Words ought to be a little wild for they are the assault of thoughts on the unthinking.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Language should be bold to provoke thought in passive minds.
- In plain terms
- Use strong words to wake up people who do not think.
- What can you take from it?
- Use vivid language to challenge complacency.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do words shape thought?
- When should language be unconventional?
Another view
Too much wildness can obscure meaning.
More from John Maynard Keynes
Most men love money and security more, and creation and construction less, as they get older.
Permalink to quote #7 The decadent international but individualistic capitalism in the hands of which we found ourselves after the war is not a success. It is not intelligent. It is…
Permalink to quote #9 If economists could manage to get themselves thought of as humble, competent people on a level with dentists, that would be splendid.
Permalink to quote #6
Related quotes
Never express yourself more clearly than you are able to think.
Niels BohrNiels Bohr quote #18 I rhyme To see myself, to set the darkness echoing.
Seamus HeaneySeamus Heaney quote #1 The discipline of the written word punishes both stupidity and dishonesty.
John SteinbeckJohn Steinbeck quote #2