#diction

My favorite books are a constantly changing list, but one favorite has remained constant: the dictionary. Is the word I want to use spelled practice or practise? The dictionary knows. The dictionary also slows down my writing because it is such interesting reading that I am distracted. ↗

— Beverly Cleary

#am #because #books #changing #constant

I fall in love with contradictions without understanding. I can't really portray them unless I do. So in a roundabout way I have to fall in love, it's my duty. If love is about understanding and understanding is compassion and compassion is love, I have to have compassion towards the world. ↗

— Joseph Fiennes

#compassion #contradictions #duty #fall #i

The greatest masterpiece in literature is only a dictionary out of order. ↗

— Jean Cocteau

#greatest #literature #masterpiece #only #order

We are not consumers. For most of humanity’s existence, we were makers, not consumers: we made our clothes, shelter, and education, we hunted and gathered our food. We are not addicts. “I propose that most addictions come from our surrendering our real powers, that is, our powers of creativity.” We are not passive couch potatoes either. “It is not the essence of humans to be passive. We are players. We are actors on many stages…. We are curious, we are yearning to wonder, we are longing to be amazed… to be excited, to be enthusiastic, to be expressive. In short to be alive.” We are also not cogs in a machine. To be so would be to give up our personal freedoms so as to not upset The Machine, whatever that machine is. Creativity keeps us creating the life we wish to live and advancing humanity’s purpose as well. ↗

— Matthew Fox

#addictions #consumer-culture #consumerism #creation #creativity

We appropriately compared the lifestyle to that of drug addiction and alcoholism - lifestyles that one would be encouraged to seek help to leave - never encouraged to stay in. ↗

— Stephen Bennett

#alcoholism #appropriately #compared #encouraged #help

I'm very sensitive to the English language. I studied the dictionary obsessively when I was a kid and collect old dictionaries. Words, I think, are very powerful and they convey an intention. ↗

— Drew Barrymore

#convey #dictionaries #dictionary #english #english language

I shall go further and say that even if an examination of the past could lead to any valid prediction concerning man's future, that prediction would be the contrary of reassuring. ↗

— Julien Benda

#concerning #contrary #could #even #examination

You get a lawyer whether you're in a military tribunal or whether you're in a federal court, number one. The attorney general decided that the court with the biggest - with the greatest venue, with the best jurisdiction was the New York court. That was the right decision to make. ↗

— Joe Biden

#attorney general #best #biggest #court #decided

Do what you will, this world's a fiction and is made up of contradiction. ↗

— William Blake

#fiction #made #up #will #world

We are becoming so accustomed to millions and billions of dollars that "thousands" has almost passed out of the dictionary. ↗

— Everett Dirksen

#almost #becoming #billions #dictionary #dollars