--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Language, at least, may give up the…" description: "\"Language, at least, may give up the secrets of life and death, leading us through the maze to the original Word as monster or angel, to the mournful pl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/313/janet-frame-8769_angel_language-at-least-may-give-up-the-secret_1833868.jpg" --- # Language, at least, may give up the secrets of life and… ![“Language, at least, may give up the secrets of life and death, leading us through the maze to the original Word as monster or angel, to the mournful place where we may meet Job and hear his cry, 'How long will you vex my soul and break me in pieces with words?” quote by Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/313/janet-frame-8769_angel_language-at-least-may-give-up-the-secret_1833868.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/313/janet-frame-8769_angel_language-at-least-may-give-up-the-secret_1833868.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/313/janet-frame-8769_angel_language-at-least-may-give-up-the-secret_1833868.jpg) > “Language, at least, may give up the secrets of life and death, leading us through the maze to the original Word as monster or angel, to the mournful place where we may meet Job and hear his cry, 'How long will you vex my soul and break me in pieces with words?” [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Language can reveal deep truths about existence, guiding us through confusion toward fundamental meaning, yet it can also wound deeply. **In simple terms:** Words can both enlighten and hurt. Key Takeaway Use language mindfully. Themes language existence truth pain search Mood reflective melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal crisis - grief counseling - creative writing - spiritual seeking Key Concepts philosophy psychology literature Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance speaking truth with protecting others? - When have words healed or harmed you? A Different Perspective Words may not fully capture the ineffable, leading to misunderstanding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Angel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angel/) [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Giving up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-up/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life and death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-and-death/) [Mazes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mazes/) [Monsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monsters/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Secret life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret-life/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) ## Related quotes > [The sudden death of the leading man will cause change, making another man leader. Soon, but too late, the young man will attain high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nostradamus/the-sudden-death-of-the-leading-man-will-cause-change-making-another/) [Nostradamus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nostradamus/) > [“Pain had a way of breaking time down. I thought about the next minute, the next hour. There wasn't enough space in my mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/pain-had-a-way-of-breaking-time-down-i-thought-about-the-next-minute/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“There was only one huge world with no back to it A world like a sun One day it broke into tiny pieces They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/there-was-only-one-huge-world-with-no-back-to-it-a-world-like-a-sun/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [I began to understand that suffering and disappointments and melancholy are there not to vex us or cheapen us or deprive us of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/i-began-to-understand-that-suffering-and-disappointments-and/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [The chief secret of comfort lies in not suffering trifles to vex us, and in prudently cultivating our undergrowth of small pleasures, since very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sharp/the-chief-secret-of-comfort-lies-in-not-suffering-trifles-to-vex-us/) Richard Sharp > [What vexes me most is, that my female friends, who could bear me very well a dozen years ago, have now forsaken me, although…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/what-vexes-me-most-is-that-my-female-friends-who-could-bear-me-very/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [“Don't let someone keep putting out the flame God keeps re-lighting, we all have a purpose. As a wing to a bird. As wind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/don-t-let-someone-keep-putting-out-the-flame-god-keeps-re-lighting-we/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [The rain set early in tonight, The sullen wind was soon awake, It tore the elm-tops down for spite, And did its best to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/the-rain-set-early-in-tonight-the-sullen-wind-was-soon-awake-it-tore/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) > [There are too many steps in this castle, and it seems to me they add a few every night, just to vex me" -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-too-many-steps-in-this-castle-and-it-seems-to-me-they-add-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Some people take offense like it's a limited time offer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-fargo/some-people-take-offense-like-it-s-a-limited-time-offer/) [Tim Fargo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-fargo/) > [Accordingly if the devil should say, 'Do not drink,' you should reply to him, 'On this very account, because you forbid it, I shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/accordingly-if-the-devil-should-say-do-not-drink-you-should-reply-to/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [It's the curse of motherhood. You're required to love us even when we vex you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/it-s-the-curse-of-motherhood-you-re-required-to-love-us-even-when-we/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) > [I'll walk where my own nature would be leading: It vexes me to choose another guide: Where the grey flocks in ferny glens are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/i-ll-walk-where-my-own-nature-would-be-leading-it-vexes-me-to-choose/) [Emily Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [It vexes me greatly that having to earn my living has forced me to interrupt the work and to attend to small matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/it-vexes-me-greatly-that-having-to-earn-my-living-has-forced-me-to/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [“Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs; Being purg'd, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes; Being vex'd, a sea nourish'd with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-is-a-smoke-made-with-the-fume-of-sighs-being-purg-d-a-fire/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## More by Janet Frame > [Very often the law of extremity demands an attention to irrelevance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/very-often-the-law-of-extremity-demands-an-attention-to-irrelevance/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [I must go down to the seas again to find where I buried the hatchet with Yesterday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/i-must-go-down-to-the-seas-again-to-find-where-i-buried-the-hatchet/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [“So I went up north to a land of palm trees and mangroves like malignant growths in the mud-filled throats of the bays, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/so-i-went-up-north-to-a-land-of-palm-trees-and-mangroves-like/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [“A certain pleasure was added to Grace’s relief at establishing herself as a migratory bird. She found that she understood the characters in her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/a-certain-pleasure-was-added-to-grace-s-relief-at-establishing/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [“I have to cry out here that language is all we have for the delicacy and truth of telling, that words are the sole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/i-have-to-cry-out-here-that-language-is-all-we-have-for-the-delicacy/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [The only certainty about writing and trying to be a writer is that it has to be done, not dreamed of or planned and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/the-only-certainty-about-writing-and-trying-to-be-a-writer-is-that-it/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [“Life is hell, but there are prizes. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/life-is-hell-but-there-are-prizes/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [I don't want to inhabit the human world under false pretenses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/i-don-t-want-to-inhabit-the-human-world-under-false-pretenses/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [Listening to her, one experienced a deep uneasiness as of having avoided an urgent responsibility, like someone who, walking at night along the banks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/listening-to-her-one-experienced-a-deep-uneasiness-as-of-having/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [I don't wish to inhabit the human world under false pretences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/i-don-t-wish-to-inhabit-the-human-world-under-false-pretences/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [People dread silence because it is transparent; like clear water, which reveals every obstacle—the used, the dead, the drowned, silence reveals the cast-off words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/people-dread-silence-because-it-is-transparent-like-clear-water-which/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [So we went to bed, assaulted by sleep that fumed at us from medicine glasses, or was wielded from small sweet-coated tablets -- dainty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/so-we-went-to-bed-assaulted-by-sleep-that-fumed-at-us-from-medicine/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [She grew more and more silent about what really mattered. She curled inside herself like one of those black chimney brushes, the little shellfish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/she-grew-more-and-more-silent-about-what-really-mattered-she-curled/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [Conversation is the wall we build between ourselves and other people, too often with tired words like used and broken bottles which, catching the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/conversation-is-the-wall-we-build-between-ourselves-and-other-people/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) > [But it is imperative, for our own survival, that we avoiid one another, and what more successful means of avoidance are there than words?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/but-it-is-imperative-for-our-own-survival-that-we-avoiid-one-another/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) [Explore all 77 Janet Frame quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) ## More Angel quotes > [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. 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/) > [If I wer an angel,i would make all your wishes come true..but I'm only a girl a girl who loves you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nix/if-i-wer-an-angel-i-would-make-all-your-wishes-come-true-but-i-m-only/) [Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nix/) > [Peace is the first thing the angels sang. Peace is the mark of the children of God. Peace is the nurse of love. Peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-i/peace-is-the-first-thing-the-angels-sang-peace-is-the-mark-of-the/) [Pope Leo I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-i/) > [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“Behind my eyelids, I saw him dancing in spirals of coloured light, emerald, blue, and brilliant purple, enfolding him like the wings of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/behind-my-eyelids-i-saw-him-dancing-in-spirals-of-coloured-light/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/all-that-i-am-or-ever-hope-to-be-i-owe-to-my-angel-mother/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [I don't think people will ever forget I was an 'Angel,' anymore than they'll forget Sally Field was 'The Flying Nun.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-ladd/i-don-t-think-people-will-ever-forget-i-was-an-angel-anymore-than/) [Cheryl Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-ladd/) > [It's a great story for us whenever an entrepreneur makes a crazy amount of money and we get to tell the world about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lacy/it-s-a-great-story-for-us-whenever-an-entrepreneur-makes-a-crazy/) [Sarah Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lacy/) > [I believe in UFOs, I believe in extraterrestrials, and I believe in angels. And maybe they'll protect all of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-maclaine/i-believe-in-ufos-i-believe-in-extraterrestrials-and-i-believe-in/) [Shirley MacLaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-maclaine/) > [Sometimes we have the absolute certainty there's something inside us that's so hideous and monstrous that if we ever search it out we won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/sometimes-we-have-the-absolute-certainty-there-s-something-inside-us/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [Flowers are the alphabet of angels, whereby they write on the hills and fields mysterious truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/flowers-are-the-alphabet-of-angels-whereby-they-write-on-the-hills/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [You should never feel lonely, neglected, fearful, or defeated when you remember that there are the shining ones. They are watching with keen interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flower-a-newhouse/you-should-never-feel-lonely-neglected-fearful-or-defeated-when-you/) [Flower A. Newhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flower-a-newhouse/) > [Hark the herald angels sing, 'Glory to the new-born king.' Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wesley/hark-the-herald-angels-sing-glory-to-the-new-born-king-peace-on-earth/) [Charles Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wesley/) > [Man was created a little lower than the angels and has been getting a little lower ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/man-was-created-a-little-lower-than-the-angels-and-has-been-getting-a/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Mooner was walking around laying his hands on the cars, divining karma. "this is it", he said, standing by a small khaki-colored jeep."this car…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/mooner-was-walking-around-laying-his-hands-on-the-cars-divining-karma/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) [Browse all 4,625 Angel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angel/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Language, at least, may give up the secrets of life and death, leading us through the maze to the original Word as monster or angel, to the mournful place where we may meet Job and hear his cry, 'How long will you vex my soul and break me in pieces with words?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Janet Frame" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/language-at-least-may-give-up-the-secrets-of-life-and-death-leading/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Angel" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/language-at-least-may-give-up-the-secrets-of-life-and-death-leading/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/313/janet-frame-8769_angel_language-at-least-may-give-up-the-secret_1833868.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/313/janet-frame-8769_angel_language-at-least-may-give-up-the-secret_1833868.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/313/janet-frame-8769_angel_language-at-least-may-give-up-the-secret_1833868.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Language, at least, may give up the secrets of life and death, leading us through the maze to the original…” — Janet Frame", "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": "Janet Frame", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Language, at least, may give up...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/language-at-least-may-give-up-the-secrets-of-life-and-death-leading/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/language-at-least-may-give-up-the-secrets-of-life-and-death-leading/#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 } } ] } ```