I believe in the compelling power of love. I do not understand it. I believe it to be the most fragrant blossom of all this thorny existence.
Theodore DreiserRead
Words are but the vague shadows of the volumes we mean. Little audible links, they are, chaining together great inaudible feelings and purposes.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Words can only hint at the deeper feelings and intentions they represent.
This quote by Theodore Dreiser suggests that language is inherently limited in conveying the full depth of our thoughts and emotions. While words serve as a means of communication, they often fall short of expressing the true essence and complexity of our inner experiences, which may remain unarticulated and profound.
Themes
WordsFeelingsCommunicationLanguageExpression
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the power of storytelling, one might use this quote to emphasize the limitations of language.
More from Theodore Dreiser
All quotes βAssure a man that he has a soul and then frighten him with old wives' tales as to what is to become of him afterward, and you have hooked a fish, a mental slave.
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And then he sank back and tried, as usual, not to think. He must succeed. That's what the world was made for. That's what he was made for. That was what he would have to do.
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If I were personally to define religion, I would say that it is a bandage that man has invented to protect a soul made bloody by circustance.
Theodore DreiserRead
Our civilization is still in a middle stage, scarcely beast, in that it is no longer wholly guided by instinct; scarcely human, in that it is not yet wholly guided by reason.
Theodore DreiserRead
People in general attach too much importance to words. They are under the illusion that talking effects great results. As a matter of fact, words are, as a rule, the shallowest portion of all the argument. They but dimly represent the great surging feelings and desires which lie behind. When the distraction of the tongue is removed, the heart listens.
Theodore DreiserRead
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