--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So powerful is the charm of words, which…" description: "\"So powerful is the charm of words, which for us reduces to manageable entities all the passions that would otherwise madden and destroy us.\" — Gene Wolfe" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/gene-wolfe-2530_charm_so-powerful-is-the-charm-of-words-which_1433842.jpg" --- # So powerful is the charm of words, which for us reduces to… ![“So powerful is the charm of words, which for us reduces to manageable entities all the passions that would otherwise madden and destroy us.” quote by Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/gene-wolfe-2530_charm_so-powerful-is-the-charm-of-words-which_1433842.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/gene-wolfe-2530_charm_so-powerful-is-the-charm-of-words-which_1433842.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/gene-wolfe-2530_charm_so-powerful-is-the-charm-of-words-which_1433842.jpg) > “So powerful is the charm of words, which for us reduces to manageable entities all the passions that would otherwise madden and destroy us.” [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Language shapes reality, allowing us to control and soothe intense emotions that might otherwise overwhelm us. **In simple terms:** Words tame strong emotions. Key Takeaway Use precise language to manage feelings. Themes communication emotional regulation literary power self‑control Mood inspirational reflective practical Type philosophical psychological motivational When to use this quote - stress management - conflict resolution - creative writing - public speaking Key Concepts psycholinguistics cognitive therapy narrative influence Questions to Reflect On - How can you harness language to calm inner turmoil? - When might silence be more powerful than words? A Different Perspective Words alone cannot replace deep emotional work. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Charm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charm/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) ## Related quotes > [The warmth of his embrace soaked into me, a powerful charm against the dark things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliet-marillier/the-warmth-of-his-embrace-soaked-into-me-a-powerful-charm-against-the/) [Juliet Marillier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliet-marillier/) > [There's a certain charm, when the words Go fuck yourself roll off your tongue. Try it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/there-s-a-certain-charm-when-the-words-go-fuck-yourself-roll-off-your/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [Oh, I can't describe my home. It is home, and I can't put its charm into words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/oh-i-can-t-describe-my-home-it-is-home-and-i-can-t-put-its-charm-into/) [Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/) > [I have no preferred team, but everyone wants to go No. 1 in the draft. Even the guy who gets picked last in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-griffin-iii/i-have-no-preferred-team-but-everyone-wants-to-go-no-1-in-the-draft/) [Robert Griffin III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-griffin-iii/) > [“Racing and hunting madden our minds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/racing-and-hunting-madden-our-minds/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > ['Madden' is all about speed, and the Falcons have it on both sides of the ball. I love playing sports games. I played my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-crawford/madden-is-all-about-speed-and-the-falcons-have-it-on-both-sides-of/) [Carl Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-crawford/) > [He breast feeds John Madden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-brasky/he-breast-feeds-john-madden/) [Bill Brasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-brasky/) > [The Madden Curse has really taken on a life of its own. People just love talking about it, and it is what it is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-brees/the-madden-curse-has-really-taken-on-a-life-of-its-own-people-just/) [Drew Brees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-brees/) > [I've been a Madden guy since I was little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-johnson/i-ve-been-a-madden-guy-since-i-was-little/) [Calvin Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-johnson/) > [I've played 'Madden' my entire life and all of the guys in the 90s I idolized growing up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-kelce/i-ve-played-madden-my-entire-life-and-all-of-the-guys-in-the-90s-i/) [Travis Kelce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-kelce/) > [I'm not boycotting 'Madden.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yg/i-m-not-boycotting-madden/) YG > [I started playing Madden back in 1993 because that was the first year I actually made it into the game and that was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-strahan/i-started-playing-madden-back-in-1993-because-that-was-the-first-year/) [Michael Strahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-strahan/) > ['Madden' is the closest thing to actually being on the field yourself. It's so ridiculously realistic. Before I play it, I honestly didn't understand.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/madden-is-the-closest-thing-to-actually-being-on-the-field-yourself/) [Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/) > [I guess Madden had seen everything with out group, and everybody else had seen everything. (After coming to practice field riding a horse and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hendricks/i-guess-madden-had-seen-everything-with-out-group-and-everybody-else/) Ted Hendricks > [If we could imagine such a man, that is a man who could invent the fly and send him out on his mission and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-we-could-imagine-such-a-man-that-is-a-man-who-could-invent-the-fly/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## More by Gene Wolfe > [Some writers say they cannot write in front of a window; many say they cannot function without almost perfect quiet. A writer with only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/some-writers-say-they-cannot-write-in-front-of-a-window-many-say-they/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“Sometimes driven aground by the photon storms, by the swirling of the galaxies, clockwise and counterclockwise, ticking with light down the dark sea-corridors lined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/sometimes-driven-aground-by-the-photon-storms-by-the-swirling-of-the/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [Ambiguity is necessary in some of my stories, not in all. In those, it certainly contributes to the richness of the story. I doubt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/ambiguity-is-necessary-in-some-of-my-stories-not-in-all-in-those-it/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“There are beings—and artifacts—against which we batter our intelligence raw, and in the end make peace with reality only by saying, “It was an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/there-are-beings-and-artifacts-against-which-we-batter-our/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [Science has so accustomed us to devising and accepting theories to account for the facts we observe, however fantastic, that our minds must begin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/science-has-so-accustomed-us-to-devising-and-accepting-theories-to/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“The experienced feel love or desire, or both. The inexperienced are sick with a thousand feelings, most of them unformed: fearful that they may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/the-experienced-feel-love-or-desire-or-both-the-inexperienced-are/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“For those who have never attended a science fiction convention, masquerades are features of most of the larger ones. Awards are presented for best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/for-those-who-have-never-attended-a-science-fiction-convention/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“He had a wild yellow beard and long, tangled hair that stood out from his head in a way that made it seem too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/he-had-a-wild-yellow-beard-and-long-tangled-hair-that-stood-out-from/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [ ...in some situations winning consist\[s\] of disentangling oneself. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/in-some-situations-winning-consist-s-of-disentangling-oneself/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“For after all, if the lives of most men are examined in detail, it will be found that they have been experts of immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/for-after-all-if-the-lives-of-most-men-are-examined-in-detail-it-will/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [You never learn how to write a novel. You just learn how to write the novel that you're writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/you-never-learn-how-to-write-a-novel-you-just-learn-how-to-write-the/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [There is no magic. There is only knowledge, more or less hidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/there-is-no-magic-there-is-only-knowledge-more-or-less-hidden/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“...the progress of science depends much less upon either theoretical considerations or systematic investigation than is commonly believed, but rather on the transmittal of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/the-progress-of-science-depends-much-less-upon-either-theoretical/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“Whatever we may say, all of us suffer from disturbed sleep at times. Some in truth hardly sleep, though some who sleep copiously swear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/whatever-we-may-say-all-of-us-suffer-from-disturbed-sleep-at-times/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [“. . .Consciousness came and went. Consciousness went and came like the errant winds of spring, and I, who so often have had difficulty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/consciousness-came-and-went-consciousness-went-and-came-like-the/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) [Explore all 160 Gene Wolfe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) ## More Charm quotes > [Charm is a cunning self-forgetfulness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/charm-is-a-cunning-self-forgetfulness/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [Every woman thinks herself attractive; even the plainest is satisfied with the charms she deems that she possesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/every-woman-thinks-herself-attractive-even-the-plainest-is-satisfied/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [Modesty is the gentle art of enhancing your charm by pretending not to be aware of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-herford/modesty-is-the-gentle-art-of-enhancing-your-charm-by-pretending-not/) [Oliver Herford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-herford/) > [Talk health. The dreary, never-changing tale Of mortal maladies is worn and stale. You cannot charm, or interest, or please By harping in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/talk-health-the-dreary-never-changing-tale-of-mortal-maladies-is-worn/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [I'm an old school guy and love the guys in the monster suits and JAWS; even though everyone makes fun of the shark I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-fessenden/i-m-an-old-school-guy-and-love-the-guys-in-the-monster-suits-and-jaws/) [Larry Fessenden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-fessenden/) > [Every woman has the instinct, the propensity to profit from her charms, and there's a lot to be said for giving oneself without love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leopold-von-sacher-masoch/every-woman-has-the-instinct-the-propensity-to-profit-from-her-charms/) [Leopold von Sacher-Masoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leopold-von-sacher-masoch/) > [I don't know that I'm a free spirit or anything like that. I just have my own way of doing things. That's the charm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-schultz/i-don-t-know-that-i-m-a-free-spirit-or-anything-like-that-i-just-have/) [Dave Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-schultz/) > [In each studio there is a human being dressed in the full regalia of his myth fearing to expore a vulnerable opening, spreading not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/in-each-studio-there-is-a-human-being-dressed-in-the-full-regalia-of/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [“It's a part of life. You never know what you are going to get; you just have to be strong enough to deal with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-hill/it-s-a-part-of-life-you-never-know-what-you-are-going-to-get-you-just/) [Melissa Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-hill/) > [Even after marrying Mallika, I feel that I am her boyfriend. In fact, I believe this feeling enhances the charm and fun of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zayed-khan/even-after-marrying-mallika-i-feel-that-i-am-her-boyfriend-in-fact-i/) [Zayed Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zayed-khan/) > [Criticism even should not be without its charms. When quite devoid of all amenities, it is no longer literary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/criticism-even-should-not-be-without-its-charms-when-quite-devoid-of/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [“Never trust charm, it's the most powerful weapon in the devil's armory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-gilbert/never-trust-charm-it-s-the-most-powerful-weapon-in-the-devil-s-armory/) Anthony Gilbert > [Paul Taylor's 'Offenbach Overtures' has lots of zip and charm, and its pair of dueling soldiers in red, who end up starry-eyed about each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gottlieb/paul-taylor-s-offenbach-overtures-has-lots-of-zip-and-charm-and-its/) [Robert Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gottlieb/) > [Time's stern tide, with cold Oblivion's wave, Shall soon dissolve each fair, each fading charm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-seward/time-s-stern-tide-with-cold-oblivion-s-wave-shall-soon-dissolve-each/) [Anna Seward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-seward/) > [Washington is a city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/washington-is-a-city-of-southern-efficiency-and-northern-charm/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) [Browse all 1,415 Charm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charm/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "So powerful is the charm of words, which for us reduces to manageable entities all the passions that would otherwise madden and destroy us.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gene Wolfe" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/so-powerful-is-the-charm-of-words-which-for-us-reduces-to-manageable/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Charm" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/so-powerful-is-the-charm-of-words-which-for-us-reduces-to-manageable/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/gene-wolfe-2530_charm_so-powerful-is-the-charm-of-words-which_1433842.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/gene-wolfe-2530_charm_so-powerful-is-the-charm-of-words-which_1433842.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b44/gene-wolfe-2530_charm_so-powerful-is-the-charm-of-words-which_1433842.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“So powerful is the charm of words, which for us reduces to manageable entities all the passions that would…” — Gene Wolfe", "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": "Gene Wolfe", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "So powerful is the charm of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/so-powerful-is-the-charm-of-words-which-for-us-reduces-to-manageable/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/so-powerful-is-the-charm-of-words-which-for-us-reduces-to-manageable/#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 } } ] } ```