--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm not an escapist, but the value of…" description: "\"I'm not an escapist, but the value of language is that it can create places that did not exist before. And so language for me doesn't reflect the world..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/421/blake-butler-28000_bullshit_i-m-not-an-escapist-but-the-value-of-lan_1599754.jpg" --- # I'm not an escapist, but the value of language is that it… ![“I'm not an escapist, but the value of language is that it can create places that did not exist before. And so language for me doesn't reflect the world, it extends the world, so that it becomes larger and more fantastic and less mired in this school shooting bullshit. It actually builds a future…” quote by Blake Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/421/blake-butler-28000_bullshit_i-m-not-an-escapist-but-the-value-of-lan_1599754.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/421/blake-butler-28000_bullshit_i-m-not-an-escapist-but-the-value-of-lan_1599754.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/421/blake-butler-28000_bullshit_i-m-not-an-escapist-but-the-value-of-lan_1599754.jpg) > “I'm not an escapist, but the value of language is that it can create places that did not exist before. And so language for me doesn't reflect the world, it extends the world, so that it becomes larger and more fantastic and less mired in this school shooting bullshit. It actually builds a future - that's how evolution occurs.” [Blake Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-butler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Language creates new realities, expanding beyond current limits. **In simple terms:** Words build new worlds. Key Takeaway Use language to imagine possibilities. Themes creativity language future expansion Mood inspirational thought‑provoking Type philosophical creative When to use this quote - writing - storytelling - political discourse - education - artistic expression Key Concepts semantic extension imagination evolution Questions to Reflect On - What new place can you imagine with words? - How does language shape your perception of reality? A Different Perspective Language can be misused to manipulate. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bullshit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullshit/) [Escapists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/escapists/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Exist Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exist-language-5405753/) [Extends World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extends-world-6081404/) [Fantastic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantastic/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Language Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language-doesn-401423/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [School shooting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school-shooting/) [Shooting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shooting/) [Value Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/value-language-606002/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Extends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-extends-6081405/) ## Related quotes > [Language is as old as consciousness, language is practical, real consciousness that exists for other men as well, and only therefore does it also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/language-is-as-old-as-consciousness-language-is-practical-real/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [“Handling and use by able minds give value to a language, not so much by innovating as by filling it out with more vigorous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/handling-and-use-by-able-minds-give-value-to-a-language-not-so-much/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [I'm inspired by playwrights, novelists, poets: The value of language has been a lifelong passion of mine. I enjoy it. I'm good at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/i-m-inspired-by-playwrights-novelists-poets-the-value-of-language-has/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [“Responding to a moderator at the Sydney Writers Festival in 2008 (video), about the Spanish words in his book: When all of us are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/responding-to-a-moderator-at-the-sydney-writers-festival-in-2008/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [I love language. It doesn't bother me that its effects are partial. To me that is very sanity-producing. It would be weird if the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-nelson/i-love-language-it-doesn-t-bother-me-that-its-effects-are-partial-to/) [Maggie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-nelson/) > [A language that doesn't have everything is actually easier to program in than some that do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ritchie/a-language-that-doesn-t-have-everything-is-actually-easier-to-program/) [Dennis Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-ritchie/) > [“Just because everybody uses language, that doesn't mean that they can write even tolerable prose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jones/just-because-everybody-uses-language-that-doesn-t-mean-that-they-can/) [Stephen Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jones/) > [There must be a language that doesn't depend on words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/there-must-be-a-language-that-doesn-t-depend-on-words/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Music is a language that doesn’t speak in particular words. It speaks in emotions, and if it’s in the bones, it’s in the bones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/music-is-a-language-that-doesn-t-speak-in-particular-words-it-speaks/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [Most of conflicts and tensions are due to language. Don't pay so much attention to the words. In love’s country, language doesn't have its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shams-tabrizi/most-of-conflicts-and-tensions-are-due-to-language-don-t-pay-so-much/) [Shams Tabrizi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shams-tabrizi/) > [Smile is a language that doesn't need to translate, spread it among you, it is a kind of charity that doesn't cost you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carissa-aydaa/smile-is-a-language-that-doesn-t-need-to-translate-spread-it-among/) [Carissa Aydaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carissa-aydaa/) > [Language doesn't belong to grammarians, linguists, wordsmiths, writers, or editors. It belongs to the people who use it. It goes where people want it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalie-maggio/language-doesn-t-belong-to-grammarians-linguists-wordsmiths-writers/) [Rosalie Maggio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalie-maggio/) > [Whenever you try and simplify how people speak, it's just hard to squish them into a simple rule. Language doesn't work that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/whenever-you-try-and-simplify-how-people-speak-it-s-just-hard-to/) [Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) > [In love’s country, language doesn’t have its place. Love is mute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/in-love-s-country-language-doesn-t-have-its-place-love-is-mute/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [ “d\] One speaks in a language one doesn't understand, uses money whose worth one does not know, and wanders down streets for the very… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/d-one-speaks-in-a-language-one-doesn-t-understand-uses-money-whose/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## More by Blake Butler > [I write all day every day, so when I feel unproductive, it magnifies everything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-butler/i-write-all-day-every-day-so-when-i-feel-unproductive-it-magnifies/) [Blake Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-butler/) > [Reality is overrated to me. Everyone spends enough time on the computer, eating, going out to bars. Why do I need to read a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-butler/reality-is-overrated-to-me-everyone-spends-enough-time-on-the/) [Blake Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-butler/) > [It is important not to show too many inches at once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-butler/it-is-important-not-to-show-too-many-inches-at-once/) [Blake Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-butler/) > [“There were seven men, but just one language. They also moved as one and ate one meal a day and slept in the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-butler/there-were-seven-men-but-just-one-language-they-also-moved-as-one-and/) [Blake Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-butler/) > [I always want to sleep on the third date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-butler/i-always-want-to-sleep-on-the-third-date/) [Blake Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-butler/) > [What if life after death is all based within memory: you die, and you don't ascend on a bed of clouds to Jesus, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-butler/what-if-life-after-death-is-all-based-within-memory-you-die-and-you/) [Blake Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-butler/) > [“DAYS ARE WEEKS AND WEEKS ARE DAYS INSIDE YOU”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-butler/days-are-weeks-and-weeks-are-days-inside-you/) [Blake Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-butler/) > [So many doors forever. There were never enough. Each door had several locks. One lock was combination. Another required keys. Another was a simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-butler/so-many-doors-forever-there-were-never-enough-each-door-had-several/) [Blake Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-butler/) > [My love is inside me where my fat was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-butler/my-love-is-inside-me-where-my-fat-was/) [Blake Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-butler/) > [I like smartasses, because I can be smartass back and rashy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-butler/i-like-smartasses-because-i-can-be-smartass-back-and-rashy/) [Blake Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-butler/) > [“I thought of my father, alone and elsewhere, his head cradled in his hands. I thought of the day he'd punched a hole straight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-butler/i-thought-of-my-father-alone-and-elsewhere-his-head-cradled-in-his/) [Blake Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-butler/) > [I use the word "god" a lot, and I'm not sure if I know what I believe god is. I don't believe that when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-butler/i-use-the-word-god-a-lot-and-i-m-not-sure-if-i-know-what-i-believe/) [Blake Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-butler/) > [“black beyond black”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-butler/black-beyond-black/) [blake butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-butler/) > [I think language is a system that we have devised to negotiate a series of more amorphous entities. It's a layer you can use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-butler/i-think-language-is-a-system-that-we-have-devised-to-negotiate-a/) [Blake Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-butler/) > [I am a serial monogamist of sorts, and have been with my girlfriend for almost four years. In imagining my brain back to worlds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-butler/i-am-a-serial-monogamist-of-sorts-and-have-been-with-my-girlfriend/) [Blake Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-butler/) [Explore all 20 Blake Butler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-butler/) ## More Bullshit quotes > [I rap when I'm rich. I rap when I'm broke. I rap when I'm bullshit in the street. I rap about only having one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killer-mike/i-rap-when-i-m-rich-i-rap-when-i-m-broke-i-rap-when-i-m-bullshit-in/) [Killer Mike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/killer-mike/) > [Yesterday's truth is today's bullshit. Even yesterday's liberating insight is today's jail of stale explanation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-blanton/yesterday-s-truth-is-today-s-bullshit-even-yesterday-s-liberating/) [Brad Blanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-blanton/) > [The one thing I absolutely hate about social media are the people who abuse it. Whenever I see a person who constantly posts negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazmin-garcia/the-one-thing-i-absolutely-hate-about-social-media-are-the-people-who/) [Jazmin Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazmin-garcia/) > [My biggest advice would be to take the pictures you want to take. Don’t think about the marketplace, what sells or what an editor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/my-biggest-advice-would-be-to-take-the-pictures-you-want-to-take-don/) [David LaChapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/) > [We're at a time when we are being presented with undeniable changes in the global climate and fundamental issues that affect every single one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/we-re-at-a-time-when-we-are-being-presented-with-undeniable-changes/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [“Someday you’re gonna go stupid for a woman. And when you do, do me this one favor: don’t get all caught up in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-halpern/someday-you-re-gonna-go-stupid-for-a-woman-and-when-you-do-do-me-this/) [Justin Halpern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-halpern/) > [How can I set free anyone who doesn't have the guts to stand up alone and declare his own freedom? I think it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/how-can-i-set-free-anyone-who-doesn-t-have-the-guts-to-stand-up-alone/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) > [“Please, boy. Let’s not start out with either of us insulting the other’s intelligence. There are only three people in life you can never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-lynch/please-boy-let-s-not-start-out-with-either-of-us-insulting-the-other/) [Scott Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-lynch/) > [The idea of photography as evidence is pure bullshit. A photo is no more proof of any reality than what you may hear being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-riboud/the-idea-of-photography-as-evidence-is-pure-bullshit-a-photo-is-no/) [Marc Riboud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-riboud/) > [“(‘T) is all that separates I CAN’T from I CAN. Cut away the bullshit and live your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-edward-lee-miller/t-is-all-that-separates-i-can-t-from-i-can-cut-away-the-bullshit-and/) [Cody Edward Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-edward-lee-miller/) > [I wouldn't mind gigging around the same era as Jesus, after he gives his speech about the meek and how blessed they are and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jefferies/i-wouldn-t-mind-gigging-around-the-same-era-as-jesus-after-he-gives/) [Jim Jefferies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jefferies/) > [Alright, thats enough of this Kung-Fu bullshit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcclane/alright-thats-enough-of-this-kung-fu-bullshit/) [John Mcclane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcclane/) > [“To recognize bullshit, nose is better than ear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/to-recognize-bullshit-nose-is-better-than-ear/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [Loyal people always seem to go through the most bullshit!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/loyal-people-always-seem-to-go-through-the-most-bullshit/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“I wasn't sure which was worse - to know you were a liar or to believe your own bullshit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-cook/i-wasn-t-sure-which-was-worse-to-know-you-were-a-liar-or-to-believe/) [Eileen Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-cook/) [Browse all 1,074 Bullshit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullshit/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm not an escapist, but the value of language is that it can create places that did not exist before. 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