--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: His manager taught him that words change…" description: "\"“His manager taught him that words change with time, by single letters or more, sometimes their whole roots switching—a “y” to an “e” in a name for pow..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a6/china-mi-ville-1303_language_his-manager-taught-him-that-words-change_1718458.png" --- # His manager taught him that words change with time, by… ![“His manager taught him that words change with time, by single letters or more, sometimes their whole roots switching—a “y” to an “e” in a name for power, “sun-writing” becomes “light-drawing.” The man eventually gave him this whole other tongue, and he revisited and at last learned from those…” quote by China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a6/china-mi-ville-1303_language_his-manager-taught-him-that-words-change_1718458.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a6/china-mi-ville-1303_language_his-manager-taught-him-that-words-change_1718458.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a6/china-mi-ville-1303_language_his-manager-taught-him-that-words-change_1718458.png) > ““His manager taught him that words change with time, by single letters or more, sometimes their whole roots switching—a “y” to an “e” in a name for power, “sun-writing” becomes “light-drawing.” The man eventually gave him this whole other tongue, and he revisited and at last learned from those cuttings about immense foreign wars.”” [China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Language evolves, and mastering new forms can unlock deeper understanding of history and conflict. **In simple terms:** Words change over time; learning them reveals hidden wars. Key Takeaway Study language shifts to grasp hidden histories. Themes language history power conflict Mood analytical curious Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - translation work - historical research - education - creative writing Key Concepts linguistics cultural studies Questions to Reflect On - How does language shape power? - What words have changed meaning for you? A Different Perspective New terminology can obscure original meanings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [I worked under Jose Mourinho, a manager who taught me new things and stressed I should believe in myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-wright-phillips/i-worked-under-jose-mourinho-a-manager-who-taught-me-new-things-and/) [Shaun Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-wright-phillips/) > [The women that I picked spoke sweet and low And yet gave tongue. "Hound voices" were they all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/the-women-that-i-picked-spoke-sweet-and-low-and-yet-gave-tongue-hound/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [“I’ve wanted you from the minute I saw you.” I put my hands flat on his chest, getting used to the idea of him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-reiss/i-ve-wanted-you-from-the-minute-i-saw-you-i-put-my-hands-flat-on-his/) [C.D. Reiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-reiss/) > [“He cradled her face between his hands, angled his mouth over hers, and welcomed the bliss she offered. Boldly, she gave her tongue the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-heath/he-cradled-her-face-between-his-hands-angled-his-mouth-over-hers-and/) [Lorraine Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-heath/) > [These were choice documents to me... They gave tongue to interesting thoughts of my own soul, which had frequently flashed through my mind, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/these-were-choice-documents-to-me-they-gave-tongue-to-interesting/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“Ars Poetica I taught my words to love, I showed them my heart and would not give up until their syllables did not start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nichita-st-nescu/ars-poetica-i-taught-my-words-to-love-i-showed-them-my-heart-and/) [Nichita Stănescu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nichita-st-nescu/) > [“The Word of God is Spirit-taught words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-word-of-god-is-spirit-taught-words/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“The Holy Scripture is Spirit-taught words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-holy-scripture-is-spirit-taught-words/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [How do I speak Spanish? 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Words aren't brains, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/and-stop-talking-in-that-puffed-up-way-they-taught-you-words-aren-t/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Shakespeare's taught me that there are more words in the English language than I have got in my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-wanamaker/shakespeare-s-taught-me-that-there-are-more-words-in-the-english/) [Zoe Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-wanamaker/) > [We are taught words, not ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/we-are-taught-words-not-ideas/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [My dad has always taught me these words: care and share.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiger-woods/my-dad-has-always-taught-me-these-words-care-and-share/) [Tiger Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiger-woods/) > [“Truth was, life had taught me that words were better spoken when they meant something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-k-ryals/truth-was-life-had-taught-me-that-words-were-better-spoken-when-they/) [R.K. Ryals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-k-ryals/) ## More by China Miéville > [“I just can't get with this idea that literature is a 12-step program. If someone wants to read a book to see good people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/i-just-can-t-get-with-this-idea-that-literature-is-a-12-step-program/) [China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/) > [“Houses built on bridges are scandals. A bridge wants to not be. If it could choose its shape, a bridge would be no shape,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/houses-built-on-bridges-are-scandals-a-bridge-wants-to-not-be-if-it/) [China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/) > [Remember the movements that don't look like moving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/remember-the-movements-that-don-t-look-like-moving/) [China Mieville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/) > [“Either way, it is a curio of the moment that hard-left advocates of ‘all power to the soviets’ were delegated by a soviet opponent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/either-way-it-is-a-curio-of-the-moment-that-hard-left-advocates-of/) [China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/) > [It felt like being a child again, though it was not. Being a child is like nothing. It's only being. 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Like sutures. They stitch the past to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/scars-are-memory-like-sutures-they-stitch-the-past-to-me/) [China Mieville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/) [Explore all 257 China Miéville quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/) ## 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. 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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. 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(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": "“His manager taught him that words change with time, by single letters or more, sometimes their whole roots switching—a “y” to an “e” in a name for power, “sun-writing” becomes “light-drawing.” The man eventually gave him this whole other tongue, and he revisited and at last learned from those cuttings about immense foreign wars.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "China Miéville" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/his-manager-taught-him-that-words-change-with-time-by-single-letters/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Language" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/his-manager-taught-him-that-words-change-with-time-by-single-letters/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a6/china-mi-ville-1303_language_his-manager-taught-him-that-words-change_1718458.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a6/china-mi-ville-1303_language_his-manager-taught-him-that-words-change_1718458.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a6/china-mi-ville-1303_language_his-manager-taught-him-that-words-change_1718458.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“His manager taught him that words change with time, by single letters or more, sometimes their whole roots…” — China Miéville", "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": "China Miéville", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“His manager taught him that words...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/his-manager-taught-him-that-words-change-with-time-by-single-letters/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/his-manager-taught-him-that-words-change-with-time-by-single-letters/#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 } } ] } ```