--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Uncommon things must be said in common…" description: "\"Uncommon things must be said in common words, if you would have them to be received in less than a century.\" — Coventry Patmore" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e95/coventry-patmore-14170_century_uncommon-things-must-be-said-in-common-w_2539647.jpg" --- # Uncommon things must be said in common words, if you would… ![“Uncommon things must be said in common words, if you would have them to be received in less than a century.” quote by Coventry Patmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e95/coventry-patmore-14170_century_uncommon-things-must-be-said-in-common-w_2539647.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e95/coventry-patmore-14170_century_uncommon-things-must-be-said-in-common-w_2539647.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e95/coventry-patmore-14170_century_uncommon-things-must-be-said-in-common-w_2539647.jpg) > “Uncommon things must be said in common words, if you would have them to be received in less than a century.” [Coventry Patmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coventry-patmore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Complex ideas need simple language to be understood quickly and widely. **In simple terms:** Simple words help ideas spread fast. Key Takeaway Speak clearly to reach many. Themes communication clarity accessibility Mood thoughtful inspirational Type educational persuasive When to use this quote - teaching - public speaking - writing - media - politics Key Concepts linguistics public discourse Questions to Reflect On - How can you simplify without losing meaning? - When does clarity become reduction? A Different Perspective Simplicity may oversimplify nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Common Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-words-959227/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Said Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-common-1420976/) [Things Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-said/) [Uncommon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncommon/) [Uncommon Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncommon-things-1420975/) [Words Received](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-received-1420977/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Uncommon things must be said in common words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coventry-patmore/uncommon-things-must-be-said-in-common-words/) [Coventry Patmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coventry-patmore/) > [One should use common words to say uncommon things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/one-should-use-common-words-to-say-uncommon-things/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [I am, to me, but a common man; that lives, dares, to be, uncommon things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-nickel/i-am-to-me-but-a-common-man-that-lives-dares-to-be-uncommon-things/) [Eric Nickel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-nickel/) > [God does uncommon things through common people in common places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/god-does-uncommon-things-through-common-people-in-common-places/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [“Only by exhibiting actions in harmony with the sound words which he has received will anyone be helped by philosophy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/musonius-rufus/only-by-exhibiting-actions-in-harmony-with-the-sound-words-which-he/) [Musonius Rufus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/musonius-rufus/) > [“You think I'm with you out of guilt?" "No, you ass. Of course not. I just mean—" "You're a nut, MacAllister. I'm with you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lanyon/you-think-i-m-with-you-out-of-guilt-no-you-ass-of-course-not-i-just/) [Josh Lanyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lanyon/) > [If we use common words on a great occasion, they are the more striking, because they are felt at once to have a particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/if-we-use-common-words-on-a-great-occasion-they-are-the-more-striking/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [All people in the world - who are not hermits or mutes - speak words. They speak different languages, but they speak words. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/all-people-in-the-world-who-are-not-hermits-or-mutes-speak-words-they/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [He said he wants to go out with me... is this real or just common words?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissy/he-said-he-wants-to-go-out-with-me-is-this-real-or-just-common-words/) [SISSY](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissy/) > [We might have been - these are but common words, and yet they make the sum of life's bewailing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letitia-elizabeth-landon/we-might-have-been-these-are-but-common-words-and-yet-they-make-the/) [Letitia Elizabeth Landon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letitia-elizabeth-landon/) > [“She wants you to see things she's never shown you. She wants you to hear things she's never said. She wants you to spoon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfa-h/she-wants-you-to-see-things-she-s-never-shown-you-she-wants-you-to/) [Alfa H](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfa-h/) > [Its amazing the things you realize when you lose someone. You get mad at yourself for not saying the things you could have said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-amazing-the-things-you-realize-when-you-lose-someone-you-get-mad/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [And the air was full of Thoughts and Things to Say. But at times like these, only the Small Things are ever said. Big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/and-the-air-was-full-of-thoughts-and-things-to-say-but-at-times-like/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [I think that probably in some areas the Labour message about some of the things that they said we were going to do -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-may/i-think-that-probably-in-some-areas-the-labour-message-about-some-of/) [Theresa May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-may/) > [I never said most of the things I said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/i-never-said-most-of-the-things-i-said/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) ## More by Coventry Patmore > [Ah, whither shall a maiden flee, When a bold youth so swift pursues, And siege of tenderest courtesy, With hope perseverant, still renews!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coventry-patmore/ah-whither-shall-a-maiden-flee-when-a-bold-youth-so-swift-pursues-and/) [Coventry Patmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coventry-patmore/) > [Fortunately for themselves and the world, nearly all men are cowards and dare not act on what they believe. Nearly all our disasters come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coventry-patmore/fortunately-for-themselves-and-the-world-nearly-all-men-are-cowards/) [Coventry Patmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coventry-patmore/) > [O, Heart, remember thee That Man is none, Save One.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coventry-patmore/o-heart-remember-thee-that-man-is-none-save-one/) [Coventry Patmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coventry-patmore/) > [Ah, wasteful woman, she who may On her sweet self set her own price, Knowing man cannot choose but pay, How has she cheapened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coventry-patmore/ah-wasteful-woman-she-who-may-on-her-sweet-self-set-her-own-price/) [Coventry Patmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coventry-patmore/) > [The ardour chills us which we do not share.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coventry-patmore/the-ardour-chills-us-which-we-do-not-share/) [Coventry Patmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coventry-patmore/) > [“ The Toys My little Son, who look'd from thoughtful eyes And moved and spoke in quiet grown-up wise, Having my law the seventh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coventry-patmore/the-toys-my-little-son-who-look-d-from-thoughtful-eyes-and-moved-and/) [Coventry Patmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coventry-patmore/) > [A moment's fruition of a true felicity is enough and eternity not too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coventry-patmore/a-moment-s-fruition-of-a-true-felicity-is-enough-and-eternity-not-too/) [Coventry Patmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coventry-patmore/) > [Creation differs from subsistence only as the first leap of a fountain differs from its continuance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coventry-patmore/creation-differs-from-subsistence-only-as-the-first-leap-of-a/) [Coventry Patmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coventry-patmore/) > [The woman is the man's glory, and she naturally delights in the praises which are assurances that she is fulfilling her function; and she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coventry-patmore/the-woman-is-the-man-s-glory-and-she-naturally-delights-in-the/) [Coventry Patmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coventry-patmore/) > [A saint is a person who does almost everything any other decent person does, only somewhat better and with a totally different motive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coventry-patmore/a-saint-is-a-person-who-does-almost-everything-any-other-decent/) [Coventry Patmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coventry-patmore/) > [One fool will deny more truth in half an hour than a wise man can prove in seven years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coventry-patmore/one-fool-will-deny-more-truth-in-half-an-hour-than-a-wise-man-can/) [Coventry Patmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coventry-patmore/) > [To have noughtIs to have all things without care or thought!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coventry-patmore/to-have-noughtis-to-have-all-things-without-care-or-thought/) [Coventry Patmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coventry-patmore/) > [Those who know God know that it is quite a mistake to suppose that there are only five senses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coventry-patmore/those-who-know-god-know-that-it-is-quite-a-mistake-to-suppose-that/) [Coventry Patmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coventry-patmore/) > [If we may credit certain hints contained in the lives of the saints, love raises the spirit above the sphere of reverence and worship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coventry-patmore/if-we-may-credit-certain-hints-contained-in-the-lives-of-the-saints/) [Coventry Patmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coventry-patmore/) > [Kind souls, you wonder why, love you, When you, you wonder why, love none We love, Fool, for the good we do, Not that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coventry-patmore/kind-souls-you-wonder-why-love-you-when-you-you-wonder-why-love-none/) [Coventry Patmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coventry-patmore/) [Explore all 47 Coventry Patmore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coventry-patmore/) ## More Century quotes > [I know always that I am an outsider; a stranger in this century and among those who are still men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-always-that-i-am-an-outsider-a-stranger-in-this-century-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ \[The Dalai Lama\] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i-ve-made-every-concession-to/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [Anybody looking for a quiet life has picked the wrong century to born in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anybody-looking-for-a-quiet-life-has-picked-the-wrong-century-to-born/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The poetry from the eighteenth century was prose; the prose from the seventeenth century was poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hare/the-poetry-from-the-eighteenth-century-was-prose-the-prose-from-the/) [David Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hare/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Talented people can predict with great accuracy what's about to happen just a tiny bit ahead of their competitors. It might be two seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/talented-people-can-predict-with-great-accuracy-what-s-about-to/) [Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/) > [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [The nineteenth century lynching mob cuts off ears, toes, and fingers, strips off flesh, and distributes portions of the body as souvenirs among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-nineteenth-century-lynching-mob-cuts-off-ears-toes-and-fingers/) [Ida B. 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Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/) > [For me, the melancholy of the late XXth Century is walking late at night by the Mont Blanc pen store and seeing these things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/for-me-the-melancholy-of-the-late-xxth-century-is-walking-late-at/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [In a general way, the literature of the twentieth century is essentially psychological; and psychology consists of describing states of the soul by displaying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/in-a-general-way-the-literature-of-the-twentieth-century-is/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [Consequently, citizen legislators, rotating back to their communities after a short period of public service—considered an indispensable and routine characteristic and design of representative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/consequently-citizen-legislators-rotating-back-to-their-communities/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 5,406 Century quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Uncommon things must be said in common words, if you would have them to be received in less than a century.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Coventry Patmore" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coventry-patmore/uncommon-things-must-be-said-in-common-words-if-you-would-have-them/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Century" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coventry-patmore/uncommon-things-must-be-said-in-common-words-if-you-would-have-them/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e95/coventry-patmore-14170_century_uncommon-things-must-be-said-in-common-w_2539647.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e95/coventry-patmore-14170_century_uncommon-things-must-be-said-in-common-w_2539647.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e95/coventry-patmore-14170_century_uncommon-things-must-be-said-in-common-w_2539647.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Uncommon things must be said in common words, if you would have them to be received in less than a century.” — Coventry Patmore", "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": "Coventry Patmore", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coventry-patmore/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Uncommon things must be said in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coventry-patmore/uncommon-things-must-be-said-in-common-words-if-you-would-have-them/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coventry-patmore/uncommon-things-must-be-said-in-common-words-if-you-would-have-them/#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 } } ] } ```