#Language
Quotes tagged #Language
Quotes: 8

When Words Accumulate, Power Takes Shape
Because words can build, they can also mislead. “Falsehood flies, and the Truth comes limping after it” (Jonathan Swift, 1710) captures the asymmetry exploited by disinformation. Hence the ethical task: slow down the spread, speed up verification, and cultivate literacies—statistical, historical, and digital—that let citizens test claims. Ultimately, Atwood’s line is both invitation and warning: lay each word with care, for sequence becomes structure, and structure becomes the world we share. [...]
Created on: 8/29/2025

Language as Home: Heidegger’s Vision of Dwelling
Finally, Heidegger’s thesis invites conversation rather than dogma. Wittgenstein’s later view that meaning is use (Philosophical Investigations, 1953) complements the idea that forms of life and speech are inseparable, even if it avoids talk of “Being.” Meanwhile, Benjamin’s “The Task of the Translator” (1923) hints at a kinship: translation seeks the “pure language” that lets meanings converge without erasure. Critics caution against linguistic determinism and urge attention to material conditions; yet Heidegger largely agrees that language is not a cage but an opening. The enduring insight is modest yet profound: by attending to how we speak—and how speech speaks us—we either deepen or diminish the home we make together. [...]
Created on: 8/11/2025

How Words Ignite and Elevate the Mind
Bringing this reflection full circle, it becomes clear that language endows the human mind with enduring wings—capable of transcending time and culture. Whether in ancient theater or modern classrooms, words continue to inspire, challenge, and liberate minds. As we craft and receive language, we take part in an unending tradition of intellectual flight, just as Aristophanes envisioned so many centuries ago. [...]
Created on: 6/13/2025

Decoding Ideas: How Words Serve as Signs
Finally, in today’s digital age, Johnson’s maxim gains fresh significance. Emojis, abbreviations, and memes have become modern signs that encapsulate ideas with remarkable brevity. Yet, the risk of misinterpretation looms larger than ever, given how easily meaning can be distorted online. In recognizing words as signs, we are reminded to communicate with care and to seek clarity beneath the surface of our linguistic exchanges. [...]
Created on: 6/10/2025

A Different Language Is a Different Vision of Life — Federico Fellini
Each language offers unique ways of expressing ideas, emotions, and creativity, thus expanding our personal and artistic possibilities. [...]
Created on: 4/22/2025

Words Are a Lens to Focus One’s Mind — Ayn Rand
By putting thoughts into words, individuals can better understand themselves and others. This intellectual self-awareness is key to personal development and effective decision-making. [...]
Created on: 4/12/2025

To See Is to Forget the Name of the Thing One Sees - Paul Valéry
Paul Valéry, a French poet and philosopher, was deeply interested in perception, consciousness, and the limits of language. This quote aligns with his broader philosophical inquiries into how humans process reality. [...]
Created on: 3/21/2025

The Imagination is One of the World’s Most Valuable Resources - N. Scott Momaday
As a Native American author, N. Scott Momaday often intertwines traditional storytelling with themes of imagination and nature. This can be seen as a reflection of Native American reverence for oral traditions, where imagination plays a vital role in the transmission of cultural wisdom and history. [...]
Created on: 11/14/2024