Artificial Quote by Gene Wolfe
“Certain mystes aver that the real world has been constructed by the human mind, since our ways are governed by the artificial categories into which we place essentially undifferentiated things, things weaker than our words for them. [...] We believe we invent symbols. The truth is that they invent us; we are their creatures, shaped by their hard, defining edges.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe, 1980
Human perception constructs reality through language, making us subjects of the symbols we create.
In simple terms: Our words shape our world.
Question the limits of language.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- education
- creative writing
- psychology
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How do your words limit you?
- Can you think beyond existing categories?
Symbols can both empower and confine.