“"It's a gift!" he said. He was referring to his art, and also to the result; but he was using the word quite literally.”

— John Ronald Reuel Tolkien , book Leaf by Niggle

Leaf by Niggle (1945)

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John Ronald Reuel Tolkien 78

British philologist and author, creator of classic fantasy … 1892–1973

John Fowles book The Collector

Source: The Collector

“I smiled, remembering Art's line about doctors being illpolitical. He meant it the way you used words like illiterate. Art always said doctors not only held no political views, but also were incapable of them. "It's like the military," he had once said. "Political views are considered unprofessional."”

Michael Crichton book A Case of Need

A Case of Need (1968)

“In the performance of an illocutionary act in the literal utterance of a sentence, the speaker intends to produce a certain effect by means of getting the hearer to recognize his intention to produce that effect; and furthermore, if he is using the words literally, he intends this recognition to be achieved in virtue of the fact that the rules for using the expressions he utters associate the expression with the production of that effect.”

John Rogers Searle Speech Acts: An Essay in the Philosophy of Language

Source: Speech Acts: An Essay in the Philosophy of Language (1969), P. 45.

“Aristodemus, a friend of Antigonus, supposed to be a cook's son, advised him to moderate his gifts and expenses. "Thy words," said he, "Aristodemus, smell of the apron."”

Plutarch (46–127) ancient Greek historian and philosopher

44 Antigonus I
Apophthegms of Kings and Great Commanders

“He knew only that his child was his warrant. He said: If he is not the word of God God never spoke.”

Cormac McCarthy book The Road

Source: The Road

“He chased us all round the studio and we had to lock ourselves into another studio to prevent him getting us. He was a big guy. He came in the following morning and he was alright. I think his management had had a word and said, ‘Look this album is going really well, it’s not a good idea to frighten the life out of people who are helping you make it’. He was quite pleasant, but he never apologised.”

Martin Rushent (1948–2011) English record producer

Serck, Linda, Legendary producer Martin Rushent, 2009, http://www.getreading.co.uk/entertainment/music/s/2061462_legendary_producer_martin_rushent, Get Reading, 6 June 2011