--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The tongue mocked him. The mouth was empty." description: "\"“The tongue mocked him. The mouth was empty.”\" — Hugh Howey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/500/hugh-howey-841_mocked_the-tongue-mocked-him-the-mouth-was-empt_1839872.png" --- # The tongue mocked him. The mouth was empty. ![“The tongue mocked him. The mouth was empty.” quote by Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/500/hugh-howey-841_mocked_the-tongue-mocked-him-the-mouth-was-empt_1839872.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/500/hugh-howey-841_mocked_the-tongue-mocked-him-the-mouth-was-empt_1839872.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/500/hugh-howey-841_mocked_the-tongue-mocked-him-the-mouth-was-empt_1839872.png) > ““The tongue mocked him. The mouth was empty.”” [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A person can be mocked and silenced when they lack substance or truth in their words. **In simple terms:** Empty words invite ridicule. Key Takeaway Speak with substance. Themes communication honesty reputation Mood reflective serious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - public speaking - debates - personal relationships Key Concepts integrity self‑expression Questions to Reflect On - How can you ensure your words have weight? - What does silence say about you? A Different Perspective A silent mouth can still be judged harshly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Mocked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mocked/) [Mocked Mouth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mocked-mouth-2340980/) [Mouth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mouth/) [Tongue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tongue/) [Tongue Mocked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tongue-mocked-2340979/) ## Related quotes > [I act as the tongue of you, ... tied in your mouth . . . . in mine it begins to be loosened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/i-act-as-the-tongue-of-you-tied-in-your-mouth-in-mine-it-begins-to-be/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [Honestly, the angrier I am, the looser my tongue is... when I get angry, it's just a motor mouth, and it just goes off,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-reyez/honestly-the-angrier-i-am-the-looser-my-tongue-is-when-i-get-angry-it/) [Jessie Reyez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-reyez/) > [“Nothing says, ‘I like you’ like your tongue in their mouth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-ashley/nothing-says-i-like-you-like-your-tongue-in-their-mouth/) [Kristen Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-ashley/) > [“I saw pearls in her mouth and the velvet cushion of her tongue and I heard the magic words come out of her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenda-millard/i-saw-pearls-in-her-mouth-and-the-velvet-cushion-of-her-tongue-and-i/) [Glenda Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenda-millard/) > [You are still despised and mocked, A man too weak and infirm to be God, A God too much man to call forth adoration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil/you-are-still-despised-and-mocked-a-man-too-weak-and-infirm-to-be-god/) [Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil/) > [Enthusiats are used to being mocked, maligned and misunderstood. We don't really mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/enthusiats-are-used-to-being-mocked-maligned-and-misunderstood-we-don/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [Time and I have quarrelled. All hours are midnight now. I had a clock and a watch, but I destroyed them both. I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-clarke/time-and-i-have-quarrelled-all-hours-are-midnight-now-i-had-a-clock/) [Susanna Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-clarke/) > [The devil...the prowde spirite...cannot endure to be mocked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/the-devil-the-prowde-spirite-cannot-endure-to-be-mocked/) [Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/) > [“It was fine to be mocked or disliked on his own terms. But his sexual orientation was such a naked target, unfortified by nonchalance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-henry/it-was-fine-to-be-mocked-or-disliked-on-his-own-terms-but-his-sexual/) [Lisa Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-henry/) > [To be great, you have to be willing to be mocked, hated and misunderstood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-great-you-have-to-be-willing-to-be-mocked-hated-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When Mitt Romney talked about Putin expanding his sphere of influence, Obama mocked and said, 'The Cold War has been over 20 years, nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/when-mitt-romney-talked-about-putin-expanding-his-sphere-of-influence/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [God is only mocked by believers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/god-is-only-mocked-by-believers/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [I spent years doing 'Star Trek' bits and things, and a lot of people loved it, a lot of people mocked it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/i-spent-years-doing-star-trek-bits-and-things-and-a-lot-of-people/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [“Ain’t nothing wrong with a little crew love!” True mocked her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-wan/ain-t-nothing-wrong-with-a-little-crew-love-true-mocked-her/) [K'wan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-wan/) > [It’s humbling, to become the very thing you once mocked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/it-s-humbling-to-become-the-very-thing-you-once-mocked/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) ## More by Hugh Howey > [“the mind-numbing routine. It was the castration of thought,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/the-mind-numbing-routine-it-was-the-castration-of-thought/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“a crime to fell a tree and light it on fire, where coals of hardened shit warmed and stunk up homes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-crime-to-fell-a-tree-and-light-it-on-fire-where-coals-of-hardened/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [Even in the darkness, his smile threw shadows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/even-in-the-darkness-his-smile-threw-shadows/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“The Loud came before the quiet. That was a Rule of the World, for the bangs and shouts need somewhere to echo, just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/the-loud-came-before-the-quiet-that-was-a-rule-of-the-world-for-the/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“People from IT sent to replace those they’d killed. Juliette’s”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/people-from-it-sent-to-replace-those-they-d-killed-juliette-s/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“a heap of words designed to hinder communication rather than facilitate it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-heap-of-words-designed-to-hinder-communication-rather-than/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“That leaves Bravo Company, the expendables who know what they’re doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/that-leaves-bravo-company-the-expendables-who-know-what-they-re-doing/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“Sleep was a vehicle for passing the time, for avoiding the present. It was a trolley for the depressed, the impatient, and the dying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/sleep-was-a-vehicle-for-passing-the-time-for-avoiding-the-present-it/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“Overhead, tangles of wires knotted together in a grand display of unplanned infrastructure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/overhead-tangles-of-wires-knotted-together-in-a-grand-display-of/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“Montana wants to scream, but the thing she is angry at is in the past. The past can’t hear her. This is the thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/montana-wants-to-scream-but-the-thing-she-is-angry-at-is-in-the-past/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“I guess what I'm sayin' is, if you want to give Jules a job, be very careful.” “Why be careful?” Marnes asked. Marck gazed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/i-guess-what-i-m-sayin-is-if-you-want-to-give-jules-a-job-be-very/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [One of the many things that surprised me about 'Wool' is how many of its fans don't consider themselves science fiction readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/one-of-the-many-things-that-surprised-me-about-wool-is-how-many-of/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“We have allowed a dangerous forest to grow as we try to guard against individual trees.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/we-have-allowed-a-dangerous-forest-to-grow-as-we-try-to-guard-against/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“You’re . . . a rock,” I tell the rock. “The fuck I am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/you-re-a-rock-i-tell-the-rock-the-fuck-i-am/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“I hated Sundays as a kid. From the moment I woke up, I could feel Monday looming,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/i-hated-sundays-as-a-kid-from-the-moment-i-woke-up-i-could-feel/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) [Explore all 351 Hugh Howey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) ## More Mocked quotes > [You are still despised and mocked, A man too weak and infirm to be God, A God too much man to call forth adoration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil/you-are-still-despised-and-mocked-a-man-too-weak-and-infirm-to-be-god/) [Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil/) > [“Ain’t nothing wrong with a little crew love!” True mocked her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-wan/ain-t-nothing-wrong-with-a-little-crew-love-true-mocked-her/) [K'wan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-wan/) > [I spent years doing 'Star Trek' bits and things, and a lot of people loved it, a lot of people mocked it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/i-spent-years-doing-star-trek-bits-and-things-and-a-lot-of-people/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [God is only mocked by believers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/god-is-only-mocked-by-believers/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [When Mitt Romney talked about Putin expanding his sphere of influence, Obama mocked and said, 'The Cold War has been over 20 years, nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/when-mitt-romney-talked-about-putin-expanding-his-sphere-of-influence/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [To be great, you have to be willing to be mocked, hated and misunderstood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-great-you-have-to-be-willing-to-be-mocked-hated-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It was fine to be mocked or disliked on his own terms. But his sexual orientation was such a naked target, unfortified by nonchalance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-henry/it-was-fine-to-be-mocked-or-disliked-on-his-own-terms-but-his-sexual/) [Lisa Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-henry/) > [The devil...the prowde spirite...cannot endure to be mocked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/the-devil-the-prowde-spirite-cannot-endure-to-be-mocked/) [Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/) > [Time and I have quarrelled. All hours are midnight now. I had a clock and a watch, but I destroyed them both. I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-clarke/time-and-i-have-quarrelled-all-hours-are-midnight-now-i-had-a-clock/) [Susanna Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-clarke/) > [Enthusiats are used to being mocked, maligned and misunderstood. We don't really mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/enthusiats-are-used-to-being-mocked-maligned-and-misunderstood-we-don/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [It’s humbling, to become the very thing you once mocked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/it-s-humbling-to-become-the-very-thing-you-once-mocked/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [One always imagines that the days that change one’s life must be marked with something extraordinary in nature—storms and lightning, darkness at noon, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-george/one-always-imagines-that-the-days-that-change-one-s-life-must-be/) [Margaret George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-george/) > [Noah walked with God; he didn't only preach righteousness, he acted it. He went through water and didn't melt. He breasted the current of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-studd/noah-walked-with-god-he-didn-t-only-preach-righteousness-he-acted-it/) [Charles Studd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-studd/) > [My hair has been mocked a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-cooper/my-hair-has-been-mocked-a-lot/) [Bradley Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-cooper/) > [I never learned how to tie my shoes, and I was mocked for that. I still don't know how to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kondabolu/i-never-learned-how-to-tie-my-shoes-and-i-was-mocked-for-that-i-still/) [Hari Kondabolu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kondabolu/) [Browse all 79 Mocked quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mocked/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The tongue mocked him. 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