--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And the good writer chooses his words for…" description: "\"And the good writer chooses his words for their 'meaning', but that meaning is not a a set, cut-off thing like the move of knight or pawn on a chess-bo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b2/ezra-pound-1208_association_and-the-good-writer-chooses-his-words-fo_1612969.png" --- # And the good writer chooses his words for their 'meaning'… ![“And the good writer chooses his words for their 'meaning', but that meaning is not a a set, cut-off thing like the move of knight or pawn on a chess-board. It comes up with roots, with associations, with how and where the word is familiarly used, or where it has been used brilliantly or memorably.” quote by Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b2/ezra-pound-1208_association_and-the-good-writer-chooses-his-words-fo_1612969.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b2/ezra-pound-1208_association_and-the-good-writer-chooses-his-words-fo_1612969.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b2/ezra-pound-1208_association_and-the-good-writer-chooses-his-words-fo_1612969.png) > “And the good writer chooses his words for their 'meaning', but that meaning is not a a set, cut-off thing like the move of knight or pawn on a chess-board. It comes up with roots, with associations, with how and where the word is familiarly used, or where it has been used brilliantly or memorably.” [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Words gain meaning through cultural roots, associations, and usage, not fixed definitions like chess moves. **In simple terms:** Meanings are shaped by context and history. Key Takeaway Consider context when choosing words. Themes language meaning context Mood reflective analytical Type explanatory philosophical When to use this quote - writing - teaching - editing - public speaking Key Concepts semiotics cultural linguistics association Questions to Reflect On - How does cultural background affect word choice? - Can a word have multiple stable meanings? A Different Perspective Meanings can shift over time, causing misinterpretation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chess/) [Knights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knights/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning/) [Pawns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pawns/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [...what makes a story unique is not necessarily the information in the story but what the writer chooses to put in or leave out.(pg.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-smith/what-makes-a-story-unique-is-not-necessarily-the-information-in-the/) [Roland Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-smith/) > [The writer is often faced with two choices--turn away from the reality of life's intimidating complexity or conquer its mystery by battling with it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/the-writer-is-often-faced-with-two-choices-turn-away-from-the-reality/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [I don't think any writer chooses what his or her work is called.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/i-don-t-think-any-writer-chooses-what-his-or-her-work-is-called/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [He had stylized himself--life was easier that way. He had chosen a physical mould just as writer chooses a technical form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/he-had-stylized-himself-life-was-easier-that-way-he-had-chosen-a/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [First, how to sac my queen, then rook, then bishop, then knight, then pawns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-tal/first-how-to-sac-my-queen-then-rook-then-bishop-then-knight-then-pawns/) [Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/) > [A knight ending is really a pawn ending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-botvinnik/a-knight-ending-is-really-a-pawn-ending/) [Mikhail Botvinnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-botvinnik/) > [War is like a game of chess ... but with this little difference, that in chess you may think over each move as long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/war-is-like-a-game-of-chess-but-with-this-little-difference-that-in/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [When this is all over I'm going to found an association called 'The Knights of the Idiotic Table' and its purpose will be to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-this-is-all-over-i-m-going-to-found-an-association-called-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Never generally means "at no point in time." 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As if you had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-people-get-all-fouled-up-because-they-want-the-world-to-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [8 letters 3 words 1 meaning I love you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/8-letters-3-words-1-meaning-i-love-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Get rid of words and meaning, and there is still poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yang-wanli/get-rid-of-words-and-meaning-and-there-is-still-poetry/) Yang Wanli > [Through words to the meaning of thoughts with no words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/through-words-to-the-meaning-of-thoughts-with-no-words/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [“Words have meaning beyond the obvious. Words have consequences beyond intentions. Civil words align risk and reward of such unknowns.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-dallas-jr/words-have-meaning-beyond-the-obvious-words-have-consequences-beyond/) [John R. Dallas Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-dallas-jr/) ## More by Ezra Pound > [“I once saw a small child go to an electric light switch as say, "Mamma, can I open the light?" 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