Words sayings | saying.tel

Men create oppositions which are not, and put them into new terms so fixed, as whereas the meaning ought to govern the term, the term in effect governeth the meaning.: Francis Bacon

There have been used, either barbarous words, of no sense, lest they should disturb the imagination; or words of similitude, that they may second and feed the imagination: and this was ever in heathen charms, as in charms of later times.: Francis Bacon

Men suppose that their reason has command over their words; still it happens that words in return exercise authority on reason.: Francis Bacon

We have deprived ourselves of that liberty of transposition in the arrangement of words which the ancient languages enjoyed.: Hugh Blair

When Homer would represent any agreeable object, he makes use of the smoothest vowels and most flowing semi-vowels.: William Broome

He call’d on Alla—but the word Arose unheeded or unheard.: Lord Byron

The effectual power of words the Pythagoreans extolled; the impious Jews ascribed all miracles to a name which was ingraved in the revestiary of the temple.: William Camden

Cast forth thy act, thy word, into the ever-living, ever-working universe: it is a seed-grain that cannot die; unnoticed to-day, it will be found flourishing as a banyan grove, perhaps, alas, as a hemlock forest, after a thousand years.: Thomas Carlyle

With some laughing ladies, I presume, whose incessant concussion of words would not let you put in a syllable.: Colley Cibber

Multitudes of words are neither an argument of clear ideas in the writer, nor a proper means of conveying clear notions to the reader.: Adam Clarke

When words are restrained by common usage to a particular sense, to run up to etymology, and construe them by dictionary, is wretchedly ridiculous.: Jeremy Collier

Words apparently synonymous, and really so in a majority of cases, have nevertheless each an appropriate meaning.: Bishop Edward Copleston

No progressive knowledge will ever medicine that dread misgiving of a mysterious and pathless power given to words of a certain import.: Thomas De Quincey

By the harmony of words we elevate the mind to a sense of devotion; as our solemn music, which is inarticulate poesy, doth in churches.: John Dryden

Unnecessary coinage, as well as unnecessary revival, of words runs into affectation; a fault to be avoided on either hand.: John Dryden

Horace has given us a rule for coining words, si græco fonte cadant, especially when other words are joined with them which explains the sense.: John Dryden

Scholars are close and frugal of their words, and not willing to let any go for ornament, if they will not serve for use.: Henry Felton

Manly spirit and genius plays not tricks with words, nor frolics with the caprice of a frothy imagination.: Joseph Glanvill

Scholars sometimes in common speech, or writing in their native language, give terminations and idiotisms suitable to their native language unto words newly invented.: Sir Matthew Hale

Words are the counters of wise men, and the money of fools.: Thomas Hobbes

There is nothing more dangerous than this deluding art which changeth the meaning of words as alchemy doth (or would do) the substance of metals; maketh of anything what it listeth, and bringeth, in the end, all truth to nothing.: Richard Hooker

Among the sources of those innumerable calamities which from age to age have overwhelmed mankind, may be reckoned as one of the principal the abuse of words.: Bishop George Horne

No dictionary of a living tongue ever can be perfect, since while it is hastening to publication, some words are budding, and some are falling away.: Dr. Samuel Johnson

Words borrowed of antiquity do lend majesty to style; they have the authority of years, and out of their intermission do win to themselves a kind of grace like newness.: Ben Jonson

A man coins not a new word without some peril and less fruit; for if it happens to be received, the praise is but moderate; if refused, the scorn is assured.: Ben Jonson

Learn the value of a man’s words and expressions, and you know him. Each man has a measure of his own for everything. This he offers you, inadvertently, in his words. He who has a superlative for everything, wants a measure for the great or small.: Johann Kaspar Lavater

The chief end of language, in communication, being to be understood, words serve not for that end when any word does not excite in the hearers the same ideas which it stands for in the mind of the speaker.: John Locke

If reputation attend these conquests which depend on the fineness and niceties of words, it is no wonder if the wit of men so employed should perplex and subtilize the signification of sounds.: John Locke

Be not the first by whom the new are tried, Nor yet the last to lay the old aside.: Alexander Pope

Words are like leaves, and, where they most abound, Much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found.: Alexander Pope

Expletives, whether words or syllables, are made use of purely to supply a vacancy: do before verbs plural is absolutely such; and future refiners may explode did and does.: Alexander Pope

He that uses many words for the explaining any subject, doth, like the cuttle-fish, hide himself for the most part in his own ink.: John Ray

Word are often everywhere as the minute-hands of the soul more important than even the hour-hands of action.: Jean Paul F. Richter

What you keep by you, you may change and mend; but words once spoke can never be recalled.: Earl of Roscommon

Use may revive the obsoletest words, And banish those that now are most in vogue; Use is the judge, the law, and rule of speech.: Roscommon

Men ever had, and ever will have, leave To coin new words well suited to the age. Words are like leaves, some wither every year, And every year a younger race succeeds.: Roscommon

Words, words, words!: William Shakespeare

I’ll take the ghost’s word for a thousand pounds.: William Shakespeare

Words are grown so false I am loath to prove reason with them.: William Shakespeare

My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: Words, without thoughts, never to heaven go.: William Shakespeare

When I would pray and think, I think and pray, To several subjects: heaven hath my empty words.: William Shakespeare

And but one word with one of us? Couple it with something. Make it a word and a blow.: William Shakespeare

Then shall our names, Familiar in his mouth as household words, Be in their flowing cups freshly remember’d.: William Shakespeare

I’ll take thy word for faith, not ask thine oath; Who shuns not to break one, will sure crack both.: William Shakespeare

It may be said that there are few or no synonymous words in a language, but many that are paronymous.: Benjamin H. Smart

In the first establishments of speech there was an implicit compact, founded upon common consent, that such and such words should be signs whereby they would express their thoughts one to another.: Robert South

A word unadvisedly spoken on the one side, or misunderstood on the other, has raised such an aversion to him as in time has produced a perfect hatred of him.: Robert South

If you would be pungent, be brief; for it is with words as with sunbeams—the more they are condensed, the deeper they burn.: Robert Southey

Her words but wind, and all her tears but water.: Edmund Spenser

Some if they happen to hear an old word, albeit very natural and significant, cry out straightway that we speak no English, but gibberish.: Edmund Spenser

If any one will rashly blame such his choice of old and unwonted words, him may I more justly blame and condemn, either of witless headiness in judging, or of headless hardiness in condemning.: Edmund Spenser

Words of different significations, taken in general, are of an equivocal sense: but being considered with all their particular circumstances they have their sense restrained.: Edward Stillingfleet

I admit that where a foreign word is more euphonious than a native word of the very same signification, its adoption may add to the pleasure of sound, which is by no means to be disregarded in language.: Sir John Stoddart

Many words deserve to be thrown out of our language, and not a few antiquated to be restored, on account of their energy and sound.: Jonathan Swift

In London they clip their words after one manner about the court, another in the city, and a third in the suburbs; all which reduced to writing would entirely confound orthography.: Jonathan Swift

This disposition to shorten our words, by retrenching the vowels, is nothing else but a tendency to lapse into the barbarity of those northern nations from whom we are descended, and whose languages all labour under the same defect.: Jonathan Swift

They have joined the most obdurate consonants without one intervening vowel, only to shorten a syllable; so that most of the books we see now-a-days are full of those manglings and abbreviations.: Jonathan Swift

Several clergymen, otherwise little fond of obscure terms, are in their sermons very liberal of all those which they find in ecclesiastical writers, as if it were our duty to understand them.: Jonathan Swift

Often in words contemplated singly there are boundless stores of moral and historic truth, and no less of passion and imagination, laid up,—lessons of infinite worth which we may derive from them, if only attention is awakened to their existence.: Richard C. Trench

A vast number of Teutonic words which have a noble or august sense in the kindred language of Germany, and evidently once had such in Anglo-Saxon, have forfeited this in whole or in part.: Richard C. Trench

If the meaning of a word could be learned by its derivation or etymology, yet the original derivation of words is oftentimes very dark.: Dr. Isaac Watts

Here is our great infelicity, that, when single words signify complex ideas, one word can never distinctly manifest all the parts of a complex idea.: Dr. Isaac Watts

When a word has been used in two or three senses, and has made a great inroad for error, drop one or two of those senses, and leave it only one remaining, and affix the other senses or ideas to other words.: Dr. Isaac Watts

Words seem to be as it were bodies or vehicles to the sense or meaning, which is the spiritual part, and which without the other can hardly be fixed in the mind.: William Wollaston

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Authors by sayings about words: Francis Bacon, Hugh Blair, William Broome, Lord Byron, William Camden, Thomas Carlyle, Colley Cibber, Adam Clarke, Jeremy Collier, Bishop Edward Copleston, Thomas De Quincey, John Dryden, Henry Felton, Joseph Glanvill, Sir Matthew Hale, Thomas Hobbes, Richard Hooker, Bishop George Horne, Dr. Samuel Johnson, Ben Jonson, Johann Kaspar Lavater, John Locke, Alexander Pope, John Ray, Jean Paul F. Richter, Earl of Roscommon, William Shakespeare, Benjamin H. Smart, Robert South, Edmund Spenser, Edward Stillingfleet, Sir John Stoddart, Jonathan Swift, Richard C. Trench, Dr. Isaac Watts, William Wollaston.

Words sayings | saying.tel

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