys (1997)]

As long as speech conveys the idea, it suffices.
[tr. Huang (1997)]

It is enough that the words can express the meanings.
[tr. Cai/Yu (1998), #425]

In expressing oneself, it is simply a matter of getting the point across.
[tr. Ames/Rosemont (1998)]

The words should reach their goal, and nothing more.
[tr. Brooks/Brooks (1998)]

Language is insight itself.
[tr. Hinton (1998)]

Words should convey their point, and leave it at that.
[tr. Slingerland (2003)]

With words it is enough if they get the meaning across.
[tr. Watson (2007)]

The sole purpose of a language is to communicate messages and ideas. That is all.
[tr. Li (2020), 15.42]

Waley, Arthur -- “Notes on Translation,” Atlantic Monthly (Nov 1948)

Dave — Tue, 05 Jul 2022 22:26:37 +0000

Hundreds of times I have sat for hours in front of texts the meaning of which I understood perfectly, and yet been unable to see how they ought to be put into English in such a way as to re-embody not merely a series of correct dictionary meanings, but also the emphasis, the tone, the eloquence of the original.

Arthur Waley (1889–1966) English orientalist, sinologist, literary translator
“Notes on Translation,” Atlantic Monthly (Nov 1948)

Reprinted in The Secret History of the Mongols (1963).

A variation of this quote is frequently found which appears to have been synthesized by Simon Leys (attributed to Waley) in his 2008 essay, "The Experience of Literary Translation":

Hundreds of times I have sat, for hours on end, before passages whose meaning I understood perfectly, without seeing how to render them into English.

De Stael, Germaine -- Corinne, Book 1, ch. 2 (1807) [tr. Lawler]

Dave — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 20:16:52 +0000

Travelling, whatever may be said of it, is one of the saddest pleasures of life. When you feel yourself settled in some foreign city, it begins to feel, in some degree, like your own country; but to traverse unknown realms, to hear a language spoken which you hardly comprehend, to see human countenances which have no connection either with your past recollections, or future prospects, is solitude and isolation, without dignity and without repose.

[Voyager est, quoi qu’on en puisse dire, un des plus tristes plaisirs de la vie. Lorsque vous vous trouvez bien dans quelque ville étrangère, c’est que vous commencez à vous y faire une patrie; mais traverser des pays inconnus, entendre parler un langage que vous comprenez à peine, voir des visages humains sans relation avec votre passé ni avec votre avenir, c’est de la solitude et de l’isolement sans repos et sans dignité.]

Germaine de Staël (1766–1817) Swiss-French writer, woman of letters, critic, salonist [Anne Louise Germaine de Staël-Holstein, Madame de Staël, Madame Necker]
Corinne, Book 1, ch. 2 (1807) [tr. Lawler]

(Source (French))

Kipling, Rudyard -- “Surgeons and the Soul,” speech, Royal College of Surgeons (14 Feb 1923)

Dave — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 01:09:20 +0000

I am, by calling, a dealer in words; and words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.

Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936) English writer
“Surgeons and the Soul,” speech, Royal College of Surgeons (14 Feb 1923)

Sarton, May -- I Knew a Phoenix, “A Belgian School” (1959)

Dave — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 14:10:47 +0000

Words are more powerful than perhaps anyone suspects, and once deeply engraved in a child’s mind, they are not easily eradicated.

May Sarton (1912–1995) Belgian-American poet, novelist, memoirist [pen name of Eleanore Marie Sarton]
I Knew a Phoenix, “A Belgian School” (1959)

Morgan, Robin -- “Saving the World,” Ms. (Summer 2003)

Dave — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 17:39:17 +0000

Clarity of language is the first casualty of authoritarianism.

Robin Morgan (b. 1941) American poet, author, activist, journalist
“Saving the World,” Ms. (Summer 2003)

Sarton, May -- Journal of a Solitude, “September 16th” (1973)

Dave — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 14:17:52 +0000

The more articulate one is, the more dangerous words become.

May Sarton (1912–1995) Belgian-American poet, novelist, memoirist [pen name of Eleanore Marie Sarton]
Journal of a Solitude, “September 16th” (1973)

See Howell (1659).

Bovee, Christian Nestell -- Thoughts, Feelings, & Fancies (1857)

Dave — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 20:35:50 +0000

Kindness is a language the dumb can speak and the deaf can hear and understand.

Christian Nestell Bovee (1820–1904) American epigrammatist, writer, publisher
Thoughts, Feelings, & Fancies (1857)

Slightly revised in Bovee's Intuitions & Summaries of Thought (1862): "Kindness: a language which the dumb can speak, and the deaf can understand."

Since the 2000s, frequently misattributed to Mark Twain. More information: The Apocryphal Twain: "Kindness is language the deaf can hear." - Center for Mark Twain Studies.

Fussell, Paul -- Class (1983)

Dave — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 16:48:58 +0000

The middles cleave to euphemisms not just because they’re an aid in avoiding facts. They like them also because they assist their social yearnings towards pomposity. This is possible because most euphemisms permit the speaker to multiply syllables, and the middle class confuses sheer numerousness with weight and value.

Paul Fussell (1924–2012) American cultural and literary historian, author, academic
Class (1983)

Pinker, Steven -- The Sense of Style, Prologue (2014)

Dave — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 13:49:47 +0000

Language is not a protocol legislated by an authority, but rather a wiki that pools the contributions of millions of writers and speakers, who ceaselessly bend the language to their needs and who inexorably age, die, and get replaced by their children, who adapt the language in their turn.

Steven Pinker (b. 1954) Canadian-American cognitive psychologist, linguist, author
The Sense of Style, Prologue (2014)

Greenberg, Gary -- “The Stories We Tell About Drinking,” The New Yorker (2 Apr 2018)

Dave — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 16:51:07 +0000

Tyrants thrive on cliché, on language that declares itself beyond questioning.

Gary Greenberg (b. c. 1939) American psychotherapist, author
“The Stories We Tell About Drinking,” The New Yorker (2 Apr 2018)

Pinker, Steven -- “The Game of the Name,” New York Times (5 Apr 1994)

Dave — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 20:04:23 +0000

To a linguist, the phenomenon is familiar: the euphemism treadmill. People invent new “polite” words to refer to emotionally laden or distasteful things, but the euphemism becomes tainted by association and the new one that must be found acquires its own negative connotations. “Water closet” becomes “toilet” (originally a term for any body care, as in “toilet kit”), which becomes “bathroom,” which becomes “rest room,” which becomes “lavatory.” “Garbage collection” turns into “sanitation,” which turns into “environmental services.” The euphemism treadmill shows that concepts, not words, are in charge. Give a concept a new name, and the name becomes colored by the concept; the concept does not become freshened by the name. (We will know we have achieved equality and mutual respect when names for minorities stay put.)

Steven Pinker (b. 1954) Canadian-American cognitive psychologist, linguist, author
“The Game of the Name,” New York Times (5 Apr 1994)

Brodsky, Joseph -- “Speech at the Stadium,” Commencement Address, University of Michigan (18 Dec 1988)

Dave — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 18:39:50 +0000

Now and in the time to be, I think it will pay for you to zero in on being precise with your language. Try to build and treat your vocabulary the way you are to treat your checking account. Pay every attention to it and try to increase your earnings. The purpose here is not to boost your bedroom eloquence or your professional success — although those, too, can be consequences — nor is it to turn you into parlor sophisticates. The purpose is to enable you to articulate yourselves as fully and precisely as possible; in a word, the purpose is your balance.

Joseph Brodsky (1940–1996) Russian-American poet, essayist, Nobel laureate, US Poet Laureate [Iosif Aleksandrovič Brodskij]
“Speech at the Stadium,” Commencement Address, University of Michigan (18 Dec 1988)

Orwell, George -- Essay (1946-01), “The Prevention of Literature,” Polemic Magazine

Dave — Tue, 13 Apr 2021 15:24:33 +0000

To write in plain, vigorous language one has to think fearlessly, and if one thinks fearlessly one cannot be politically orthodox.

George Orwell (1903–1950) English journalist, essayist, writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]
Essay (1946-01), “The Prevention of Literature,” Polemic Magazine

On why, in authoritarian regimes, literature suffers.

Aristotle -- Rhetoric [Ῥητορική; Ars Rhetorica], Book 1, ch. 1, sec. 13 (1.1.13) / 1355b (350 BC) [tr. Waterfield (2018)]

Dave — Fri, 02 Apr 2021 14:47:21 +0000

It might be argued that a man who employs this kind of skill with words for immoral purposes can do great harm, but the same goes for everything good except for virtue, and it goes above all for the most valuable things, such as strength, health, and generalship. After all, moral use of these things can do the greatest good, and immoral use the greatest harm.

[εἰ δ᾽ ὅτι μεγάλα βλάψειεν ἂν ὁ χρώμενος ἀδίκως τῇ τοιαύτῃ δυνάμει τῶν λόγων, τοῦτό γε κοινόν ἐστι κατὰ πάντων τῶν ἀγαθῶν πλὴν ἀρετῆς, καὶ μάλιστα κατὰ τῶν χρησιμωτάτων, οἷον ἰσχύος ὑγιείας πλούτου στρατηγίας: τούτοις γὰρ ἄν τις ὠφελήσειεν τὰ μέγιστα χρώμενος δικαίως καὶ βλάψειεν ἀδίκως.]

Aristotle (384–322 BC) Greek philosopher
Rhetoric [Ῥητορική; Ars Rhetorica], Book 1, ch. 1, sec. 13 (1.1.13) / 1355b (350 BC) [tr. Waterfield (2018)]

(Source (Greek)). Other translations:

But if it be urged that a man, using such a power of words for an unjust purpose, would do much harm, this is common to all the goods, with the exception of virtue; and especially in the case of the most useful, as for instance strength, health, wealth, and command: for by the right use of these a man may do very much good, and by the wrong very much harm.
[Source (1847)]

If, however, any one should object that a person, unfairly availing himself of such powers of speaking, may be, in a very high degree, injurious; this is an objection which will like in some degree against every good indiscriminately, except virtue; and with especial force against those which are most advantageous, as strength, health, wealth, and generalship. Because employing these fairly, a person may be beneficial in points of the highest importance; and by employing them unfairly may be equally injurious.
[tr. Buckley (1850)]

If it is objected that the abuser of the rhetorical faculty can do great mischief, this, at any rate, applies to all good things except virtue, and especially to the most useful things, as strength, health, wealth, generalship. By the right use of these things a man may do the greatest good, and by the unjust use, the greatest mischief.
[tr. Jebb (1873)]

And if it be objected that one who uses such power of speech unjustly might do great harm, that is a charge which may be made in common against all good things except virtue, and above all against the things that are most useful, as strength, health, wealth, generalship. A man can confer the greatest of benefits by a right use of these, and inflict the greatest of injuries by using them wrongly.
[tr. Roberts (1924)]

If it is argued that one who makes an unfair use of such faculty of speech may do a great deal of harm, this objection applies equally to all good things except virtue, and above all to those things which are most useful, such as strength, health, wealth, generalship; for as these, rightly used, may be of the greatest benefit, so, wrongly used, they may do an equal amount of harm.
[tr. Freese (1926)]

And if someone using such a capacity for argument should do great harm, this at least, is common to all good things -- except virtue -- and especially so in the case of the most useful things, such as strength, health, wealth, and generalship. For someone using these things justly would perform the greatest benefits -- and unjustly, the greatest harm.
[tr. Bartlett (2019)]

Arendt, Hannah -- Lecture (1971), “Thinking and Moral Considerations,” Social Research (1971 Fall)

Dave — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 20:12:22 +0000

Clichés, stock phrases, adherence to conventional, standardized codes of expression and conduct have the socially recognized function of protecting us against reality, that is, against the claim on our thinking attention that all events and facts make by virtue of their existence.

Hannah Arendt (1906–1975) German-American philosopher, political theorist
Lecture (1971), “Thinking and Moral Considerations,” Social Research (1971 Fall)

Referring to Adolf Eichmann's use of "cliché-ridden language" as a sign of his "thoughtlessness."

Collected in The Life of the Mind, Part 1 "Thinking," Introduction (1974).

Homer -- The Iliad [Ἰλιάς], Book 20, l. 248ff (20.248) [Aeneas] (c. 750 BC) [tr. Fagles (1990), l. 287ff]

Dave — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 15:54:22 +0000

A man’s tongue is a glib and twisty thing …
plenty of words there are, all kinds at its command —
with all the room in the world for talk to range and stray.
And the sort you use is just the sort you’ll hear.

[Στρεπτὴ δὲ γλῶσσ᾽ ἐστὶ βροτῶν, πολέες δ᾽ ἔνι μῦθοι
παντοῖοι, ἐπέων δὲ πολὺς νομὸς ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα.
ὁπποῖόν κ᾽ εἴπῃσθα ἔπος, τοῖόν κ᾽ ἐπακούσαις.]

Homer (fl. 7th-8th C. BC) Greek author
The Iliad [Ἰλιάς], Book 20, l. 248ff (20.248) [Aeneas] (c. 750 BC) [tr. Fagles (1990), l. 287ff]

Original Greek. Other translations:

A man’s tongue is voluble, and pours
Words out of all sorts ev’ry way. Such as you speak you hear.
[tr. Chapman (1611), ll. 228-29]

Armed or with truth or falsehood, right or wrong,
So voluble a weapon is the tongue;
Wounded, we wound; and neither side can fail,
For every man has equal strength to rail.
[tr. Pope (1715-20)]

The tongue of man is voluble, hath words
For every theme, nor wants wide field and long,
And as he speaks so shall he hear again.
[tr. Cowper (1791), ll. 309-11]

The language of mortals is voluble, and the discourses in it numerous and varied: and vast is the distribution of words here and there. Whatsoever word thou mayest speak, such also wilt thou hear.
[tr. Buckley (1860)]

For glibly runs the tongue, and can at will
Give utt’rance to discourse in ev’ry vein;
Wide is the range of language; and such words
As one may speak, another may return.
[tr. Derby (1864)]

Glib is the tongue of man, and many words are therein of every kind, and wide is the range of his speech hither and thither. Whatsoever word thou speak, such wilt thou hear in answer.
[tr. Leaf/Lang/Myers (1891)]

The tongue can run all whithers and talk all wise; it can go here and there, and as a man says, so shall he be gainsaid.
[tr. Butler (1898)]

Glib is the tongue of mortals, and words there be therein many and manifold, and of speech the range is wide on this side and on that. Whatsoever word thou speakest, such shalt thou also hear.
[tr. Murray (1924)]

The tongue of man is a twisty thing, there are plenty of words there
of every kind, the range of words is wide, and their variance.
The sort of thing you say is the thing that will be said to you.
[tr. Lattimore (1951)]

Men have twisty tongues, and on them speech of all kinds; wide is the grazing land of words, both east and west. The manner of speech you use, the same you are apt to hear.
[tr. Fitzgerald (1974)]

Pliant and glib is the tongue men have, and the speeches in it are many and various -- far do the words range hither and thither; such as the word you speak is the word which you will be hearing.
[tr. Merrill (2007)]

Mann, Thomas -- The Magic Mountain [Der Zauberberg], Part 6, “A Good Soldier” (1924) [tr. Woods]

Dave — Wed, 09 Dec 2020 21:30:23 +0000

Language is civilization itself. The Word, even the most contradictory word, binds us together. Wordlessness isolates.

Thomas Mann (1875–1955) German writer, critic, philanthropist, Nobel laureate [Paul Thomas Mann]
The Magic Mountain [Der Zauberberg], Part 6, “A Good Soldier” (1924) [tr. Woods]

Alt. trans.: "Speech is civilization itself. The word, even the most contradictory word, preserves contact -- it is silence which isolates." [tr. Lowe-Porter]

Butler, Samuel -- The Note-Books of Samuel Butler, Part 7 “On the Making of Music, Pictures and Books,” “Thought and Word,” sec. 2 (1912)

Dave — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 18:07:01 +0000

Though analogy is often misleading, it is the best misleading thing we have.

Samuel Butler (1835–1902) English novelist, satirist, scholar
The Note-Books of Samuel Butler, Part 7 “On the Making of Music, Pictures and Books,” “Thought and Word,” sec. 2 (1912)

Porter, Cole -- “Anything Goes” (1934)

Dave — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 23:00:22 +0000

Good authors, too, who once knew better words
Now only use four-letter words
Writing prose.
Anything goes!

Cole Porter (1891–1964) American composer and songwriter
“Anything Goes” (1934)

Gershwin, Ira -- “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off,” Shall We Dance (1937)

Dave — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 22:17:55 +0000

You like potato and I like po-tah-to,
You like tomato and I like to-mah-to;
Potato, po-tah-to, tomato, to-mah-to —
Let’s call the whole thing off!

Ira Gershwin (1896–1983) American lyricist [b. Israel Gershowitz]
“Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off,” Shall We Dance (1937)

Oliver, Mary -- “Sand Dabs, Six,” Winter Hours (1999)

Dave — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 20:21:32 +0000

As a carpenter can make a gibbet as well as an altar, a writer can describe the world as trivial or exquisite, as material or as idea, as senseless or as purposeful. Words are wood.

Mary Oliver (1935–2019) American poet
“Sand Dabs, Six,” Winter Hours (1999)

Chaucer, Geoffrey -- Troilus and Criseyde, Book 2, st. 4, ll. 22-26 (1385)

Dave — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 18:34:25 +0000

Ye knowe ek that, in forme of speche is chaunge
Withinne a thowsand yere, and words tho
That hadden prys, now wonder nyce and straunge
Us thynketh hem, and yet thai spake hm so,
And spedde as wele in love, as men now do ….

[You know that the form of speech will change within a thousand years, and words that were once apt, we now regard as quaint and strange; and yet they spoke them thus, and succeeded as well in love as men do now.]

Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1343–1400) English poet, philosopher, astronomer, diplomat
Troilus and Criseyde, Book 2, st. 4, ll. 22-26 (1385)

Note that the spelling varied between different editions of this same text.

Other translations:
"Remember in the forms of speech comes change
Within a thousand years, and words that then
Were well esteemed, seem foolish now and strange;
And yet they spake them so, time and again,
And thrived in love as well as any men." [tr. Krapp (2006)]

Oliver, Mary -- “Sand Dabs, Six,” Winter Hours (1999)

Dave — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 15:50:50 +0000

Every word is a messenger. Some have wings; some are filled with fire; some are filled with death.

Mary Oliver (1935–2019) American poet
“Sand Dabs, Six,” Winter Hours (1999)

See Howell (1659).

Pratchett, Terry -- Post, alt.fan.pratchett (16 Apr 2002)

Dave — Fri, 20 Mar 2020 15:58:21 +0000

I think perhaps the most important problem is that we are trying to understand the fundamental workings of the universe via a language devised for telling one another when the best fruit is.

Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) English author
Post, alt.fan.pratchett (16 Apr 2002)

Bukowski, Charles -- Notes of a Dirty Old Man (1969)

Dave — Fri, 14 Feb 2020 17:33:44 +0000

An intellectual is a man who says a simple thing in a difficult way; an artist is a man who says a difficult thing in a simple way.

Charles Bukowski (1920–1994) German-American author, poet
Notes of a Dirty Old Man (1969)

Macaulay, Thomas Babington -- “John Dryden,” Edinburgh Review (Jan 1828)

Dave — Thu, 13 Feb 2020 20:31:38 +0000

The English Bible, a book which, if everything else in our language should perish, would alone suffice to show the whole extent of its beauty and power.

Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800–1859) English writer and politician
“John Dryden,” Edinburgh Review (Jan 1828)

Review of John Dryden, The Political Works of John Dryden (1826)

Brown, Rita Mae -- Starting from Scratch: A Different Kind of Writers’ Manual, Part 3, ch. 1 “Words as Separate Units of Consciousness” (1988)

Dave — Mon, 27 May 2019 18:55:17 +0000

Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.

Rita Mae Brown (b. 1944) American author, playwright
Starting from Scratch: A Different Kind of Writers’ Manual, Part 3, ch. 1 “Words as Separate Units of Consciousness” (1988)

Angelou, Maya -- “The Art of Fiction,” Paris Review, #116, Interview with George Plimpton (1990)

Dave — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 02:22:37 +0000

I really love language; it allows us to explain the pain and the glory, the nuances and the delicacies, of our existence. Most of all, it allows us to laugh. We need language.

Maya Angelou (1928–2014) American poet, memoirist, activist [b. Marguerite Ann Johnson]
“The Art of Fiction,” Paris Review, #116, Interview with George Plimpton (1990)

Pratchett, Terry -- Discworld No. 11, Reaper Man (1991)

Dave — Sat, 19 Jan 2019 04:21:46 +0000

“Yo!” said the Dean.
“Yo what?” said Ridcully.
“It’s not a yo what, it’s just a yo,” said the Senior Wrangler, behind him. “It’s a general street greeting and affirmative with convivial military ingroup and masculine bonding-ritual overtones.”
“What? What? Like ‘jolly good’?” said Ridcully.
“I suppose so,” said the Senior Wrangler, reluctantly.

Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) English author
Discworld No. 11, Reaper Man (1991)

Brown, Rita Mae -- Starting from Scratch, Part 3 “The Work,” “The Passive Voice, or The Secret Agent” (1989)

Dave — Tue, 27 Nov 2018 01:38:33 +0000

Language exerts hidden power, like the moon on the tides.

Rita Mae Brown (b. 1944) American author, playwright
Starting from Scratch, Part 3 “The Work,” “The Passive Voice, or The Secret Agent” (1989)

Lively, Penelope -- Moon Tiger, ch. 4 (1987)

Dave — Wed, 03 Oct 2018 00:56:31 +0000

We open our mouths and out flow words whose ancestries we do not even know. We are walking lexicons. In a single sentence of idle chatter we preserve Latin, Anglo-Saxon, Norse: we carry a museum inside our heads, each day we commemorate peoples of whom we have never heard. More than that, we speak volumes — our language is the language of everything we have not read. Shakespeare and the Authorised Version surface in supermarkets, on buses, chatter on radio and television. I find this miraculous. I never cease to wonder at it. That words are more durable than anything, that they blow with the wind, hibernate and reawaken, shelter parasitic on the most unlikely hosts, survive and survive and survive.

Penelope Lively (b. 1933) British writer
Moon Tiger, ch. 4 (1987)

Cobbett, William -- A Grammar of the English Language, Letter 2 (1818)

Dave — Wed, 25 Oct 2017 01:02:08 +0000

Grammar, perfectly understood, enables us, not only to express our meaning fully and clearly, but so to express it as to enable us to defy the ingenuity of man to give to our words any other meaning than that which we ourselves intend them to express.

William Cobbett (1763–1835) English politician, agriculturist, journalist, pamphleteer
A Grammar of the English Language, Letter 2 (1818)

Lowell, Amy -- “Sword Blades and Poppy Seed,” l. 291 (1914)

Dave — Thu, 06 Jul 2017 17:38:40 +0000

All books are either dreams or swords,
You can cut, or you can drug, with words.

Amy Lowell (1874–1925) American poet
“Sword Blades and Poppy Seed,” l. 291 (1914)

See Howell (1659).

Lebowitz, Fran -- Social Studies, “Parental Guidance” (1981)

Dave — Mon, 22 May 2017 16:08:43 +0000

Your responsibility as a parent is not as great as you might imagine. You need not supply the world with the next conqueror of disease or a major movie star. If your child simply grows up to be someone who does not use the word “collectible” as a noun, you can consider yourself an unqualified success.

Fran Lebowitz (b. 1950) American journalist, essayist
Social Studies, “Parental Guidance” (1981)

Orwell, George -- Essay (1946-04), “Politics and the English Language,” Horizon Magazine

Dave — Tue, 25 Apr 2017 20:21:56 +0000

A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus: What am I trying to say? What words will express it? What image or idiom will make it clearer? Is this image fresh enough to have an effect? And he will probably ask himself two more: Could I put it more shortly? Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly?
But you are not obliged to go to all this trouble. You can shirk it by simply throwing your mind open and letting the ready-made phrases come crowding in. They will construct your sentences for you — even think your thoughts for you, to a certain extent — and at need they will perform the important service of partially concealing your meaning even from yourself.
It is at this point that the special connection between politics and the debasement of language becomes clear.

George Orwell (1903–1950) English journalist, essayist, writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]
Essay (1946-04), “Politics and the English Language,” Horizon Magazine

Orwell, George -- Essay (1946-04), “Politics and the English Language,” Horizon Magazine

Dave — Thu, 20 Apr 2017 15:27:45 +0000

One can often be in doubt about the effect of a word or a phrase, and one needs rules that one can rely on when instinct fails. I think the following rules will cover most cases:

Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
Never use a long word where a short one will do.
If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
Never use the passive where you can use the active.
Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

George Orwell (1903–1950) English journalist, essayist, writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]
Essay (1946-04), “Politics and the English Language,” Horizon Magazine

Writing advice for "expressing and not for concealing or preventing thought."

Orwell, George -- Essay (1946-04), “Politics and the English Language,” Horizon Magazine

Dave — Sat, 15 Apr 2017 21:31:23 +0000

A man may take to drink because he feels himself to be a failure, and then fail all the more completely because he drinks. It is rather the same thing that is happening to the English language. It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts.

George Orwell (1903–1950) English journalist, essayist, writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]
Essay (1946-04), “Politics and the English Language,” Horizon Magazine

Schlesinger, Arthur -- Interview with Brian Lamb, C-SPAN (10 May 1998)

Dave — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 21:04:42 +0000

Clarity in language depends on clarity in thought.

Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. (1917–2007) American historian, author, social critic
Interview with Brian Lamb, C-SPAN (10 May 1998)

Adams, John -- Letter (1819-03-31) to J. H. Tiffany

Dave — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 00:25:21 +0000

As I have always been convinced that abuse of Words, has been the great instrument of Sophistry and Chicanery — of party, faction and Division in Society.

John Adams (1735–1826) American lawyer, Founder, statesman; US President (1797–1801)
Letter (1819-03-31) to J. H. Tiffany

Keynes, John Maynard -- New Statesman and Nation (15 Jul 1933)

Dave — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 05:03:07 +0000

Words ought to be a little wild, for they are the assault of thoughts on the unthinking.

John Maynard Keynes (1883–1946) English economist
New Statesman and Nation (15 Jul 1933)

Adams, Henry -- The Education of Henry Adams, ch. 31 (1907)

Dave — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 03:04:59 +0000

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 journalist, historian, academic, novelist
The Education of Henry Adams, ch. 31 (1907)

Lehrer, Tom -- “In His Own Words: On Life, Lyrics and Liberals,” Washington Post (3 Jan 1982)

Dave — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 03:09:26 +0000

As for language, almost everything goes now. That is not to say that verbal taboos have disappeared, but merely that they have shifted somewhat. In my youth, for example, there were certain words you couldn’t say in front of a girl; now you can say them, but you can’t say “girl.”

Tom Lehrer (b. 1928) American mathematician, satirist, songwriter
“In His Own Words: On Life, Lyrics and Liberals,” Washington Post (3 Jan 1982)

Roux, Joseph -- Meditations of a Parish Priest: Thoughts, Part 9, #54 (1886)

Dave — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 15:51:13 +0000

We call that person who has lost his father, an orphan; and a widower that man who has lost his wife. But that man who has known the immense unhappiness of losing a friend, by what name do we call him? Here every language is silent and holds its peace in impotence.

Joseph Roux (1834–1886) French Catholic priest
Meditations of a Parish Priest: Thoughts, Part 9, #54 (1886)

Shaw, George Bernard -- (Attributed)

Dave — Tue, 12 Apr 2016 19:57:26 +0000

England and America are two countries separated by the same language.

George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) Irish playwright and critic
(Attributed)

Variants:

"England and America are two peoples separated by a common language."
"England and America are two countries separated by one language."
"The British and the Americans are two great peoples divided by a common tongue."

Possibly a misattribution from Oscar Wilde in 1887: "We have really everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, language."

One of the first attributions to Shaw, without source, was in Reader's Digest (Nov 1942). It also shows up in other articles at the time, referenced as a remark by Shaw but without any actual citation. The phrase is not found in Shaw's published writing.

For further discussion of the quote's origins: Britain and America Are Two Nations Divided by a Common Language – Quote Investigator.

Wilde, Oscar -- The Canterville Ghost (1887)

Dave — Wed, 06 Apr 2016 14:54:24 +0000

Indeed, in many respects, she was quite English, and was an excellent example of the fact that we have really everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, language.

Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) Irish poet, wit, dramatist
The Canterville Ghost (1887)

See Shaw.

Billings, Josh -- Everybody’s Friend, Or; Josh Billing’s Encyclopedia and Proverbial Philosophy of Wit and Humor, ch. 239 “Missellaneous: Writers at Short Range” (1874)

Dave — Fri, 01 Apr 2016 15:58:52 +0000

Thare iz grate power in words, if yu don’t hitch tew menny ov them together.

There is great power in words, if you don’t hitch too many of them together.

Josh Billings (1818–1885) American humorist, aphorist [pseud. of Henry Wheeler Shaw]
Everybody’s Friend, Or; Josh Billing’s Encyclopedia and Proverbial Philosophy of Wit and Humor, ch. 239 “Missellaneous: Writers at Short Range” (1874)

Milne, A. A. -- Winnie-the-Pooh, ch. 4 “Eeyore Loses a Tail” (1926)

Dave — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 15:25:27 +0000

For I am a Bear of Very Little Brain, and long words bother me.

A. A. Milne (1882–1956) English poet and playwright [Alan Alexander Milne]
Winnie-the-Pooh, ch. 4 “Eeyore Loses a Tail” (1926)

Allen, Woody -- Deconstructing Harry (1998)

Dave — Thu, 11 Feb 2016 16:25:54 +0000

The three most beautiful words in the English language are not “I love you.” They are: “It is benign.”

Woody Allen (b. 1935) American comedian, writer, director [b. Allan Steward Konigsberg]
Deconstructing Harry (1998)

Nicoll, James -- “The King’s English,” rec.arts.sf-lovers (15 May 1990)

Dave — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 14:30:38 +0000

The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don’t just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and riffle their pockets for new vocabulary.

James Nicoll (b. 1961) Canadian reviewer, editor
“The King’s English,” rec.arts.sf-lovers (15 May 1990)

Nicoll later corrected the final verb to "rifle."

Safire, William -- Language Maven Strikes Again, “Drudgery It Ain’t” (1990)

Dave — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 17:30:56 +0000

The dictionaries should get with it; in pronunciation and ultimately in usage, when enough of us are wrong, we’re right.

William Safire (1929–2009) American author, columnist, journalist, speechwriter
Language Maven Strikes Again, “Drudgery It Ain’t” (1990)

Often paraphrased: "The thing about language is that, when enough of us are wrong, we're right."

Pratchett, Terry -- Discworld No. 14, Lords and Ladies (1992)

Dave — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 15:18:08 +0000

Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder.
Elves are marvelous. They cause marvels.
Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies.
Elves are glamorous. They project glamour.
Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment.
Elves are terrific. They beget terror.
The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind words that have changed their meaning.
No one ever said elves are nice.
Elves are bad.

Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) English author
Discworld No. 14, Lords and Ladies (1992)

Mencken, H. L. -- “Essay in American,” Baltimore Evening Sun (1921-11-07)

Dave — Wed, 04 Feb 2015 14:40:44 +0000

When things get so balled up that the people of a country got to cut loose from some other country, and go it on their own hook, without asking no permission from nobody, excepting maybe God Almighty, then they ought to let everybody know why they done it, so that everybody can see they are not trying to put nothing over on nobody. All we got to say on this proposition is this: first, me and you is as good as anybody else, and maybe a damn sight better; second, nobody ain’t got no right to take away none of our rights; third, everyman has got a right to live, to come and go as he pleases, and to have a good time whichever way he likes, so long as he don’t interfere with nobody else. That any government that don’t give a man them rights ain’t worth a damn; also, people ought to choose the kind of government they want themselves, and nobody else ought to have no say in the matter. That whenever any government don’t do this, then the people have got a right to give it the bum’s rush and put in one that will take care of their interests.

H. L. Mencken (1880–1956) American writer and journalist [Henry Lewis Mencken]
“Essay in American,” Baltimore Evening Sun (1921-11-07)

Rewriting the beginning of the Declaration of Independence in the time's parlance.

Camus, Albert -- “Entre oui et non,” in L’Envers et l’endroit (1937)

Dave — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 12:43:48 +0000

Don’t let them tell us stories. Don’t let them say of the man sentenced to death “He is going to pay his debt to society,” but: “They are going to cut off his head.” It looks like nothing. But it does make a little difference.

Albert Camus (1913–1960) Algerian-French novelist, essayist, playwright
“Entre oui et non,” in L’Envers et l’endroit (1937)

Translated as "Between Yes and No", in World Review (Mar 1950).

Schulman, Tom -- Dead Poets Society (1989)

Dave — Tue, 03 Jun 2014 04:39:03 +0000

KEATING: Now, language was developed for one endeavor, and that is? Mr. Anderson? Come on! Are you a man or an amoeba? Mr. Perry?

NEIL: Uh, to communicate.

KEATING: No! To woo women!

Tom Schulman (b. 1951) American screenwriter, director
Dead Poets Society (1989)

Brewster, Kingman -- Speech, British Institute of Management (13 Dec 1977)

Dave — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 13:28:55 +0000

Incomprehensible jargon is the hallmark of a profession.

Kingman Brewster, Jr. (1919–1988) American educator, diplomat
Speech, British Institute of Management (13 Dec 1977)

Johnson, Samuel -- A Dictionary of the English Language, Preface (1755)

Dave — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:06:30 +0000

Every quotation contributes something to the stability or enlargement of the language.

Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) English writer, lexicographer, critic
A Dictionary of the English Language, Preface (1755)

On use of quotations in his dictionary to illustrate and explore the meanings of words.

Vidal, Gore -- “America First? America Last? America at Last?,” Lowell Lecture, Harvard University (20 Apr 1992)

Dave — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 12:33:26 +0000

“Liberal” comes from the Latin liberalis, which means pertaining to a free man. In politics, to be liberal is to want to extend democracy through change and reform. One can see why the word had to be erased from our political lexicon.

Gore Vidal (1925–2012) American novelist, dramatist, critic
“America First? America Last? America at Last?,” Lowell Lecture, Harvard University (20 Apr 1992)

Wagner, Jane -- The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, Part 2 (1985) [perf. Lily Tomlin]

Dave — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:08:27 +0000

TROUT: I personally think we
developed language because of our deep inner need
to complain.

Jane Wagner (b. 1935) American humorist, writer, director
The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, Part 2 (1985) [perf. Lily Tomlin]

Variant: "Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain."

Twain, Mark -- Mark Twain’s Speeches, Introduction [ed W.D. Howells (1923 ed.)]

Dave — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 12:16:44 +0000

The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.

Mark Twain (1835–1910) American writer [pseud. of Samuel Clemens]
Mark Twain’s Speeches, Introduction [ed W.D. Howells (1923 ed.)]

Hugo, Victor -- William Shakespeare, Part 1, Book 2, ch. 4 (1864) [tr. Baillot]

Dave — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 14:34:34 +0000

Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.

[Ce qu’on ne peut dire et ce qu’on ne peut taire, la musique l’exprime.]

Victor Hugo (1802–1885) French writer, journalist, human rights activist, politician
William Shakespeare, Part 1, Book 2, ch. 4 (1864) [tr. Baillot]

(Source (French)). Other translation:

Music expresses that which cannot be said, and which cannot be suppressed.
[tr. Anderson (1886)]

Arendt, Hannah -- Life of the Mind, Vol. 1 “Thinking,” Introduction (1977)

Dave — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:36:15 +0000

Nothing we use or hear or touch can be expressed in words that equal what is given by the senses.

Hannah Arendt (1906–1975) German-American philosopher, political theorist
Life of the Mind, Vol. 1 “Thinking,” Introduction (1977)

Originally printed as an essay (1977-11-14), "Thinking -- I," The New Yorker (1977-11-21).

Montaigne, Michel de -- Essays, Book 1, ch. 25 (1.25), “Of the Education of Children [De l’institution des enfans]” (1579) [tr. Ives (1925), 1.26]

Dave — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:06:49 +0000

Eloquence which diverts our minds to itself is harmful to its subject.

[L’eloquence faict injure aux choses, qui nous destourne à soy.]

Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592) French essayist
Essays, Book 1, ch. 25 (1.25), “Of the Education of Children [De l’institution des enfans]” (1579) [tr. Ives (1925), 1.26]

First published in the 1580 edition.

(Source (French)). Other translations:

That eloquence offereth injurie unto things, which altogether drawes us to observe it.
[tr. Florio (1603), ch. 25]

That eloquence prejudices the subject it would advance, that wholly attracts us to itself.
[tr. Cotton (1686), ch. 25; Cotton/Hazlitt (1877)]

That sort of eloquence which makes us in love with Ourselves, does an injury to the subject it treats of.
[alt. tr. Cotton (1686), ch. 25]

The eloquence that diverts us to itself harms its content.
[tr. Frame (1943)]

When eloquence draws attention to itself it does wrong by the substance of things.
[tr. Screech (1987)]

Wodehouse, P. G. -- Psmith, Journalist (1915)

Dave — Mon, 11 May 2009 13:13:40 +0000

“Work, the what’s-its-name of the thingummy and the thing-um-a-bob of the what-d’you-call-it.”

P. G. Wodehouse (1881–1975) Anglo-American humorist, playwright and lyricist [Pelham Grenville Wodehouse]
Psmith, Journalist (1915)

Stevenson, Robert Louis -- Essay (1881), “Virginibus Puerisque, Part 2”

Dave — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:32:54 +0000

Man is a creature who lives not upon bread alone, but principally by catchwords; and the little rift between the sexes is astonishingly widened by simply teaching one set of catchwords to the girls and another to the boys.

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894) Scottish essayist, novelist, poet
Essay (1881), “Virginibus Puerisque, Part 2”

Playing off of the Biblical passages Luke 4:4 and Matthew 4:4, in turn from Deuteronomy 8:3.

First published in Virginibus Puerisque and Other Papers, ch. 1, part 2 (1881)

Pratchett, Terry -- Post, alt.fan.pratchett

Dave — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:23:42 +0000

Mind you, the Elizabethans had so many words for the female genitals that it is quite hard to speak a sentence of modern English without inadvertently mentioning at least three of them.

Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) English author
Post, alt.fan.pratchett

Tolkien, J.R.R. -- The Lost Road, ch. 1 [Alboin] (1987) [ed. C. Tolkien]

Dave — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 13:08:49 +0000

“I wish life was not so short,” he thought. “Languages take such a time, and so do all the things one wants to know about.”

J.R.R. Tolkien (1892–1973) English writer, fabulist, philologist, academic [John Ronald Reuel Tolkien]
The Lost Road, ch. 1 [Alboin] (1987) [ed. C. Tolkien]

Orwell, George -- Essay (1946-04), “Politics and the English Language,” Horizon Magazine

Dave — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 15:53:23 +0000

The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one’s real and one’s declared aims, one turns as it were instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish spurting out ink.

George Orwell (1903–1950) English journalist, essayist, writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]
Essay (1946-04), “Politics and the English Language,” Horizon Magazine

Goethe, Johann von -- Über Kunst und Alterthum (1821)

Dave — Tue, 06 Jul 2004 22:06:57 +0000

He who is ignorant of foreign languages, knows not his own.

[Wer fremde Sprachen nicht kennt, weiß nichts von seiner eigenen.]

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German poet, statesman, scientist
Über Kunst und Alterthum (1821)

Alt. trans.:

"He who knows not foreign languages, knows nothing of his own."
"No man who knows only his own language knows even that."
"He who knows but one language knows none."
"He who knows one language, knows none."
"A man who has no acquaintance with foreign languages knows nothing of his own." [tr. Bailey Saunders]

Straczynski, J. Michael "Joe" -- rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated, “ATTN JMS: Influences?” (27 Oct 1995)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

It saddens me that literacy has become suspect, and degraded, given how many millions of years of evolution spent developing the ability to create language. The quality of our thoughts is bordered on all sides by our facility with language. The less precise the usage, the less clear the process of language, the less you can achieve what you want to achieve when you open you mouth to say something. We have slowly bastardized and degraded and weakened the language, abetted and abided by a growing cultural disdain for literacy, a cyclical trend toward anti-intellectualism.

J. Michael (Joe) Straczynski (b. 1954) American screenwriter, producer, author [a/k/a "JMS"]
rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated, “ATTN JMS: Influences?” (27 Oct 1995)

Watterson, Bill -- Calvin and Hobbes (1995-01-09)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

INSTRUCTIONS: “1. Explain Newton’s First Law of Motion in your own words.”

CALVIN: (writing, after a moment of inspiration) Yakka foob mog. Grug pubbawup zink wattoom gazork. Chumble spuzz.

Bill Watterson (b. 1958) American cartoonist
Calvin and Hobbes (1995-01-09)

Straczynski, J. Michael "Joe" -- Babylon 5, 4×06 “Into the Fire” (3 Feb 1997)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 19:00:00 +0000

DELENN: In my experience, if you cannot say what you mean, you cannot mean what you say.

J. Michael (Joe) Straczynski (b. 1954) American screenwriter, producer, author [a/k/a "JMS"]
Babylon 5, 4×06 “Into the Fire” (3 Feb 1997)

Joubert, Joseph -- Pensées [Thoughts], ch. 22 “Du Style [On Style],” ¶ 25 (1850 ed.) [tr. Lyttelton (1899), ch. 21, ¶ 15]

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 19:00:00 +0000

Words, like glass, obscure when they do not aid vision.

[Les mots, comme les verres, obscurcissent tout ce qu’ils n’aident pas à mieux voir.]

Joseph Joubert (1754–1824) French moralist, philosopher, essayist, poet
Pensées [Thoughts], ch. 22 “Du Style [On Style],” ¶ 25 (1850 ed.) [tr. Lyttelton (1899), ch. 21, ¶ 15]

(Source (French)). Other translations:

Words, like glass, darken whatever they do not help us to see.
[tr. Attwell (1896), ¶ 304]

Words, like eyeglasses, obscure everything they do not make clear.
[Source]

Milne, A. A. -- House at Pooh Corner, ch. 3 “The Search for Small” (1928)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

Pooh knew what he meant, but, being a Bear of Very Little Brain, couldn’t think of the words.

A. A. Milne (1882–1956) English poet and playwright [Alan Alexander Milne]
House at Pooh Corner, ch. 3 “The Search for Small” (1928)

Johnson, Samuel -- A Dictionary of the English Language, Preface (1755)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

Every other author may aspire to praise; the lexicographer can only hope to escape reproach, and even this negative recompense has been yet granted to very few.

Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) English writer, lexicographer, critic
A Dictionary of the English Language, Preface (1755)

Wittgenstein, Ludwig -- Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, 5.6 (1921)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

The limits of my language mark the limits of my world.

Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951) Austrian-English philosopher
Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, 5.6 (1921)

Alt. trans:

"The boundary of my language is the boundary of my world." [tr. Kolak]
"The limits of my language mean the limits of my world." [tr. Pears and McGuinness]
"The limits of my language stand for the limits of my world."

Russell, Bertrand -- Comment, The Brains Trust, BBC Radio (1948-04-26)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

I am firm. You are obstinate. He is a pig-headed fool.

Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) English mathematician and philosopher
Comment, The Brains Trust, BBC Radio (1948-04-26)

Offered as a game, "Conjugations" (today referred to by linguists as "Russell Conjugations" or "Emotive Conjugations"). The publication The New Statesman and Nation subsequently ran a competition for similar "irregular verbs," which were later printed (1948-05-15), along with the quote from Russell.

Sometimes misattributed to British journalist Katharine Whitehorn.