Quotes by Language He who has learned what is commonly considered the whole art of painting, that is, the art of representing any natural object faithfully, has as yet only learned the language by which his thoughts are to be expressed. John Ruskin paintinglanguageart The basis of any independent government is a national language, and we can no longer continue aping our former colonizers ... those who feel they cannot do without English can as well pack up and go. Jomo Kenyatta independentgovernmentlanguage The highest thoughts are those which are least dependent on language, and the dignity of any composition and praise to which it is entitled are in exact proportion to its dependency of language or expression. John Ruskin dignitylanguageexpression What must the English and French think of the language of our philosophers when we Germans do not understand it ourselves? Johann Wolfgang von Goethe philosopherlanguagethinking Many thoughts are so dependent upon the language in which they are clothed that they would lose half their beauty if otherwise expressed. John Ruskin dependentlanguagehalf I grew up speaking both languages, and for me that's really important. Jon Secada grew-uplanguageimportant [Phil Wood] was a great artist, and he knew things. He could be mildly conversant in several languages. Jon Gordon woodslanguageartist Oh, God, I don't know what's more difficult, life or the English language. Jonathan Ames difficultlanguageknows There's something about the rhythms of language that correspond to the rhythms of our own bodies. Jonathan Lethem rhythmlanguagebody I love to publish new writers, and we do so consistently. But a lot of contemporary American poets sound alike to me. They want to bring spoken, prosy language into poetry and I understand that desire. But they don't edit. It's not very curated work. It seems very lackluster, very uncareful. It may be the un-carefulness is also something they intend but there's a kind of "So what?" quality to a lot of it. Jonathan W. Galassi qualitylanguagedesire Words never mean what we want them to mean. Jonathan Safran Foer languagewantmean A man who is ignorant of foreign languages is also ignorant of his own language. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ignorantlanguagemen What I'm constantly striving for in my prose is clarity. So that, ideally, the writing will become so transparent that the reader will forget that the medium of communication is language. Jonathan Lethem communicationlanguagewriting While a people preserves its language; it preserves the marks of liberty. Jose Rizal libertylanguagepeople Translations are a partial and precious documentation of the changes the text suffers. Jorge Luis Borges documentationlanguagesuffering The affectation of some late authors to introduce and multiply cant words is the most ruinous corruption in any language. Jonathan Swift introducingcorruptionlanguage The dictionary is based on the hypothesis -- obviously an unproven one -- that languages are made up of equivalent synonyms. Jorge Luis Borges languagemadewriting If there is anything good about exile, it is that it teaches one humility. It accelerates one’s drift into isolation, an absolute perspective. Into the condition at which all one is left with is oneself and one’s language, with nobody or nothing in between. Exile brings you overnight where it would normally take a lifetime to go. Joseph Brodsky perspectivelanguagehumility To write well consists of continuously making small erosions, wearing away grammar in its established form, current norms of language. It is an act of permanent rebellion and subversion against social environs. Jose Ortega y Gasset erosionlanguagewriting In general, every country has the language it deserves. Jorge Luis Borges languagedeservecountry«5354555657585960616263»
