Quote by James W Sire

Verses devoid of substance, melodious trifles. [Lat., Versus inopes rerum, nugaeque canorae.]

— Horace

If we want to change the nuance of a particular word we have to change that ourselves.

— Susie Dent

“What we call men, are the subjects, the individual Stiles and Nokes; not the qualities by which their humanity is constituted. The name, therefore,…

— John Stuart Mill

Odd that we think definitions are definitive.

— Larry Wall

“Since all terms that are defined are defined by means of other terms, it is clear that human knowledge must always be content to…

— Bertrand Russell

“Usually we regard as meaningful that which can be expressed, and as meaningless that which cannot be expressed. Yet, the equation of the meaningful…

— Abraham Joshua Heschel

Expression, to a great extent, is a matter of terms, and terms are anyone's.

— Charles Ives

Words have basic inalienable meanings, departure from which is either conscious metaphor or inexcusable vulgarity.

— Evelyn Waugh

What should we gain by a definition, as it can only lead us to other undefined terms?

— Ludwig Wittgenstein

Definitions would be good things if we did not use words to make them.

— Jean-Jacques Rousseau

“Number ... should not be understood solely as a construction of consciousness, but also as an archetype and thus as a constituent of nature…

— Marie-Louise von Franz

“This leads to the consideration of a third great division of names, into connotative and non-connotative, the latter sometimes, but improperly, called absolute.”

— John Stuart Mill