“The Three Oddest Words
When I pronounce the word Future,
the first syllable already belongs to the past.
When I pronounce the word Silence,
I destroy it.
When I pronounce the word nothing,
I make something no nonbeing can hold.”
Help us to complete the source, original and additional information
Wisława Szymborska 92
Polish writer 1923–2012Related quotes
“In contrast to my husband, I can pronounce the word nuclear.”
Dutch-Belgian newspaper Metro (May 2, 2005); quoted in Dutch as: In tegenstelling tot mijn man kan ik het woord "nucleair" wel uitspreken.
1980s, GNU Manifesto (1985)
Introduction to McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories (2004)
The Sounds of Taqwa (2006)
Context: When it comes to "Islam" — I look at the word as the verbal noun it is: an action word. I see Islam as something someone does, not something someone "belongs to". I believe that "religion", as the world commonly knows it today, is a divisive factor in community. When I was about 15 years old, I renounced a belief in the importance of "religion", seeking rather to find answers to life's questions. My spiritual quest has always been to bring me closer to my purpose in life, a better relationship with the force that brought me into existence, and how to relate to fellow human beings. When I was 17, I started reading scriptures from around the world and the more I read the more commonality I saw between them all. When I discovered the Qur'an at the age of 20, it seemed to be the most organic in its message. I got out of "religion" and got into life. To this day, I renounce a trust in the institutions of "religion".
Doe et dem. Dacre v. Dacre (1798), 2 Bos. & Pull 259.