--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As soon as . . . begins to mean anything…" description: "\"“As soon as . . . begins to mean anything to anyone they'll change it. The idea seems to be: use an expression only as long as it doesn't mean anything..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/daniel-keyes-3679_depression_as-soon-as-begins-to-mean-anything-to-an_2285484.png" --- # As soon as . . . begins to mean anything to anyone they'll… ![“As soon as . . . begins to mean anything to anyone they'll change it. The idea seems to be: use an expression only as long as it doesn't mean anything to anybody.” quote by Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/daniel-keyes-3679_depression_as-soon-as-begins-to-mean-anything-to-an_2285484.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/daniel-keyes-3679_depression_as-soon-as-begins-to-mean-anything-to-an_2285484.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/daniel-keyes-3679_depression_as-soon-as-begins-to-mean-anything-to-an_2285484.png) > ““As soon as . . . begins to mean anything to anyone they'll change it. The idea seems to be: use an expression only as long as it doesn't mean anything to anybody.”” [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Language loses power when it becomes meaningful, prompting people to alter it; thus, expressions are useful only while neutral. **In simple terms:** Words lose impact when they gain meaning, so people change them. Key Takeaway Preserve neutrality of terms to keep them functional. Themes language meaning communication change Mood cautious analytical Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - political discourse - marketing - legal language - social media - cultural debates Key Concepts semiotics social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do we maintain clarity when terms become politicized? - When is it appropriate to redefine a word? A Different Perspective Meanings evolve, making control difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Begins Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/begins-mean-5349614/) [Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) [Doesn Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doesn-mean/) [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Mean Anybody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean-anybody-473314/) [Use Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use-expression-5349615/) ## Related quotes > [Expectations externally mean nothing. They shouldn't mean anything to anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyrese-haliburton/expectations-externally-mean-nothing-they-shouldn-t-mean-anything-to/) [Tyrese Haliburton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyrese-haliburton/) > [~Nobody cares about me, because they think that I'm fake, useless, worthless and I dont mean anything to anybody anymore. know wonder everybody is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/she-s-gone/nobody-cares-about-me-because-they-think-that-i-m-fake-useless/) [She's\_gone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/she-s-gone/) > [Words dont mean anything.. Anybody could say what you wanna hear. But not everyone can show you what you wanna see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/words-dont-mean-anything-anybody-could-say-what-you-wanna-hear-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being gay doesn't mean that you are less than anybody else. It's just who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-harper/being-gay-doesn-t-mean-that-you-are-less-than-anybody-else-it-s-just/) [Bob Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-harper/) > [Dare to do something worthy of transportation and a prison, if you mean to be anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/dare-to-do-something-worthy-of-transportation-and-a-prison-if-you/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [None of us are really singled out as like, the star of the show, you know what I mean? Nobody's in anybody's shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-quinn/none-of-us-are-really-singled-out-as-like-the-star-of-the-show-you/) [Brian Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-quinn/) > [I took it to heart that in order to be a good person; you never said anything mean about anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/i-took-it-to-heart-that-in-order-to-be-a-good-person-you-never-said/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [TSA is such low-hanging fruit. I mean, anybody can bash the TSA.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane/tsa-is-such-low-hanging-fruit-i-mean-anybody-can-bash-the-tsa/) [Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane/) > [I'm not going to be mean to anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-not-going-to-be-mean-to-anybody/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [“Till it does come, you know, we women never mean to have anybody. It is a thing of course among us, that every man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/till-it-does-come-you-know-we-women-never-mean-to-have-anybody-it-is/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Just cause I am smiling doesn't mean deep down I am not dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nichole-parisian/just-cause-i-am-smiling-doesn-t-mean-deep-down-i-am-not-dying/) [Nichole Parisian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nichole-parisian/) > [Sadomasochiasm - which we know very well doesn't exist in societies that don't have child abuse - is regarded some sort of natural sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/sadomasochiasm-which-we-know-very-well-doesn-t-exist-in-societies/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [This is depression, it comes when your blocking. This is expression it comes when you're rocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-jones/this-is-depression-it-comes-when-your-blocking-this-is-expression-it/) [Grace Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-jones/) > [Change your thoughts, change your life. —LAO TZU When I was fighting depression, I remember hearing this expression and not understanding it at first.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/change-your-thoughts-change-your-life-lao-tzu-when-i-was-fighting/) [Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/) > [I see people as being what their personality is at the moment of expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-trecartin/i-see-people-as-being-what-their-personality-is-at-the-moment-of/) [Ryan Trecartin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-trecartin/) ## More by Daniel Keyes > [The path I choose through the maze makes me what I am. I am not only a thing, but also a way of being--one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/the-path-i-choose-through-the-maze-makes-me-what-i-am-i-am-not-only-a/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [“I see now that when Norma flowered in our garden I became a weed, allowed to exist only where I would not be seen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/i-see-now-that-when-norma-flowered-in-our-garden-i-became-a-weed/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [“The most important thing had always been what other people thought-appearances before herself or her family. And righteous about it. Time and again Matt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/the-most-important-thing-had-always-been-what-other-people-thought/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [“April 6—Today, I learned, the comma, this is, a, comma (,) a period, with, a tail, Miss Kinnian, says its, importent, because, it makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/april-6-today-i-learned-the-comma-this-is-a-comma-a-period-with-a/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [“Am I a genius? I don't think so. Not yet anyway. As Burt would put it, mocking the euphemisms of educational jargon, I'm exceptional-a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/am-i-a-genius-i-don-t-think-so-not-yet-anyway-as-burt-would-put-it/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [“But I've learned that intelligence alone doesn't mean a damned thing. Here in your university, intelligence, education, knowledge, have all become great idols. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/but-i-ve-learned-that-intelligence-alone-doesn-t-mean-a-damned-thing/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [Who's to say that my light is better than your darkness? Who's to say death is better than your darkness? Who am I to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/who-s-to-say-that-my-light-is-better-than-your-darkness-who-s-to-say/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [“You want these back, don't you? You want me out of here so you can come back and take over where you left off.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/you-want-these-back-don-t-you-you-want-me-out-of-here-so-you-can-come/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [“I see now that the path I choose through the maze makes me what I am. I am not only a thing, but also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/i-see-now-that-the-path-i-choose-through-the-maze-makes-me-what-i-am/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [I put Algernon's body in a cheese box and buried him in the backyard. I cried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/i-put-algernon-s-body-in-a-cheese-box-and-buried-him-in-the-backyard/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [I’m “exceptional”- a democratic term used to avoid the damning labels of “gifted” and “deprived” (which used to mean “bright” and “retarded”) and as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/i-m-exceptional-a-democratic-term-used-to-avoid-the-damning-labels-of/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [“Even a feeble-minded man wants to be like other men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/even-a-feeble-minded-man-wants-to-be-like-other-men/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [“Downhill. Thoughts of suicide to stop it all now while I am still in control and aware of the world around me. But then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/downhill-thoughts-of-suicide-to-stop-it-all-now-while-i-am-still-in/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [“I hated her as I had never hated anyone before—with her easy answers and maternal fussing. I wanted to slap her face, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/i-hated-her-as-i-had-never-hated-anyone-before-with-her-easy-answers/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [Intelligence is one of the greatest human gifts. But all too often a search for knowledge drives out the search for love. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/intelligence-is-one-of-the-greatest-human-gifts-but-all-too-often-a/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) [Explore all 122 Daniel Keyes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) ## More Depression quotes > [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“As ofttimes as it rains on my little spot of earth, you'd think I'd grow accustomed to the gloom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/as-ofttimes-as-it-rains-on-my-little-spot-of-earth-you-d-think-i-d/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [There's only so much for a man to take...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gilchrist/there-s-only-so-much-for-a-man-to-take/) [Kirsten Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-gilchrist/) > [“my stomach turned and burned with the acid of failure”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-ames/my-stomach-turned-and-burned-with-the-acid-of-failure/) [Heidi Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-ames/) > [That is the real problem of depression - a condition which will affect an estimated one in five of the population at some point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-andreae/that-is-the-real-problem-of-depression-a-condition-which-will-affect/) [Giles Andreae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-andreae/) > [Im tired, tired of putting more effort than you do. Im tired of always having to start the conversation and if I dont, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-tired-tired-of-putting-more-effort-than-you-do-im-tired-of-always/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Once upon a time, there was a naïve and innocent girl who thought she could tame the beast and live happily ever after. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-na-ve-and-innocent-girl-who-thought-she/) [Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/) > [“Why in depression" "If we are human, why not have the right to smile, Why in depression, young, and beautiful as earth, Why in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanilsa-pena/why-in-depression-if-we-are-human-why-not-have-the-right-to-smile-why/) [Yanilsa pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanilsa-pena/) > [“Depression makes me stronger”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shayamalan/depression-makes-me-stronger/) [Shayamalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shayamalan/) > [“Shorter believes that psychosomatic illnesses (such as leg paralysis at the turn of the twentieth century or multiple personality disorder at the turn of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-watters/shorter-believes-that-psychosomatic-illnesses-such-as-leg-paralysis/) [Ethan Watters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-watters/) > [Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/depression-is-merely-anger-without-enthusiasm/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [Repression will provoke rebellion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-williamson/repression-will-provoke-rebellion/) [Hugh Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-williamson/) > [I'm certainly not a perfect mother, but I'm trying to be what my mother wasn't for me. My mother's battled depression, so I understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-hamill/i-m-certainly-not-a-perfect-mother-but-i-m-trying-to-be-what-my/) [Dorothy Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-hamill/) > [Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buckham-kennedy/every-trial-endured-and-weathered-in-the-right-spirit-makes-a-soul/) [James Buckham Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buckham-kennedy/) > [Scars by Papa Roach. <3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophielianne/scars-by-papa-roach-3/) [Sophielianne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophielianne/) [Browse all 4,965 Depression quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As soon as . . . begins to mean anything to anyone they'll change it. The idea seems to be: use an expression only as long as it doesn't mean anything to anybody.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Daniel Keyes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/as-soon-as-begins-to-mean-anything-to-anyone-they-ll-change-it-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Depression" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/as-soon-as-begins-to-mean-anything-to-anyone-they-ll-change-it-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/daniel-keyes-3679_depression_as-soon-as-begins-to-mean-anything-to-an_2285484.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/daniel-keyes-3679_depression_as-soon-as-begins-to-mean-anything-to-an_2285484.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9de/daniel-keyes-3679_depression_as-soon-as-begins-to-mean-anything-to-an_2285484.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As soon as . . . begins to mean anything to anyone they'll change it. The idea seems to be: use an…” — Daniel Keyes", "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": "Daniel Keyes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“As soon as . . ....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/as-soon-as-begins-to-mean-anything-to-anyone-they-ll-change-it-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/as-soon-as-begins-to-mean-anything-to-anyone-they-ll-change-it-the/#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 } } ] } ```