“You shall know a word by the company it keeps.”
Cited in: [Kenneth Church, 2007, A Pendulum Swung too Far, http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/myl/ldc/swung-too-far.pdf, Linguistic Issues in Language Technology, 6, 4, 5]
"A synopsis of linguistic theory 1930-1955." 1957
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John Rupert Firth 14
English linguist 1890–1960Related quotes
“A man is known by the company he keeps. A company is known by the men it keeps.”
Source: Garg, Anu, A Word A Day, Wordsmith, 2016.02.17
“310. Keep not ill men company, lest you increase the number.”
Jacula Prudentum (1651)
“There is a ghost That eats hankerchiefs; It keeps you company On all your travels.”
Source: Flora & Ulysses (2013), Chapter Eight: Helpful Information, p. 20
“Why do you have to be so annoying sometimes?"
"Cant help it. It's the company I keep.”
Source: Kartography
“A man is known by the company he keeps.”
Misattributed, Jackson's personal book of maxims
Vorkosigan Saga, A Civil Campaign (1999)
Variant: The principal difference between heaven and hell is the company you keep there.
“If books are not good company, where shall I find it?”