--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Words were dangerous when loosed. They…" description: "\"Words were dangerous when loosed. They were more powerful than cannon and more unpredictable than storms. They could turn men’s heads inside out and wa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/frances-hardinge-1417_cannons_words-were-dangerous-when-loosed-they-we_2719676.jpg" --- # Words were dangerous when loosed. They were more powerful… ![“Words were dangerous when loosed. They were more powerful than cannon and more unpredictable than storms. They could turn men’s heads inside out and warp their destinies. They could pick up kingdoms and shake them until they rattled.” quote by Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/frances-hardinge-1417_cannons_words-were-dangerous-when-loosed-they-we_2719676.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/frances-hardinge-1417_cannons_words-were-dangerous-when-loosed-they-we_2719676.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/frances-hardinge-1417_cannons_words-were-dangerous-when-loosed-they-we_2719676.jpg) > “Words were dangerous when loosed. They were more powerful than cannon and more unpredictable than storms. They could turn men’s heads inside out and warp their destinies. They could pick up kingdoms and shake them until they rattled.” [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Words can shape reality, wielding power greater than weapons, altering destinies and destabilizing empires. **In simple terms:** Words have huge influence, like weapons. Key Takeaway Choose words wisely. Themes communication power destiny Mood cautious reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - political speeches - media campaigns - legal arguments - personal relationships Key Concepts language influence politics Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure your words empower rather than destroy? - When have words changed your life? A Different Perspective Words can be misinterpreted, leading to unintended harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cannons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cannons/) [Dangerous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dangerous/) [Destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destiny/) [Kingdoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kingdoms/) [Kingdoms Shake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kingdoms-shake-2872390/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Loosed Powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loosed-powerful-2872389/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful/) [Rattled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rattled-269384/) [Shakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakes/) [Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storm/) [Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turns/) [Unpredictable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unpredictable/) [Warp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warp/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) [Words Dangerous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-dangerous-669462/) ## Related quotes > [Words are dangerous things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/words-are-dangerous-things/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) > [“But at times words can be a dangerous addition to music — they can pin it down. Words imply that the music is about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/but-at-times-words-can-be-a-dangerous-addition-to-music-they-can-pin/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [Be careful with words, they're dangerous. Be wary of them. They begat either demons or angels. It's up to you to give life to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/be-careful-with-words-they-re-dangerous-be-wary-of-them-they-begat/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [“It’s just words. How can words be dangerous?” “You have a lot to learn about the world, baby girl. Nothing is more dangerous than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/it-s-just-words-how-can-words-be-dangerous-you-have-a-lot-to-learn/) [Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) > [I don't remember a time when words were not dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/i-don-t-remember-a-time-when-words-were-not-dangerous/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [“Words are more dangerous than swords and guns. They reach further and hurt deeper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-marques/words-are-more-dangerous-than-swords-and-guns-they-reach-further-and/) [Luis Marques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-marques/) > [“Words are the most dangerous weapons of all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mandela/words-are-the-most-dangerous-weapons-of-all/) [Barry Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mandela/) > [There is a world of communication which is not dependent on words. This is the world in which the artist operates and for him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-martin/there-is-a-world-of-communication-which-is-not-dependent-on-words-2/) [Mary Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-martin/) > [Every quarterback can be rattled. There's no guy who can't be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-pierre-paul/every-quarterback-can-be-rattled-there-s-no-guy-who-can-t-be/) [Jason Pierre-Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-pierre-paul/) > [“It wasn’t story (good or bad) that pulled me in; it was English itself, the way it felt in my braces-caged mouth and rattled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/it-wasn-t-story-good-or-bad-that-pulled-me-in-it-was-english-itself/) [Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) > [When you're too mad and too rattled to see straight, you're bound to make mistakes. You can't go on and on for years being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-ball/when-you-re-too-mad-and-too-rattled-to-see-straight-you-re-bound-to/) [Lucille Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-ball/) > [We were rattled. A team like Rutgers, they play in spurts, and they didn't have a large spurt. We certainly knew we had it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-staley/we-were-rattled-a-team-like-rutgers-they-play-in-spurts-and-they-didn/) [Dawn Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-staley/) > [To be silent. In hopes of not offending, in hopes of being accepted. But what happened to people who never spoke, never raised their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-penny/to-be-silent-in-hopes-of-not-offending-in-hopes-of-being-accepted-but/) [Louise Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-penny/) > [“Something bashed against the submarine with such a tremendous force that the vessel rocked violently from side to side, throwing people back and forth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-f-wilson/something-bashed-against-the-submarine-with-such-a-tremendous-force/) [Dean F. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-f-wilson/) > [“This explains so much," she said, clucking her tongue in mother-hen fashion. "You're compensating for this withered appendage." Withered appendage? What the devil was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/this-explains-so-much-she-said-clucking-her-tongue-in-mother-hen/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) ## More by Frances Hardinge > [“It is dangerous to lock oneself away and lose track of what is happening outside.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/it-is-dangerous-to-lock-oneself-away-and-lose-track-of-what-is/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“Clent, however, suppressed any sense of pity without the slightest difficulty. His brain was busy with the icy clockwork of calculation. If only this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/clent-however-suppressed-any-sense-of-pity-without-the-slightest/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“I swam across the torrent of my madness, and pulled myself upon the shore of a new and better sanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/i-swam-across-the-torrent-of-my-madness-and-pulled-myself-upon-the/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“Before her escort could react, she sprinted out from their little pool of lantern-light into the darkness, her feet pounding the soft, treacherous clods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/before-her-escort-could-react-she-sprinted-out-from-their-little-pool/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“She was not undamaged, however, and she knew it. No food or drink had passed her lips, but she had drunk deep of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/she-was-not-undamaged-however-and-she-knew-it-no-food-or-drink-had/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“All her life, Neverfell had suffered the dull, embarrassed ache of the knowledge that she was always the maddest person in the room. Funnily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/all-her-life-neverfell-had-suffered-the-dull-embarrassed-ache-of-the/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“Well, if you are to help me with my work, you had better get used to stories without endings. True stories seldom have endings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/well-if-you-are-to-help-me-with-my-work-you-had-better-get-used-to/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“And you may comfort yourself with the thought that you have been the caltrop under her satin shoe every step of the way. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/and-you-may-comfort-yourself-with-the-thought-that-you-have-been-the/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“The little pedlar, it seemed, fancied that he had the tools to fix the wheel. The footmen were glad to hear this, and agreed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/the-little-pedlar-it-seemed-fancied-that-he-had-the-tools-to-fix-the/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“For a second, she could almost see Caverna as the Kleptomancer did, a murky, monstrous beauty, smiling her fine-fanged smile as she prepared to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/for-a-second-she-could-almost-see-caverna-as-the-kleptomancer-did-a/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“Has it ever occurred to you that maybe you’re sane? That you’ve always been sane? That perhaps you’re the sanest person in the city?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/has-it-ever-occurred-to-you-that-maybe-you-re-sane-that-you-ve-always/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“Thank you," she whispered. "I promise I will not interfere in Court business again." "Oh yes, you will." Zouelle looked up to see her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/thank-you-she-whispered-i-promise-i-will-not-interfere-in-court/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“People's personalities took up space, he sometimes thought. When they were trapped in a house or a job or a school together, they rubbed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/people-s-personalities-took-up-space-he-sometimes-thought-when-they/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [Revenge is a dish best served unexpectedly and from a distance - like a thrown trifle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/revenge-is-a-dish-best-served-unexpectedly-and-from-a-distance-like-a/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“Little god, you see the world through such black eyes." "Got no choice. My father give ’em to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/little-god-you-see-the-world-through-such-black-eyes-got-no-choice-my/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) [Explore all 244 Frances Hardinge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) ## More Cannons quotes > [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. 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They cram you all up with rehearsals, then someone lights a fuse and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tallulah-bankhead/working-on-television-is-like-being-shot-out-of-a-cannon-they-cram/) [Tallulah Bankhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tallulah-bankhead/) > [Yes, I am a pirate, two hundred years to late. Cannons don't thunder, there's nothing to plunder, I'm an over forty victim of fate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-buffett/yes-i-am-a-pirate-two-hundred-years-to-late-cannons-don-t-thunder/) [Jimmy Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-buffett/) > [No conjunction can possibly occur, however fearful, however tremendous it may appear, from which a man by his own energy may not extricate himself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/no-conjunction-can-possibly-occur-however-fearful-however-tremendous/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [Seasons pursuing each other the indescribable crowd is gathered, it is the fourth of Seventh-month, (what salutes of cannon and small arms!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/seasons-pursuing-each-other-the-indescribable-crowd-is-gathered-it-is/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [It really is a choice between division or unity, between an economy that works for everyone or one that is stacked for those at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/it-really-is-a-choice-between-division-or-unity-between-an-economy/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [With a rasping cough, the vampire shakes its head. "It was you who called us. All of you, with your war. The roar of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mignola/with-a-rasping-cough-the-vampire-shakes-its-head-it-was-you-who/) [Mike Mignola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mignola/) > [You can't fire a cannon, from a canoe!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-poliquin/you-can-t-fire-a-cannon-from-a-canoe/) [Charles Poliquin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-poliquin/) > [Decoration Day is the most beautiful of our national holidays… The grim cannon have turned into palm branches, and the shell and shrapnel into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/decoration-day-is-the-most-beautiful-of-our-national-holidays-the/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [The Anti-Vivisector does not deny that physiologists must make experiments and even take chances with new methods. 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No such way to be freed from temptation as to keep low.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-brooks/the-only-way-to-avoid-cannon-shot-is-to-fall-down-no-such-way-to-be/) [Thomas Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-brooks/) [Browse all 173 Cannons quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cannons/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Words were dangerous when loosed. They were more powerful than cannon and more unpredictable than storms. They could turn men’s heads inside out and warp their destinies. 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