“Proper evaluations of words and letters in their phonetic and associated sense can bring the people of earth to the clear light of pure cosmic wisdom.”

“In this present life, I reckon that we make the nearest approach to knowledge when we have the least possible concern or interest in the body, and are not saturated with the bodily nature, but remain pure until the hour when God himself is pleased to release us. And then the foolishness of the body will be cleared away and we shall be pure and hold converse with othe pure souls, and know of ourselves the clear light everywhere; and this is surely the light of truth. For no impure thing is allowed to approach the pure. These are the sort of words, Simmias, which the true lovers of wisdom cannot help saying to one another, and thinking.”

Socrates (-470–-399 BC) classical Greek Athenian philosopher

“The International Phonetic Association is like the Episcopal church. One can hold almost any theoretical position as long as one gets the symbols right.”

Peter Ladefoged (1925–2006) British phonetician

“Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.”

Gautama Buddha (-563–-483 BC) philosopher, reformer and the founder of Buddhism

“The small wisdom is like water in a glass:
clear, transparent, pure.
The great wisdom is like the water in the sea:
dark, mysterious, impenetrable.”

Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) Bengali polymath

“My object to venture the suggestion that an important application of phonetics to metrical problems lies in the study of phonetic word-structure.”

Adelaide Crapsey (1878–1914) American writer

“All clear and transparent words appear to be beautiful sounds. Yes and no are not precisely clear words, but definite words. In clear words, there is more light than movement or attitude.”

Joseph Joubert (1754–1824) French moralist and essayist

“Why isn’t the word “phonetically” spelled with an “f”?”

Steven Wright (1955) American actor and author

“It is not the word that is the original material of poetry, rather the letter.
Word is:
1. Composition of letters
2. Sounds
3. Description (meaning)
4. Vehicle for idea associations
Art is uninterpretable, unending; material must be unequivocal in a consistent formation.”

Kurt Schwitters (1887–1948) German artist

“Only one letter divides the comic from the cosmic.”

Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977) Russian-American novelist, lepidopterist, professor