--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mere words will not do. They must convey…" description: "\"Mere words will not do. They must convey the color, charm, and pulse of life. They must have a private twinkle of wit in them that makes a good-natured..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac7/corra-may-harris-23340_books_mere-words-will-not-do-they-must-convey_787759.png" --- # Mere words will not do. They must convey the color, charm… ![“Mere words will not do. They must convey the color, charm, and pulse of life. They must have a private twinkle of wit in them that makes a good-natured noise like laughter through the keyhole of the reader's mind.” quote by Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac7/corra-may-harris-23340_books_mere-words-will-not-do-they-must-convey_787759.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac7/corra-may-harris-23340_books_mere-words-will-not-do-they-must-convey_787759.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac7/corra-may-harris-23340_books_mere-words-will-not-do-they-must-convey_787759.png) > “Mere words will not do. They must convey the color, charm, and pulse of life. They must have a private twinkle of wit in them that makes a good-natured noise like laughter through the keyhole of the reader's mind.” [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Words must be vivid and lively, carrying wit and emotional resonance that engages the reader’s imagination. **In simple terms:** Good writing feels lively and witty. Key Takeaway Infuse prose with vivid detail and humor. Themes writing expression wit emotion Mood reflective playful Type inspirational educational When to use this quote - Crafting a short story - editing a novel - teaching creative writing - public speaking Key Concepts Literary style imagery voice Questions to Reflect On - What makes a sentence sparkle for you? - How does humor affect reader engagement? A Different Perspective Risk of prioritizing style over substance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Charm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charm/) [Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) [Keyholes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keyholes/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) [Laughter Keyhole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter-keyhole-6056753/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mere/) [Mere Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mere-words-690528/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Noise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noise/) [Pulse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pulse/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Twinkle Wit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twinkle-wit-6056752/) [Wit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wit/) [Words Convey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-convey-870626/) ## Related quotes > [There is a lot of fun to be had when you try and fit as many words as you can within a three-minute song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-williams/there-is-a-lot-of-fun-to-be-had-when-you-try-and-fit-as-many-words-as/) [Saul Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-williams/) > [“what is the expression which the age demands? the age demands no expression whatever. we have seen photographs of bereaved asian mothers. we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/what-is-the-expression-which-the-age-demands-the-age-demands-no/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“What words cannot convey ... the mind can read.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/what-words-cannot-convey-the-mind-can-read/) [Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/) > [Words cannot convey the value of yoga - it has to be experienced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/words-cannot-convey-the-value-of-yoga-it-has-to-be-experienced/) [B.K.S. 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Mere words! How terrible they were! How clear, and vivid, and cruel! One could not escape from them. And yet what a subtle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/words-mere-words-how-terrible-they-were-how-clear-and-vivid-and-cruel/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [One should therefore not rely on mere words, but everywhere search for the intention behind them. (121)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-conze/one-should-therefore-not-rely-on-mere-words-but-everywhere-search-for/) [Edward Conze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-conze/) ## More by Corra May Harris > [Once you grow accustomed to being famous, you do not realize it, but you are never quite your humble, honest self. 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Nothing can justify it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/war-is-a-ferocious-form-of-insanity-nothing-can-justify-it/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) > [if one's natural feelings are suppressed long enough one develops supernatural feelings and feels surer of having a soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/if-one-s-natural-feelings-are-suppressed-long-enough-one-develops/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) [Explore all 26 Corra May Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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