#language

Nothing is so easy as to deceive one’s self when one does not lack wit and is familiar with all the niceties of language. Language is a prostitute queen who descends and rises to all roles. Disguises herself, arrays herself in fine apparel, hides her head and effaces herself; an advocate who has an answer for everything, who has always foreseen everything, and who assumes a thousand forms in order to be right. The most honorable of men is he who thinks best and acts best, but the most powerful is he who is best able to talk and write ↗

— George Sand

#writing #men

Each letter of the alphabet is a steadfast loyal soldier in a great army of words, sentences, paragraphs, and stories. One letter falls, and the entire language falters. ↗

— Vera Nazarian

#grammar #language #languages #letter #literacy

Male supremacy is fused into the language, so that every sentence both heralds and affirms it. Thought, experienced primarily as language, is permeated by the linguistic and perceptual values developed expressly to subordinate women. Men have defined the parameters of every subject. All feminist arguments, however radical in intent or consequence, are with or against assertions or premises implicit in the male system, which is made credible or authentic by the power of men to name. No transcendence of the male system is possible as long as men have the power of naming... As Prometheus stole fire from the gods, so feminists will have to steal the power of naming from men, hopefully to better effect. ↗

— Andrea Dworkin

#language #men

There are realities we all share, regardless of our nationality, language, or individual tastes. As we need food, so do we need emotional nourishment: love, kindness, appreciation, and support from others. ↗

— J. Donald Walters

#emotional #food #individual #kindness #language

It's amazing how, age after age, in country after country, and in all languages, Shakespeare emerges as incomparable. ↗

— M. H. Abrams

#after #age #country #emerges #how

The finest command of language is often shown by saying nothing. ↗

— Roger Babson

#finest #language #nothing #often #saying

Painting is a language which cannot be replaced by another language. I don't know what to say about what I paint, really. ↗

— Balthus

#another #cannot #i #know #language

We're trying to be very careful and precise in our use of language, because I think the language we use and the images we project really do have resonance. It's the reason why I don't use the term jihadist to refer to terrorists. It gives them the religious legitimacy they so desperately seek, but I ain't gonna give it to them. ↗

— John O. Brennan

#careful #desperately #give #gives #gonna

The change of language is a change in reality. ↗

— Stephen Mitchell

#reality #change

Even if you didn't see the movie, you'd see two words you'd never seen put together before - comedy and Muslim. Comedy is friendly - it's the least offensive word in our language. ↗

— Albert Brooks

#comedy #even #friendly #language #least