--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whenever he was unclear about some idea…" description: "\"“Whenever he was unclear about some idea or emotion, uncertain in his perception of someone or vague about a memory, he sat to his journal and wrote as..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d45/james-carlos-blake-17442_language_whenever-he-was-unclear-about-some-idea_2507210.jpg" --- # Whenever he was unclear about some idea or emotion… ![“Whenever he was unclear about some idea or emotion, uncertain in his perception of someone or vague about a memory, he sat to his journal and wrote as precisely as he could what he thought or felt or remembered, and thereby gave those thoughts and feelings and memories the solidity and authority…” quote by James Carlos Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d45/james-carlos-blake-17442_language_whenever-he-was-unclear-about-some-idea_2507210.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d45/james-carlos-blake-17442_language_whenever-he-was-unclear-about-some-idea_2507210.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d45/james-carlos-blake-17442_language_whenever-he-was-unclear-about-some-idea_2507210.jpg) > ““Whenever he was unclear about some idea or emotion, uncertain in his perception of someone or vague about a memory, he sat to his journal and wrote as precisely as he could what he thought or felt or remembered, and thereby gave those thoughts and feelings and memories the solidity and authority of words recorded on a page. And by that simple act made of them his abiding truth.”” [James Carlos Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carlos-blake/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing in a journal solidifies fleeting thoughts and feelings, granting them permanence and authority as personal truth. **In simple terms:** Journaling makes emotions concrete. Key Takeaway Write to clarify and own your experiences. Themes reflection writing self-truth Mood reflective analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - therapy - creative writing - academic research - personal development Key Concepts psychology memory language Questions to Reflect On - How does writing change your perception of events? - What truths emerge when you record them? A Different Perspective Journaling may bias or distort memories. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gave Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gave-thoughts-1120414/) [Journal Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journal-wrote-1120416/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Precisely Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precisely-thought-1120417/) [Thoughts and feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts-and-feelings/) [Vague Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vague-memory-398998/) [Wrote Precisely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote-precisely-1120415/) ## Related quotes > [“Tomorrow, a stranger will say with masterly good sense precisely what we have thought and felt all the time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/tomorrow-a-stranger-will-say-with-masterly-good-sense-precisely-what/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/the-christians-who-did-most-for-the-present-world-were-precisely/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Now think about the Universal Law. It reflects to you exactly and precisely what you put out. If your thought-forms say, "I haven't got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-wilde/now-think-about-the-universal-law-it-reflects-to-you-exactly-and/) [Stuart Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-wilde/) > [After you've read a novel, you only retain a vague memory of its contents. You remember the atmosphere, the odd image or phrase or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/after-you-ve-read-a-novel-you-only-retain-a-vague-memory-of-its/) [Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/) > [I have known I wanted to be a writer since I was seven-years-old. Seriously. 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Let he who hath never worn parachute pants cast the first stone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/i-had-a-vague-memory-of-being-that-ridiculous-at-one-time-let-he-who/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [“I had a vague memory of the intensity of teenage female relationships; more of a passion than a normal friendship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/i-had-a-vague-memory-of-the-intensity-of-teenage-female-relationships/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [The immense value of becoming acquainted with a foreign language is that we are thereby led into a new world of tradition and thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/the-immense-value-of-becoming-acquainted-with-a-foreign-language-is/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [Metaphor isn't just a fancy turn of speech. It shapes our thoughts and feelings, reaches out to grasp new experience, and even binds our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-richardson/metaphor-isn-t-just-a-fancy-turn-of-speech-it-shapes-our-thoughts-and/) [James Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-richardson/) > [“Yes, read about jobs and your hours and wages. Yes, you must strike, you must have better lives. But you must read also about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-poole/yes-read-about-jobs-and-your-hours-and-wages-yes-you-must-strike-you/) [Ernest Poole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-poole/) > [Everything in dancing is style, allusion, the essence of many thoughts and feelings. The abstraction of many moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-ailey/everything-in-dancing-is-style-allusion-the-essence-of-many-thoughts/) [Alvin Ailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-ailey/) ## More by James Carlos Blake > [“The family landed in the Western Hemisphere in the person of Roger Blake Wolfe, who arrived with a price on his head.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carlos-blake/the-family-landed-in-the-western-hemisphere-in-the-person-of-roger/) [James Carlos Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carlos-blake/) > [“He finally comprehended that the sole impossibility regarding human sorrow is to arrive at some unsurpassable limit to it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carlos-blake/he-finally-comprehended-that-the-sole-impossibility-regarding-human/) [James Carlos Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carlos-blake/) > [“The moon grew plump and pale as a peeled apple, waned into the passing nights, then showed itself again as a thin silver crescent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carlos-blake/the-moon-grew-plump-and-pale-as-a-peeled-apple-waned-into-the-passing/) [James Carlos Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carlos-blake/) > [If a woman has a good ass the rest of her wil be nicely configured too, except for maybe the face. 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I'd give it all up in a minute if I could just be your age again.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carlos-blake/but-i-ll-tell-you-the-truth-boys-he-said-i-d-give-it-all-up-in-a/) [James Carlos Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carlos-blake/) > [“Sex and violence ... are the two great engines of the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carlos-blake/sex-and-violence-are-the-two-great-engines-of-the-world/) [James Carlos Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carlos-blake/) > [The shed of leaves became a cascade of red and gold and after a time the trees stood skeletal against a sky of weathered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carlos-blake/the-shed-of-leaves-became-a-cascade-of-red-and-gold-and-after-a-time/) [James Carlos Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carlos-blake/) > [“He was the deadliest man in Texas, on that they all agreed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carlos-blake/he-was-the-deadliest-man-in-texas-on-that-they-all-agreed/) [James Carlos Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carlos-blake/) > [“in the summer of 1845 Edward Little was sixteen years old and restless in his blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carlos-blake/in-the-summer-of-1845-edward-little-was-sixteen-years-old-and/) [James Carlos Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carlos-blake/) > [If you're afraid to defend your convictions because you might get your ass kicked for it, you're not really fit to advocate for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carlos-blake/if-you-re-afraid-to-defend-your-convictions-because-you-might-get/) [James Carlos Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carlos-blake/) > [“The power of men like me does not come solely from our ability to kill--which is no small talent in itself, true, but neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carlos-blake/the-power-of-men-like-me-does-not-come-solely-from-our-ability-to/) [James Carlos Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carlos-blake/) > [“When you make a deal you stick to it. Rock-hard rule. You don't renege, you don't sell out. You hold up your end and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carlos-blake/when-you-make-a-deal-you-stick-to-it-rock-hard-rule-you-don-t-renege/) [James Carlos Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carlos-blake/) [Explore all 37 James Carlos Blake quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carlos-blake/) ## More Language quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) [Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/) > [Usually male directors have to use foul language to get the job done. 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Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [“I only have two words to say More or Less”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timbur/i-only-have-two-words-to-say-more-or-less/) [TimBur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timbur/) > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/) [Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [What is music? Music is language. A human being wants to express ideas in this language, but not ideas that can be translated into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-webern/what-is-music-music-is-language-a-human-being-wants-to-express-ideas/) [Anton Webern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-webern/) > [You're beautiful, cute, pretty, gorgeous, and fuck.. I ran out of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/you-re-beautiful-cute-pretty-gorgeous-and-fuck-i-ran-out-of-words/) [Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/) > [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“The words for what I want to say right now don't exist. Everything sounds…so cliché.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-crane/the-words-for-what-i-want-to-say-right-now-don-t-exist-everything/) [Shelly Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-crane/) > [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. 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(To action little, less to words inclinded.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/finxerunt-animi-raro-et-perpauca-loquentis-to-action-little-less-to/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/) [Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/) [Browse all 21,951 Language quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Whenever he was unclear about some idea or emotion, uncertain in his perception of someone or vague about a memory, he sat to his journal and wrote as precisely as he could what he thought or felt or remembered, and thereby gave those thoughts and feelings and memories the solidity and authority of words recorded on a page. 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