Quotes about wording
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“I don't know anything!' Tim(Caleb) wailed.
He'd never spoken a truer word in his life.”

Anthony Horowitz (1955) English novelist and screenwriter

Source: Three of Diamonds

“Remember, 'No one's more important than people'! In other words, friendship is the most important thing--not career or housework, or one's fatigue--and it needs to be tended and nurtured.”

Julia Child My Life in France

Source: My Life in France

Friendship, People

“We are masters of the unsaid words, but slaves of those we let slip out.”

Winston S. Churchill (1874–1965) Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Quoted in Words of Wisdom: Winston Churchill, Students’ Academy, Lulu Press (2014), Section Three : ISBN 1312396598
Post-war years (1945–1955)

“Perhaps there is a language which is not made of words and everything in the world understands it.”

Frances Hodgson Burnett A Little Princess

Source: A Little Princess

World, Understanding

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew, upon a thought produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions think.”

George Gordon Byron (1788–1824) English poet and a leading figure in the Romantic movement

Thinking

“There had not been this many words sounded in our house for a long time, and it was going to take a while to clean them out.”

Shirley Jackson book We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Source: We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Time, Housing

“Jack grabbed Phil's arm to teleport back to Romatech.
Phil muttered a curse. "If you say one word about this to the other guys, I will stake you in your sleep."
"Don't worry, sweetheart. If they find out about this, I'll stake myself.”

Kerrelyn Sparks (1955) American writer

Source: Secret Life of a Vampire

Guy, Sleep

“I wonder how she'll make up her mind."
"Oh, that I do know." I can just catch Gale's last words through the layer of fur. "Katniss will pick whoever she thinks she can't survive without.”

Suzanne Collins book Mockingjay

Source: Mockingjay

Thinking

“Be an encourager. Scatter sunshine. Who knows whose life you might touch with something as simple as a kind word.”

Debbie Macomber (1948) American writer

Life

“Atheists are my brothers and sisters of a different faith, and every word they speak speaks of faith. Like me, they go as far as the legs of reason will carry them -- and then they leap.”

Yann Martel (1963) Canadian author best known for the book Life of Pi

Faith, Sister

“Once upon a time," he said out loud to the darkness. He said these words because they were the best, the most powerful words that he knew and just the saying of them comforted him.”

Kate DiCamillo book The Tale of Despereaux

Source: The Tale of Despereaux

Time

“No one means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous.”

Henry Adams book The Education of Henry Adams

The Education of Henry Adams (1907)
Source: The Education of Henry Adams

“The objective level is not words, and cannot be reached by words alone. We must point our finger and be silent, or we will never reach this level.”

Alfred Korzybski book Science and Sanity: An Introduction to Non-Aristotelian Systems and General Semantics

Source: Science and Sanity: An Introduction to Non-Aristotelian Systems and General Semantics

“This Lullaby is only a few words, a simple run of chords, quiet here in this spare room, but you can hear it, hear it, wherever you may go, even if I let you down, this lullaby plays on…”

Sarah Dessen book This Lullaby

Source: This Lullaby

“Trying to write about love is ultimately like trying to have a dictionary represent life. No matter how many words there are, there will never be enough.”

David Levithan The Lover's Dictionary

Source: The Lover's Dictionary

Love, Life

“I never go back on my word! That's my nindo, my ninja way!”

Masashi Kishimoto (1974) Japanese manga artist

Way

“Conversation would be vastly improved by the constant use of four simple words: I do not know.”

André Maurois (1885–1967) French writer

“She is more beautiful than I have words for. And last night, I was blessed beyond measure to serve her.”

Jessica Bird (1969) U.S. novelist

Source: Lover Awakened

Beauty, Night

“The term “starvation diet” refers to 900 calories a day. I was on one-third of a starvation diet. What do you call that? One word that comes to my mind: “suicide.”

Marya Hornbacher book Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia

Source: Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia

Suicide

“Styx and The Stones may break my bones but 'More than Words' will never hurt me”

Chuck Klosterman book Killing Yourself to Live: 85% of a True Story

Source: Killing Yourself to Live: 85% of a True Story

Hurt

“I don’t want the world. I want you,” Alec said, and Magnus closed his eyes, as if the words almost hurt.”

Cassandra Clare book City of Heavenly Fire

Source: City of Heavenly Fire

World, Hurt

“Why have you chosen to spare me?”
“I want us to be…what is your word? Friends.”
“Psychotic rapists don’t have friends.”
“I was unaware you were a psychotic rapist or I would not have offered.”
“Ha.” I’d set myself up for that one.”

Karen Marie Moning (1964) author

Variant: I want us to be... what is your word? Friends."
"Psychotic rapists don't have friends."
"I was unaware you were a psychotic rapists or I would not have offered."
(Mac & V'lane)
Source: Bloodfever

“Words ought to be a little wild, for they are the assault of thoughts on the unthinking.”

John Maynard Keynes (1883–1946) British economist

National self-sufficiency http://www.panarchy.org/keynes/national.1933.html, New Statesman and Nation (15 July 1933) <br class="br">Variant: Words ought to be a little wild for they are the assault of thoughts on the unthinking.

“He was having an odd paternal rush, a blood surge that was alsoblood and was presently hunting through Howard's expansive intelligence to find words that would more effectively express something like”

Zadie Smith On Beauty

Source: On Beauty

Intelligence

“The greatest tales, well told, awaken the fears and longings of the listeners. Each man hears a different story. Each is touched by it according to his inner self. The words go to the ear, but the true message travels straight to the spirit.”

Juliet Marillier book Son of the Shadows

Source: Son of the Shadows

Fear, Travel

“I don't have anything else to add. I just wanted to make sure I had the last word. I think I've earned that.”

Gillian Flynn book Gone Girl

Source: Gone Girl

Thinking

“There are no simple words. I don't know why I thought I could hide anything behind language.”

Patricia A. McKillip The Book of Atrix Wolfe

Source: The Book of Atrix Wolfe

“Don't say 'wife.' I'm your mistress. Wife's such an ugly word. Your 'permanent mistress' is so much more tangible and desirable….”

F. Scott Fitzgerald book The Beautiful and Damned

Source: The Beautiful and Damned

“It just took some people a little longer than others to realize how few words they needed to get by, how much of life they could negotiate in silence.”

Tom Perrotta book The Leftovers

Source: The Leftovers

Life, People, Silence

“I am reminded again that the greatest phrase ever written is words, words, words.”

Wallace Thurman (1902–1934) American novelist active during the Harlem Renaissance

“The words "Think and Thank" are inscribed in many of the Cromwellian churches of
England. These words ought to be inscribed in our hearts, too: "Think and Thank". Think
of all we have to be grateful for, and thank God for all our boons and bounties.”

Dale Carnegie book How to Stop Worrying and Start Living

Source: How to Stop Worrying and Start Living

God, Thinking, Heart

“People treat you as badly as you let them treat you. Key word there: let.”

Karen Marie Moning (1964) author

Source: Bloodfever

People

“We spend so much time bantering about the words when the real open conversations might very well be our actions. I worry about our rhetoric.”

Anna Deavere Smith (1950) American actress, playwright and professor

Time

“I drew because words were too unpredictable.”

Sherman Alexie book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Source: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

“The more you read, the less apt you are to make a fool of yourself with your pen or word processor.”

Stephen King (1947) American author

Source: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Fools, Reading

“In one word, Queequeg, said I, rather digressively; hell is an idea first born on an undigested apple-dumpling; and since then perpetuated through the hereditary dyspepsias nurtured by Ramadans.”

Herman Melville (1818–1891) American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet

Source: Moby-Dick or, The Whale

Idea, Hell

“Loafe with me on the grass—loose the stop from your throat;
Not words, not music or rhyme I want—not custom or lecture, not even the best;
Only the lull I like, the hum of your valved voice.”

Walt Whitman book Fulles d'herba

Source: Leaves of Grass

Music, Grass

“Summer afternoon — summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”

Henry James (1843–1916) American novelist, short story author, and literary critic

Quoted by Edith Wharton, A Backward Glance (1934), ch. 10.

Beauty, Summer, Wise

“We are so used to releasing words, we don't know what to do with them if they stay. No matter how many times we let them go, they come back. The words that matter always stay.”

David Levithan The Realm of Possibility

Source: The Realm of Possibility

Time

“What about you three, where are you going?"
Even before Halt answered, Will knew what he was going to say. But that didn't make it any less terrifying or blood-chilling when the words were said.
"We're going after the Kalkara.”

John Flanagan (1873–1938) Irish-American hammer thrower

Source: The Ruins of Gorlan

“I love you. Still not the right word, but i know you want to hear it.”

Sylvia Day (1973) American writer

Source: Reflected in You

Love

“Is there something wrong?” he asked.
She gave a short negative motion with her head. And then words, so sweet, like a cool northern breeze blowing off the lake. “You could hold me now.”
It was almost his undoing.
“Ah baby.”

Maya Banks (1964) Author

Source: The Darkest Hour

Baby

“And the Bastard grant us... in our direst need, the smallest gifts: the nail of the horseshoe, the pin of the axle, the feather at the pivot point, the pebble at the mountain's peak, the kiss in despair, the one right word. In darkness, understanding.”

Lois McMaster Bujold book Paladin of Souls

Source: Paladin of Souls (2003), p. 44

Mountain, Understanding, Kiss, Despair

“Words are the part of silence that can be spoken.”

Jeanette Winterson book Lighthousekeeping

Source: Lighthousekeeping

Silence, Parting

“It doesn't really matter what chords I play, what words I say or time of day it is, as it's only a Northern Song.”

George Harrison (1943–2001) British musician, former member of the Beatles

Time

“Whose cruel idea was it for the word “lisp” to have an “s” in it?”

Steven Wright (1955) American actor and author

Idea

“I am a poet in deeds--not often in words.”

Ian Fleming book Goldfinger

Source: Goldfinger

“… there is a point when the unfortunate and the infamous are associated and confused in a word, a mortal word, les miserables”

Victor Hugo book Les Misérables

Source: Les Misérables

“The truth is we never stop being children, terrible children covered in sores and knotty veins and tumors and age spots, but ultimately children, in other words we never stop clinging to life because we are life.”

Roberto Bolaño book 2666

Source: 2666

Life, Children, Truth, Age

“And over all those sleepy weeks, the dream always ended the same way, with the dragon coming for the princess saying the same words every time….
"Face it, Tally-wa, you're Special.”

Scott Westerfeld book Pretties

Source: Pretties

Dreams, Way, Time, Princess

“For gods' sake, Strider," Torin snapped. "Open your mouth and form some words. While you're at it, stop staring at the angel like he's a tasty treat.”

Gena Showalter (1975) American writer

Source: The Darkest Secret

God, Angels

“An ongoing relationship with God through His Word is essential to the Christian's consistent victory!”

Beth Moore (1957) American evangelist

Source: Believing God

God, Victory

“Mr. Sourpuss Pants God I love her Nicholas " Thomas crowed. When he noticed that neither Nicholas nor Inez looked impressed by the words he added quickly "In a totally sister-in-law type fashion of course.”

Lynsay Sands Canadian writer

Source: The Renegade Hunter

Love, God, Law, Fashion

“Words have weight, something once said cannot be unsaid. Meaning is like a stone dropped into a pool; the ripples will spread and you cannot know what back they wash against.”

Philippa Gregory book The Constant Princess

Source: The Constant Princess

“A slavish concern for the composition of words is the sign of a bankrupt intellect. Be gone, odious wasp! You smell of decayed syllables.”

Norton Juster book The Phantom Tollbooth

Source: The Phantom Tollbooth

“… I feel as though I am shelved. That I have been given the words to the story of my life, but that I have remained largely unread…”

Jessica Bird (1969) U.S. novelist

Source: Lover Enshrined

Life, Feeling

“If there were one word that could act as a standard of conduct for one's entire life, perhaps it would be 'thoughtfulness.”

Confucius (-551–-479 BC) Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher

Life

“Into the face of the young man who sat on the terrace of the Hotel Magnifique at Cannes there had crept a look of furtive shame, the shifty, hangdog look which announces that an Englishman is about to talk French. One of the things which Gertrude Butterwick had impressed on Monty Bodkin when he left for his holiday on the Riviera was that he must be sure to practise his French, and Gertrude’s word was law. So now, though he knew that it was going to make his nose tickle, he said:
‘Er, garçon.’
‘M’sieur?’
‘Er, garçon, esker-vous avez un spot de l’encre et une piece de papier—note papier, vous savez—et une envelope et une plume.’
The strain was too great. Monty relapsed into his native tongue.
‘I want to write a letter,’ he said. And having, like all lovers, rather a tendency to share his romance with the world, he would probably have added ‘to the sweetest girl on earth’, had not the waiter already bounded off like a retriever, to return a few moments later with the fixings.
‘V’la, sir! Zere you are, sir,’ said the waiter. He was engaged to a girl in Paris who had told him that when on the Riviera he must be sure to practise his English. ‘Eenk—pin—pipper—enveloppe—and a liddle bit of bloddin-pipper.’
‘Oh, merci,’ said Monty, well pleased at this efficiency. ‘Thanks. Right-ho.’
‘Right-ho, m’sieur,’ said the waiter.”

P.G. Wodehouse book The Luck of the Bodkins

Source: The Luck of the Bodkins (1935)

World, Law, Girl, Lovers

“Pretty words, as pretty women, wrinkle up and die.”

Charles Bukowski (1920–1994) American writer

Women

“He who replies to words of doubt
doth put the light of knowledge out.”

William Blake Auguries of Innocence

Source: Auguries of Innocence

Knowledge, Light

“A word is a bud attempting to become a twig. How can one not dream while writing? It is the pen which dreams. The blank page gives the right to dream.”

Gaston Bachelard (1884–1962) French writer and philosopher

Introduction, sect. 6
La poétique de la rêverie (The Poetics of Reverie) (1960)

Dreams

“By all means, avoid words—threats, complaints, justification, narratives, reframing, attempts to win arguments, supplications; avoid words!”

Nassim Nicholas Taleb book The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms

Source: The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms

“I don't want to hear any words like that while I'm here. Scout, you'll get in trouble if you go around saying things like that. You want to grow up to be a lady, don't you?'

I said not particularly.”

Harper Lee book To Kill a Mockingbird

Source: To Kill a Mockingbird

Scouting

“A man thinks that by mouthing hard words he understands hard things.”

Herman Melville (1818–1891) American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet

Understanding, Thinking

“There are no bad words. Bad thoughts. Bad intentions, and wooooords.”

George Carlin (1937–2008) American stand-up comedian

Class Clown (1972)
Context: There are four hundred thousand words in the English language, and there are seven you can't say on television. What a ratio that is: 399,993 to 7. They must really be bad; they'd have to be outrageous to be separated from a group that large! "All of you over here, you seven? BAD WORDS." That's what they told us they were, remember? "That's a bad word!" …No bad words; bad thoughts, bad intentions... and words. You know the seven, don't you, that you can't say on television? Shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, and tits. Those are the heavy seven. Those are the ones that will infect your soul, curve your spine, and keep the country from winning the war.

“He gave her an indulgent look. "I'll forgive these rash words for now." She sputtered, "Let's talk about who should be forgiving who."
"Whom," he corrected.
"Shut up! I'm in the right here. Remember all those things you did to me?”

Kresley Cole American writer

Source: Lothaire

Forgiveness

“never's the word God listens for when he needs a laugh.”

Stephen King The Dark Tower

Source: The Dark Tower

God

“No fiction, no myths, no lies, no tangled webs - this is how Irie imagined her homeland. Becauseis one of the magical fantasy words likeandandthat have now passed into language.”

Zadie Smith book White Teeth

Source: White Teeth

Imagination

“For when all else is done, only words remain. Words endure.”

Kate Mosse book The Winter Ghosts

Source: The Winter Ghosts

“But the words are easy and soothing, promising tomorrow will be more hopeful than this awful piece o time we call today.”

Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games

Source: The Hunger Games

Hope, Time

“Among my most prized possessions are words that I have never spoken.”

Orson Scott Card (1951) American science fiction novelist

“The leaf fall of his words, the stained glass hues of his moods, the rust in his voice, the smoke in his mouth, his breath on my vision like human breath blinding a mirror.”

Anaïs Nin book House of Incest

Source: House of Incest

Mood

“The Apache don't have a word for love," he said.
"Know what they both say at the marriage? The squaw-taking ceremony?"
"Tell me."
"Varlebena. It means forever. That's all they say.”

Louis L'Amour (1908–1988) Novelist, short story writer

Source: Hondo

Love, Marriage

“Euthanasia" is an excellent and comforting word! I am grateful to whoever invented it.”

Bram Stoker book Dracula

Source: Dracula

“The first thing which I can record concerning myself is, that I was born. These are wonderful words. This life, to which neither time nor eternity can bring diminution - this everlasting living soul, began. My mind loses itself in these depths.”

Groucho Marx (1890–1977) American comedian

Life, Soul, Time

“The oldest, shortest words— "yes" and "no"— are those which require the most thought.”

Pythagoras (-585–-495 BC) ancient Greek mathematician and philosopher

As quoted in Numerology for Relationships: A Guide to Birth Numbers (2006) by Vera Kaikobad, p. 78

Powerful

“If words can be lethal weapons, I must provide them with an arsenal.”

Orson Scott Card book Xenocide

Source: Xenocide

“… I love 'yes.' It's practically the most interesting word of all, don't you think?" Like a hinge opening a door outward. Yes, yes, yes.”

Hanif Kureishi (1954) English playwright, screenwriter, novelist

Source: The Black Album

Love, Thinking

“The Greek word for "return" is nostos. Algos means "suffering." So nostalgia is the suffering caused by an unappeased yearning to return.”

Milan Kundera book Ignorance

Source: Ignorance

Nostalgia, Suffering

“Destiny is a lie. Destiny is justification for atrocity. It is the means by which murderers armour themselves against reprimand. It is a word intended to stand in place of ethics, denying all moral context.”

Steven Erikson book Midnight Tides

Source: Midnight Tides (2004)

Lie

“What must that be like? To be admired before you’ve even said a word, to be desired two or three hundred times a day by people who have absolutely no idea what you’re like?”

David Nicholls book Starter for Ten

Source: Starter for Ten

People, Idea, Time

“You… are… a… fridge… with wings,' Fang ground out, punching an Eraser hard with every word. 'We're… freaking… ballet… dancers.”

James Patterson (1947) American author

Source: School's Out—Forever

“I love you, Katie. You might not be ready to say those words now, and maybe you'll never be able to say them, but that doesn't change how I feel about you.”

Nicholas Sparks book Safe Haven

Source: Safe Haven

Love, Feeling, Change

“‎No people whose word for 'yesterday' is the same as their word for 'tomorrow' can be said to have a firm grip on the time.”

Salman Rushdie book Midnight's Children

Source: Midnight's Children

People, Time

“Just kidding' was exactly what people wrote when they meant every word.”

David Nicholls book One Day

Source: One Day

People

“It is not about reading the Word. It is about obeying the Word.”

Joyce Meyer (1943) American author and speaker

Reading

“Healthy striving is about striving for internal goals, and wanting to be our best selves. Perfectionism is not motivated internally. Perfectionism is about what people will think. And you do not see effective leaders in corporations sitting on an email for three hours to make sure it’s worded just perfectly. You don’t. They have work to get done.. You don’t see elite athletes letting themselves be discouraged by a bad workout or a single bad performance. It happens all the time. They’re accustomed to winning, they’re accustomed to losing. Once perfectionism becomes the goal, they’re out of the sport.”

Brené Brown (1965) US writer and professor

Washington Post, October 2012 http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/exhaustion-is-not-a-status-symbol/2012/10/02/19d27aa8-0cba-11e2-bb5e-492c0d30bff6_story_2.html <br class="br">Source: The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are

People, Motivation, Thinking, Sport