Civilized Quote by Amy Koppelman
“If Shakespeare required a word and had not met it in civilized discourse, he unhesitatingly made it up.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Art of Language, Amy Koppelman, 2015
Shakespeare invented words when existing vocabulary failed to express his ideas.
In simple terms: He created new words when needed.
Key Takeaway
Embrace linguistic creativity.
Themes
language
creativity
innovation
Mood
playful
intellectual
Type
literary
observational
When to use this quote
- writing
- poetry
- speech
- teaching
Key Concepts
neologism
literary invention
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you decide when to coin a term?
- What impact does invented language have on communication?
A Different Perspective
New words may confuse readers unfamiliar with them.
![“That is another theme in the book [Dreams from My Father]. How do we exercise more empathy in our public discourse? How do we get the black to see through the eyes of the white? Or the citizen to see through the eyes of the immigrant? Or the straight to see through the eyes of the gay? That has…” quote by Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/00d/barack-obama-17_black_that-is-another-theme-in-the-book-dreams_10185.jpg)
![“That country [Carthage] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws; and every step of intestine discord was marked by some deplorable victory of savage man over civilized society.” quote by Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/70c/edward-gibbon-710_barbarism_that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinkin_393.jpg)
