“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 Szymborska92
Polish writer 1923–2012Related quotes
“In contrast to my husband, I can pronounce the word nuclear.”
Laura Bush (1946) First Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009
Dutch-Belgian newspaper Metro (May 2, 2005); quoted in Dutch as: In tegenstelling tot mijn man kan ik het woord "nucleair" wel uitspreken.
Richard Stallman (1953) American software freedom activist, short story writer and computer programmer, founder of the GNU project
1980s, GNU Manifesto (1985)
Michael Chabon (1963) Novelist, short story writer, essayist
Introduction to McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories (2004)
Dawud Wharnsby (1972) Canadian musician
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".
Sir Francis Buller, 1st Baronet (1746–1800) British judge
Doe et dem. Dacre v. Dacre (1798), 2 Bos. & Pull 259.