--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And there was never a better time to…" description: "\"“And there was never a better time to delve for pleasure in language than the sixteenth century, when novelty blew through English like a spring breeze..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/bill-bryson-340_language_and-there-was-never-a-better-time-to-del_2674711.png" --- # And there was never a better time to delve for pleasure in… ![“And there was never a better time to delve for pleasure in language than the sixteenth century, when novelty blew through English like a spring breeze. Some twelve thousand words, a phenomenal number, entered the language between 1500 and 1650, about half of them still in use today, and old words…” quote by Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/bill-bryson-340_language_and-there-was-never-a-better-time-to-del_2674711.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/bill-bryson-340_language_and-there-was-never-a-better-time-to-del_2674711.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/bill-bryson-340_language_and-there-was-never-a-better-time-to-del_2674711.png) > ““And there was never a better time to delve for pleasure in language than the sixteenth century, when novelty blew through English like a spring breeze. Some twelve thousand words, a phenomenal number, entered the language between 1500 and 1650, about half of them still in use today, and old words were employed in ways not tried before. Nouns became verbs and adverbs; adverbs became adjectives. Expressions that could not have grammatically existed before - such as 'breathing one's last' and 'backing a horse', both coined by Shakespeare - were suddenly popping up everywhere.”” [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The 16th century saw a surge of new words and grammatical flexibility, enriching English. **In simple terms:** English expanded dramatically then. Key Takeaway Explore language history for insight. Themes language evolution history creativity Mood educational reflective curious Type historical literary When to use this quote - literary analysis - language teaching - writing - etymology studies Key Concepts lexicography semantic shift cultural change Questions to Reflect On - What drives word creation? - How does language shape thought? A Different Perspective Modern English may not reflect the same rapid change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Coined Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coined-shakespeare-2531499/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Language 1500](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language-1500-2531498/) [Old Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-words-732935/) [Pleasure Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure-language-425604/) [Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare/) [Thousand words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand-words/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) [Words Employed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-employed-421442/) ## Related quotes > [Words should be employed as the means, not the end; language is the instrument, conviction is the work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-reynolds/words-should-be-employed-as-the-means-not-the-end-language-is-the/) [Joshua Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-reynolds/) > [“Jason Mashak’s SALTY AS A LIP is grounded in a voice patiently bridging the “steeples and ‘scrapers” of an inquisitive mind. The poems are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ragan/jason-mashak-s-salty-as-a-lip-is-grounded-in-a-voice-patiently/) [James Ragan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ragan/) > [I welcome new words, or old words used in new ways, provided the result is more precision, added color or greater expressiveness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/i-welcome-new-words-or-old-words-used-in-new-ways-provided-the-result/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Broadly speaking, the short words are the best, and the old words best of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/broadly-speaking-the-short-words-are-the-best-and-the-old-words-best/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [When old words die out on the tongue, new melodies break forth from the heart; and where the old tracks are lost, new country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/when-old-words-die-out-on-the-tongue-new-melodies-break-forth-from/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [Old words; words that nearly brought me to my knees. Live free or die](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/old-words-words-that-nearly-brought-me-to-my-knees-live-free-or-die/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [So all my best is dressing old words new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/so-all-my-best-is-dressing-old-words-new/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Today we are afraid of simple words like goodness and mercy and kindness. 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Most are old words revived and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-dent/the-extraordinary-thing-about-new-words-is-that-probably-only-about/) [Susie Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-dent/) > [Short words are best and the old words when short are best of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/short-words-are-best-and-the-old-words-when-short-are-best-of-all/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [When a man is in love how can he use old words? Should a woman desiring her lover lie down with grammarians and linguists?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nizar-qabbani/when-a-man-is-in-love-how-can-he-use-old-words-should-a-woman/) [Nizar Qabbani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nizar-qabbani/) > [“old words can be re-narrated in new words: all that was needed was empathy, a power and ability to embrace and to feel the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shamsur-rahman-faruqi/old-words-can-be-re-narrated-in-new-words-all-that-was-needed-was/) [Shamsur Rahman Faruqi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shamsur-rahman-faruqi/) > [“The old Words must be spoken again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/the-old-words-must-be-spoken-again/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) ## More by Bill Bryson > [Most big companies don't like you very much, except hotels, airlines and Microsoft, which don't like you at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/most-big-companies-don-t-like-you-very-much-except-hotels-airlines/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“But Welsh spellings are as nothing compared with Irish Gaelic, a language in which spelling and pronunciation give the impression of having been devised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/but-welsh-spellings-are-as-nothing-compared-with-irish-gaelic-a/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“Pantaloons were often worn tight as paint and were not a great deal less revealing, particularly as they were worn without underwear. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/pantaloons-were-often-worn-tight-as-paint-and-were-not-a-great-deal/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [If you go out on the Appalachian Trail, you have to bring so much more equipment - a tent, sleeping bag - but if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/if-you-go-out-on-the-appalachian-trail-you-have-to-bring-so-much-more/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“The dining table was a plain board called by that name. 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For 93 percent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/every-twenty-minutes-on-the-appalachian-trail-katz-and-i-walked/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“A diarist named George Templeton Strong recorded in the winter of 1866 that even with two furnaces alight and all the fireplaces blazing, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/a-diarist-named-george-templeton-strong-recorded-in-the-winter-of/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [Tune your television to any channel it doesn't receive and about 1 percent of the dancing static you see is accounted for by this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/tune-your-television-to-any-channel-it-doesn-t-receive-and-about-1/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [As a rule of thumb, I would submit that if you need to call your floss provider, for any reason, you are probably not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/as-a-rule-of-thumb-i-would-submit-that-if-you-need-to-call-your-floss/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [Nobody gets excited about the future at all, ever. The future is something we find depressing and worrisome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/nobody-gets-excited-about-the-future-at-all-ever-the-future-is/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“What made this particularly interesting is that John Howard is by far the dullest man in Australia. Imagine a very committed funeral home director…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/what-made-this-particularly-interesting-is-that-john-howard-is-by-far/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [I would make a genuinely terrible guide. I can't remember things. I would get half way through telling a story or explaining something and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/i-would-make-a-genuinely-terrible-guide-i-can-t-remember-things-i/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“In the mystifying world that was Victorian parenthood, obedience took precedence over all considerations of affection and happiness, and that odd, painful conviction remained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/in-the-mystifying-world-that-was-victorian-parenthood-obedience-took/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [If this book has a lesson, it is that we are awfully lucky to be here-and by 'we' I mean every living thing. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/if-this-book-has-a-lesson-it-is-that-we-are-awfully-lucky-to-be-here/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) [Explore all 656 Bill Bryson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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. 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