--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Words in the head are sticky and social…" description: "\"“Words in the head are sticky and social creatures – when you finally pull one out, you're liable to get lots of bits of meanings that have rubbed onto..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af7/greg-carlson-38547_assumptions_words-in-the-head-are-sticky-and-social_88600.jpg" --- # Words in the head are sticky and social creatures – when… ![“Words in the head are sticky and social creatures – when you finally pull one out, you're liable to get lots of bits of meanings that have rubbed onto them as a result of their palling around with other words.” quote by Greg Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af7/greg-carlson-38547_assumptions_words-in-the-head-are-sticky-and-social_88600.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af7/greg-carlson-38547_assumptions_words-in-the-head-are-sticky-and-social_88600.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af7/greg-carlson-38547_assumptions_words-in-the-head-are-sticky-and-social_88600.jpg) > ““Words in the head are sticky and social creatures – when you finally pull one out, you're liable to get lots of bits of meanings that have rubbed onto them as a result of their palling around with other words.”” [Greg Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-carlson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Words accumulate meaning through social interaction, becoming sticky concepts that carry layered connotations shaped by their linguistic companions. **In simple terms:** Words as sticky social constructs Key Takeaway Meaning evolves socially Themes linguistics cognition social interaction semantics Mood insightful analytical Type observational explanatory When to use this quote - language teaching - marketing copy Key Concepts context association meaning Practical Applications - semantic analysis Questions to Reflect On - How do social contexts reshape word meanings? - What implications does this have for clear communication? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assumptions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumptions/) [Biases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biases/) [Connotations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connotations/) [Head Sticky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/head-sticky-1106543/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Meanings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meanings/) [Palling Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/palling-words-1106542/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) [Words Head](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-head-1106541/) ## Related quotes > [“As the unexpected becomes ordinary, the spotlight shifts once again to land where your brain thinks it will get more informational bang for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-carlson/as-the-unexpected-becomes-ordinary-the-spotlight-shifts-once-again-to/) [Greg Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-carlson/) > [“Every question was also an opportunity to create an impression that would guide how all subsequent answers to questions got interpreted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-carlson/every-question-was-also-an-opportunity-to-create-an-impression-that/) [Greg Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-carlson/) > [“Learning to be aware of what you unconsciously know may depend on a line of focused effort and specialized knowledge and even some measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-carlson/learning-to-be-aware-of-what-you-unconsciously-know-may-depend-on-a/) [Greg Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-carlson/) > [It has often been said there’s so much to be read, you never can cram all those words in your head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/it-has-often-been-said-there-s-so-much-to-be-read-you-never-can-cram/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [“But he had turned, little by little, a disturbance into words, he had made a pillow of old words, for his head.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/but-he-had-turned-little-by-little-a-disturbance-into-words-he-had/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [It's an illusion I've noticed before-- words on a page are like oxygen to a petrol engine, firing up ghosts. It only lasts while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/it-s-an-illusion-i-ve-noticed-before-words-on-a-page-are-like-oxygen/) [Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) > [Put these words on your head and let them percolate We need to separate church and state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/childish-gambino/put-these-words-on-your-head-and-let-them-percolate-we-need-to/) [Childish Gambino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/childish-gambino/) > [The words you say never live up to the words in your head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cornell/the-words-you-say-never-live-up-to-the-words-in-your-head/) [Chris Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cornell/) > [I don't know how to answer. I know what I think, but words in the head are like voices underwater. They are distorted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-don-t-know-how-to-answer-i-know-what-i-think-but-words-in-the-head/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [He suffered from a rush of words to the head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-suffered-from-a-rush-of-words-to-the-head/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Years ago, I thought up the name Queen...It's just a name, but it's very regal obviously, and it sounds splendid...It's a strong name, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/years-ago-i-thought-up-the-name-queen-it-s-just-a-name-but-it-s-very/) [Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/) > [I'm always weary of connotations. I don't want people to listen to the music I make presently because they liked my previous work, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dev-hynes/i-m-always-weary-of-connotations-i-don-t-want-people-to-listen-to-the/) [Dev Hynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dev-hynes/) > [There's some horrible connotations in the word 'reunion.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/there-s-some-horrible-connotations-in-the-word-reunion/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) > [“Sensitive," I tried. Sam translated: "Squishy." "Creative." "Dangerously emo." "Thoughtful." "Feng shui." I laughed so hard I snorted. "How do you get feng shui…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/sensitive-i-tried-sam-translated-squishy-creative-dangerously-emo/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [Some of the words that pop up on the show have had terrible connotations. But that's the beauty of 'Countdown.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-riley/some-of-the-words-that-pop-up-on-the-show-have-had-terrible/) [Rachel Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-riley/) ## More by Greg Carlson > [“Robbed of a rapt audience, advertisers know that influencing how you spend what to do while depends on having some control over how you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-carlson/robbed-of-a-rapt-audience-advertisers-know-that-influencing-how-you/) [Greg Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-carlson/) > [“The thing about language is that once you start getting analytical about it, you can't stop.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-carlson/the-thing-about-language-is-that-once-you-start-getting-analytical/) [Greg Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-carlson/) > [“Every question was also an opportunity to create an impression that would guide how all subsequent answers to questions got interpreted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-carlson/every-question-was-also-an-opportunity-to-create-an-impression-that/) [Greg Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-carlson/) > [“Teaching is the art of serendipity. Each of us has the experience of finding out that something we intended as only the most casual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-carlson/teaching-is-the-art-of-serendipity-each-of-us-has-the-experience-of/) [Greg Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-carlson/) > [“Learning to be aware of what you unconsciously know may depend on a line of focused effort and specialized knowledge and even some measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-carlson/learning-to-be-aware-of-what-you-unconsciously-know-may-depend-on-a/) [Greg Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-carlson/) > [“To knock today's prestige dialects off their pedestals, it helps to realize that they are really foul perversions of yesterday's prestige dialects.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-carlson/to-knock-today-s-prestige-dialects-off-their-pedestals-it-helps-to/) [Greg Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-carlson/) > [“You might think of the barrier between fiction and reality as being a bit like a blood-brain barrier, which allows only some kinds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-carlson/you-might-think-of-the-barrier-between-fiction-and-reality-as-being-a/) [Greg Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-carlson/) > [“As the unexpected becomes ordinary, the spotlight shifts once again to land where your brain thinks it will get more informational bang for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-carlson/as-the-unexpected-becomes-ordinary-the-spotlight-shifts-once-again-to/) [Greg Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-carlson/) > [“No other species flees from boredom with as much urgency as we do. We are far more eager to do brain work than we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-carlson/no-other-species-flees-from-boredom-with-as-much-urgency-as-we-do-we/) [Greg Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-carlson/) > [“When the marketplace became crowded with scores of similar products that mostly did what they were supposed to do, companies focused less on selling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-carlson/when-the-marketplace-became-crowded-with-scores-of-similar-products/) [Greg Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-carlson/) [Explore all 11 Greg Carlson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-carlson/) ## More Assumptions quotes > [There was a lot of stress and assumptions made without me even saying anything, which was very upsetting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-stevens/there-was-a-lot-of-stress-and-assumptions-made-without-me-even-saying/) [Craig Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-stevens/) > [When assumptions were made that I was going to bail out there was a little part of my brain that thought 'I am going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-stevens/when-assumptions-were-made-that-i-was-going-to-bail-out-there-was-a/) [Craig Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-stevens/) > [“One should not make more assumptions than are absolutely necessary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-kerner/one-should-not-make-more-assumptions-than-are-absolutely-necessary/) [Ian Kerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-kerner/) > [I think facts remove assumptions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-williams/i-think-facts-remove-assumptions/) [Monty Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-williams/) > [“While you judge me by my outward appearance I am silently doing the same to you, even though there's a ninety-percent chance that in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/while-you-judge-me-by-my-outward-appearance-i-am-silently-doing-the/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“Civilizaton rests on the assumption that the universe is kindly disposed towards mankind and intended for our benefit. Imagine the upheaval were it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lovegrove/civilizaton-rests-on-the-assumption-that-the-universe-is-kindly/) [James Lovegrove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lovegrove/) > [For me, filmmaking is not about making statements but about exposing human behavior so people are eager enough to start thinking on their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yorgos-lanthimos/for-me-filmmaking-is-not-about-making-statements-but-about-exposing/) [Yorgos Lanthimos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yorgos-lanthimos/) > [“The problem with making assumptions is that we believe they are the truth. We could swear they are real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-ruiz/the-problem-with-making-assumptions-is-that-we-believe-they-are-the/) [Miguel Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-ruiz/) > [People just assume, over the years, that soccer players are not too intelligent. As with most assumptions, they're wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-beckham/people-just-assume-over-the-years-that-soccer-players-are-not-too/) [David Beckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-beckham/) > [The explanation requiring the fewest assumptions is most likely to be correct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-explanation-requiring-the-fewest-assumptions-is-most-likely-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The professor argues against measuring effectiveness in the shallow short-term in the "fierce humanities," for teaching that seeks not merely learning, but unlearning, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-nelson/the-professor-argues-against-measuring-effectiveness-in-the-shallow/) [Cary Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-nelson/) > [I'm like anyone; I make a lot of my assumptions about actors I don't know from what I read about them. And then I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-strong/i-m-like-anyone-i-make-a-lot-of-my-assumptions-about-actors-i-don-t/) [Mark Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-strong/) > [One thing that irritates me is when people kind of make assumptions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-pegg/one-thing-that-irritates-me-is-when-people-kind-of-make-assumptions/) [Simon Pegg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-pegg/) > [“To assume is to presume.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jude-morgan/to-assume-is-to-presume/) [Jude Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jude-morgan/) > [The average Liberian, it turns out, does not share the same assumptions as the average black Methodist minister from Chicago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-carlson/the-average-liberian-it-turns-out-does-not-share-the-same-assumptions/) [Tucker Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-carlson/) [Browse all 393 Assumptions quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumptions/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Words in the head are sticky and social creatures – when you finally pull one out, you're liable to get lots of bits of meanings that have rubbed onto them as a result of their palling around with other words.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Greg Carlson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-carlson/words-in-the-head-are-sticky-and-social-creatures-when-you-finally/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Assumptions" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-carlson/words-in-the-head-are-sticky-and-social-creatures-when-you-finally/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af7/greg-carlson-38547_assumptions_words-in-the-head-are-sticky-and-social_88600.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af7/greg-carlson-38547_assumptions_words-in-the-head-are-sticky-and-social_88600.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af7/greg-carlson-38547_assumptions_words-in-the-head-are-sticky-and-social_88600.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Words in the head are sticky and social creatures – when you finally pull one out, you're liable to get lots…” — Greg Carlson", "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": "Greg Carlson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-carlson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Words in the head are sticky...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-carlson/words-in-the-head-are-sticky-and-social-creatures-when-you-finally/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-carlson/words-in-the-head-are-sticky-and-social-creatures-when-you-finally/#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 } } ] } ```