---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...-not only did he deplore the waste of…"
description: "\"“...-not only did he deplore the waste of words, he detested the moral lassitude with which they were wasted. To him, in whose throat the bone of displ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69f/aleksandar-hemon-1490_language_not-only-did-he-deplore-the-waste-of-wor_227605.jpg"
---

#  ...-not only did he deplore the waste of words, he…

![“...-not only did he deplore the waste of words, he detested the moral lassitude with which they were wasted. To him, in whose throat the bone of displacement was forever stuck, it was wrong to talk about nothing when there was a perpetual shortage of words for all the horrible things that happened…” quote by Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69f/aleksandar-hemon-1490_language_not-only-did-he-deplore-the-waste-of-wor_227605.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69f/aleksandar-hemon-1490_language_not-only-did-he-deplore-the-waste-of-wor_227605.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69f/aleksandar-hemon-1490_language_not-only-did-he-deplore-the-waste-of-wor_227605.jpg)

> ““...-not only did he deplore the waste of words, he detested the moral lassitude with which they were wasted. To him, in whose throat the bone of displacement was forever stuck, it was wrong to talk about nothing when there was a perpetual shortage of words for all the horrible things that happened in the world. It was better to be silent than to say what didn't matter. One had to protect from the onslaught of wasted words the silent place deep inside oneself, where all the pieces could be arranged in a logical manner, where the opponents abided by the rules, where even if you ran out of possibilities there might be a way to turn defeat into victory.””

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote warns against meaningless talk, urging silence to preserve inner clarity and logical thought when language is scarce and misused.

**In simple terms:** Speak only when words matter; otherwise stay silent.

Key Takeaway

Guard your inner space by speaking purposefully.

Themes

communication clarity self‑discipline meaning silence

Mood

thoughtful serene introspective

Type

advice philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- writing
- public speaking
- debates
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- When do you choose silence over speaking?
- How can you ensure your words add value?

A Different Perspective

Silence may also suppress needed expression or hide truth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/)

## Related quotes

> [“To him, in whose throat the bone of displacement was forever stuck, it was wrong to talk about nothing when there was a perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/to-him-in-whose-throat-the-bone-of-displacement-was-forever-stuck-it/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [The hollow horn plays wasted words, proves to warn that he not busy being born is busy dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/the-hollow-horn-plays-wasted-words-proves-to-warn-that-he-not-busy/)

[Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/)

> [“Before her was a man who wasted words on no one. If he said something, you could take the worth of his words to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winter/before-her-was-a-man-who-wasted-words-on-no-one-if-he-said-something/)

[Sarah Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winter/)

> [This room's become a mausoleum, filled with relics of regret Paying dues to every moment wasted, on words left unsaid Collisions of a finer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/all-time-low/this-room-s-become-a-mausoleum-filled-with-relics-of-regret-paying/)

[All Time Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/all-time-low/)

> [“...much theological discussion is wasted, not because the words used have no possible meaning, but because the people who use them don't mean anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-haughton/much-theological-discussion-is-wasted-not-because-the-words-used-have/)

Rosemary Haughton

> [Owen meany who rarely wasted words and who had the conversation-stopping habit of dropping remarks like coins into a deep pool of water... remarks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/owen-meany-who-rarely-wasted-words-and-who-had-the-conversation/)

[John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/)

> [“The last time we saw each other, he begged for my understanding. I'd told him to go to hell. They were wasted words. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-grover-swank/the-last-time-we-saw-each-other-he-begged-for-my-understanding-i-d/)

[Denise Grover Swank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-grover-swank/)

> [Lead us in a few words of silent prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-peterson/lead-us-in-a-few-words-of-silent-prayer/)

[Bill Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-peterson/)

> [“I would think for hours how strange it was that some parts of words are silent, just like some parts of our lives. Did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-denfeld/i-would-think-for-hours-how-strange-it-was-that-some-parts-of-words/)

[Rene Denfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-denfeld/)

> [“It is interesting to note that the words silent and listen contain all of the same letters, just rearranged.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-marsh/it-is-interesting-to-note-that-the-words-silent-and-listen-contain/)

Suzanne Marsh

> [“ taciturn , adj. There are days you come home silent. You say words, but you're still silent. I used to bombard you with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/taciturn-adj-there-are-days-you-come-home-silent-you-say-words-but/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [The words "silent majority" are very descriptive of what is happening with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-words-silent-majority-are-very-descriptive-of-what-is-happening/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [“Alone in the worn mahogany paneled library surrounded by hundreds of books that filled every shelf and lined every wall from floor to ceiling,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-taubold/alone-in-the-worn-mahogany-paneled-library-surrounded-by-hundreds-of/)

Lance Taubold

> [The disciples were absorbed in a discussion of Lao-Tzu's dictum: "Those who know, do not say; Those who say, do not know." When the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-de-mello/the-disciples-were-absorbed-in-a-discussion-of-lao-tzu-s-dictum-those/)

[Anthony de Mello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-de-mello/)

> [We do not stray out of all words into the ever silent; We do not raise our hands to the void for things beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-stray-out-of-all-words-into-the-ever-silent-we-do-not-raise/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

## More by Aleksandar Hemon

> [Even if you tried to extinguish your personality, what is left in the story will reflect it, perhaps by its negation. Our lives provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/even-if-you-tried-to-extinguish-your-personality-what-is-left-in-the/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [To me there's no difference between a book of stories and a novel - they're just slightly different shapes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/to-me-there-s-no-difference-between-a-book-of-stories-and-a-novel/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [Lord, why did you leave me in these woods?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/lord-why-did-you-leave-me-in-these-woods/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [I want to change something. I want to stop the germs from attacking my daughters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-want-to-change-something-i-want-to-stop-the-germs-from-attacking-my/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [Cliché activates the comfortable mental laziness, we sort of revert to the domain of the already-familiar, what we have already imagined so that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/clich-activates-the-comfortable-mental-laziness-we-sort-of-revert-to/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [“The writer does not dare dream of giving the best of his individuality. No, he must never express his anger. The vacillating demands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/the-writer-does-not-dare-dream-of-giving-the-best-of-his/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [I know a lot of people in the city, at all levels, horizontally and vertically - and that to me is a privilege, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-know-a-lot-of-people-in-the-city-at-all-levels-horizontally-and/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [What fiction and art can do, particularly narrative art, is construct consciousness - in a sense, we have to do it for the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/what-fiction-and-art-can-do-particularly-narrative-art-is-construct/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [I read everything I could find in English - Twain, Henry James, Hemingway, really everything. And then after a while I started writing shorter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-read-everything-i-could-find-in-english-twain-henry-james-hemingway/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [It was always clear to me that I would have to earn my readers, some I would have to find, some to create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/it-was-always-clear-to-me-that-i-would-have-to-earn-my-readers-some-i/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [I never thought of myself as an outsider. Because outside of what? You would have to give advantage to this space where you're not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-never-thought-of-myself-as-an-outsider-because-outside-of-what-you/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [There are studies that have shown that we make decisions, ethical and otherwise, based on the way we imagine ourselves as characters in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/there-are-studies-that-have-shown-that-we-make-decisions-ethical-and/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [I long for, not a writer's retreat - I can write in any situation - but a reader's retreat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-long-for-not-a-writer-s-retreat-i-can-write-in-any-situation-but-a/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [I much preferred winning to thinking and I didn't like losing at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-much-preferred-winning-to-thinking-and-i-didn-t-like-losing-at-all/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [Memory narrativises itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/memory-narrativises-itself/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

[Explore all 236 Aleksandar Hemon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

## More Language quotes

> [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/)

Ted Martinez

> [Usually male directors have to use foul language to get the job done. But I never came down to that level as being a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-khosla-kumar/usually-male-directors-have-to-use-foul-language-to-get-the-job-done/)

[Divya Khosla Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-khosla-kumar/)

> [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/)

[John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/)

> [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

> [“I only have two words to say More or Less”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timbur/i-only-have-two-words-to-say-more-or-less/)

TimBur

> [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/)

[Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/)

> [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/)

[Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/)

> [What is music? Music is language. A human being wants to express ideas in this language, but not ideas that can be translated into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-webern/what-is-music-music-is-language-a-human-being-wants-to-express-ideas/)

[Anton Webern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-webern/)

> [You're beautiful, cute, pretty, gorgeous, and fuck.. I ran out of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/you-re-beautiful-cute-pretty-gorgeous-and-fuck-i-ran-out-of-words/)

[Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/)

> [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [“The words for what I want to say right now don't exist. Everything sounds…so cliché.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-crane/the-words-for-what-i-want-to-say-right-now-don-t-exist-everything/)

[Shelly Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-crane/)

> [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Words can kill you trust towards someone, mind you language people, every reaction had its consequence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/words-can-kill-you-trust-towards-someone-mind-you-language-people/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Finxerunt animi, raro et perpauca loquentis. (To action little, less to words inclinded.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/finxerunt-animi-raro-et-perpauca-loquentis-to-action-little-less-to/)

[Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/)

> [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/)

[Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/)

[Browse all 21,951 Language quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“...-not only did he deplore the waste of words, he detested the moral lassitude with which they were wasted. To him, in whose throat the bone of displacement was forever stuck, it was wrong to talk about nothing when there was a perpetual shortage of words for all the horrible things that happened in the world. It was better to be silent than to say what didn't matter. One had to protect from the onslaught of wasted words the silent place deep inside oneself, where all the pieces could be arranged in a logical manner, where the opponents abided by the rules, where even if you ran out of possibilities there might be a way to turn defeat into victory.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Aleksandar Hemon"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/not-only-did-he-deplore-the-waste-of-words-he-detested-the-moral/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Language"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/not-only-did-he-deplore-the-waste-of-words-he-detested-the-moral/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69f/aleksandar-hemon-1490_language_not-only-did-he-deplore-the-waste-of-wor_227605.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69f/aleksandar-hemon-1490_language_not-only-did-he-deplore-the-waste-of-wor_227605.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69f/aleksandar-hemon-1490_language_not-only-did-he-deplore-the-waste-of-wor_227605.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“...-not only did he deplore the waste of words, he detested the moral lassitude with which they were wasted…” — Aleksandar Hemon",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Aleksandar Hemon",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“...-not only did he deplore the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/not-only-did-he-deplore-the-waste-of-words-he-detested-the-moral/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/not-only-did-he-deplore-the-waste-of-words-he-detested-the-moral/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
