Give me hunger, pain and want, Shut me out with shame and failure From your doors of gold and fame, Give me your shabbiest, weariest hunger! But leave me a little love.
Carl SandburgRead
Slang is a language that rolls up its sleeves, spits on its hands and goes to work.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Slang embodies a practical and informal approach to communication, emphasizing its active role in everyday life.
Carl Sandburg's quote suggests that slang is not just a casual form of language but an essential tool that engages directly with the experiences and realities of people. It emphasizes the dynamic and working-class roots of slang, reflecting a language that is robust, functional, and deeply connected to daily existence.
Themes
SlangLanguageCommunicationInformalExpression
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about urban culture, one might quote this to highlight the significance of slang in modern communication.
More from Carl Sandburg
All quotes βNothing happens... but first a dream.
Carl SandburgRead
Read the dictionary from A to Izzard today. Get a vocabulary. Brush up on your diction. See whether wisdom is just a lot of language.
Carl SandburgRead
My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.
Carl SandburgRead
There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud.
Carl SandburgRead
A liar goes in fine clothes, a liar goes in rags, a liar is a liar, clothes or no clothes.
Carl SandburgRead
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