---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The words come at my call but who calls…"
description: "\"“The words come at my call but who calls whom?”\" — Jeanette Winterson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d4/jeanette-winterson-166_calls_the-words-come-at-my-call-but-who-calls_3187297.png"
---

#  The words come at my call but who calls whom?

![“The words come at my call but who calls whom?” quote by Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d4/jeanette-winterson-166_calls_the-words-come-at-my-call-but-who-calls_3187297.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d4/jeanette-winterson-166_calls_the-words-come-at-my-call-but-who-calls_3187297.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d4/jeanette-winterson-166_calls_the-words-come-at-my-call-but-who-calls_3187297.png)

> ““The words come at my call but who calls whom?””

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Communication is reciprocal; who initiates and who responds are intertwined.

**In simple terms:** Dialogue is a two‑way street.

Key Takeaway

Listen as much as you speak.

Themes

communication identity power

Mood

introspective critical

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- conversation
- therapy
- creative writing

Key Concepts

dialogue agency

Questions to Reflect On

- Who holds the power in your conversations?
- Are you speaking or merely hearing?

A Different Perspective

Power dynamics can silence voices.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Calls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calls/) [Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come/) [Come Calls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come-calls-5864678/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) [Words Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-come/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [When ideas fail, words come in very handy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/when-ideas-fail-words-come-in-very-handy/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Whenever Teacher calls 'anyone of you come here' I see around...!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tabassum/whenever-teacher-calls-anyone-of-you-come-here-i-see-around/)

[Tabassum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tabassum/)

> [The same words come from each mouth differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hirshfield/the-same-words-come-from-each-mouth-differently/)

[Jane Hirshfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hirshfield/)

> [But I tell you--and mark my words--you will come some day to a craggy pass in the channel, where the whole of life's stream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/but-i-tell-you-and-mark-my-words-you-will-come-some-day-to-a-craggy/)

[Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/)

> [“A string of very un-angelic curse words come to mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-hand/a-string-of-very-un-angelic-curse-words-come-to-mind/)

[Cynthia Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-hand/)

> [I've learned never to try and force words to come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-garner/i-ve-learned-never-to-try-and-force-words-to-come/)

[Alan Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-garner/)

> [D&amp;V what I rep, all GP. I make it rain Shawn Kemp, GP. I make words come alive, GP. Create life with the beats,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wale/d-v-what-i-rep-all-gp-i-make-it-rain-shawn-kemp-gp-i-make-words-come/)

[Wale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wale/)

> [All my words come back to me in shades of mediocrity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-and-garfunkel/all-my-words-come-back-to-me-in-shades-of-mediocrity/)

[Simon And Garfunkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-and-garfunkel/)

> [Saying the words that come from knowledge is no sign of having it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/saying-the-words-that-come-from-knowledge-is-no-sign-of-having-it/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [“Saying something aloud, anything coming from my heart was more than acknowledging it; it was owning it. I needed to hear the words come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cari-kamm/saying-something-aloud-anything-coming-from-my-heart-was-more-than/)

[Cari Kamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cari-kamm/)

> [“I part my lips, but no words come out. I want to cry. Want to beg. Want to scream. But mostly, I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-l-martin/i-part-my-lips-but-no-words-come-out-i-want-to-cry-want-to-beg-want/)

[T.L. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-l-martin/)

> [Most songwriting like poetry takes a careful selection of words. Sometimes you're just channeling something and a selection of words come out that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-joy/most-songwriting-like-poetry-takes-a-careful-selection-of-words/)

[Vance Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-joy/)

> [When the words come, they are merely empty shells without the music. They live as they are sung, for the words are the body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hildegard-of-bingen/when-the-words-come-they-are-merely-empty-shells-without-the-music/)

[Hildegard of Bingen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hildegard-of-bingen/)

> [If no words come, you can always give him the finger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-elkeles/if-no-words-come-you-can-always-give-him-the-finger/)

[Simone Elkeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-elkeles/)

> [“There's power in the words that come out of your mouth. Now imagine those words coming out of your red lipsticked mouth. They have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebo-grand/there-s-power-in-the-words-that-come-out-of-your-mouth-now-imagine/)

[Lebo Grand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebo-grand/)

## More by Jeanette Winterson

> [“After nine nights must come ten and every desperate meeting only leaves you desperate for another. There is never enough to eat, never enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/after-nine-nights-must-come-ten-and-every-desperate-meeting-only/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [You never give away your heart; you lend it from time to time. If it were not so, how could we take it back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/you-never-give-away-your-heart-you-lend-it-from-time-to-time-if-it/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [I have found that I am not a space where people want to live, at least not without decorating first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-have-found-that-i-am-not-a-space-where-people-want-to-live-at-least/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [“Yes. Just pass me my leg will you? It's on top of the wardrobe where he threw it, and I think my right arm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/yes-just-pass-me-my-leg-will-you-it-s-on-top-of-the-wardrobe-where-he/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [Every second the Universe divides into possibilities and most of those possibilities never happen. It is not a uni-verse -- there is more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/every-second-the-universe-divides-into-possibilities-and-most-of/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [You are a pool of clear water where the light plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/you-are-a-pool-of-clear-water-where-the-light-plays/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [“It's the cliches that cause the trouble. A precise emotion seeks a precise expression. If what I feel is not precise than how should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/it-s-the-cliches-that-cause-the-trouble-a-precise-emotion-seeks-a/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [What would it have meant to be happy? What would it have meant if things had been bright, clear, good between us?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/what-would-it-have-meant-to-be-happy-what-would-it-have-meant-if/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [“Mrs Ratlow was a widow, and she was head of English, but she still did all the cooking and cleaning for her two sons,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/mrs-ratlow-was-a-widow-and-she-was-head-of-english-but-she-still-did/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [“I shall have nowt to talk to now the baby is boiled.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-shall-have-nowt-to-talk-to-now-the-baby-is-boiled/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [“What art does is to coax us away from the mechanical and towards the miraculous. The so-called uselessness of art is a clue to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/what-art-does-is-to-coax-us-away-from-the-mechanical-and-towards-the/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [Happy Valentines Day to those who have found love, in whatever shape or form, and to those who are still hunting, don’t give up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/happy-valentines-day-to-those-who-have-found-love-in-whatever-shape/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [“It took me a long time to realise that there are two kinds of writing: the one you write and the one that writes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/it-took-me-a-long-time-to-realise-that-there-are-two-kinds-of-writing/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [A curse on this game. How can you stick at a game when the rules keep on changing? I shall call myself Alice and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/a-curse-on-this-game-how-can-you-stick-at-a-game-when-the-rules-keep/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [“He turned away and I turned to him in vivid heat to look on the sun-dried world. The groves and towers were gone. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/he-turned-away-and-i-turned-to-him-in-vivid-heat-to-look-on-the-sun/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

[Explore all 1,016 Jeanette Winterson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

## More Calls quotes

> [Nobody is listening to your telephone calls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/nobody-is-listening-to-your-telephone-calls/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [I'm signed to a U.S. label, and I didn't enjoy the 3 A.M. phone calls. I'm not a great sleeper, so I didn't enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/estelle/i-m-signed-to-a-u-s-label-and-i-didn-t-enjoy-the-3-a-m-phone-calls-i/)

[Estelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/estelle/)

> [Sometimes the calls just don't go your way. You've just got to learn to deal with those situations and try to prevent yourself from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-millsap/sometimes-the-calls-just-don-t-go-your-way-you-ve-just-got-to-learn/)

[Paul Millsap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-millsap/)

> [“You wonder why I don’t answer your 3 a.m. phone calls. When you say “I miss you”, I begin to undress myself out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sierra-demulder/you-wonder-why-i-don-t-answer-your-3-a-m-phone-calls-when-you-say-i/)

[Sierra Demulder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-demulder/)

> [Whenever Teacher calls 'anyone of you come here' I see around...!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tabassum/whenever-teacher-calls-anyone-of-you-come-here-i-see-around/)

[Tabassum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tabassum/)

> [We hope that the elected officials will respond positively to a ground swell of letters, phone calls, e-mails and visits from parents. The law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-hope-that-the-elected-officials-will-respond-positively-to-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If Leonardo DiCaprio calls, I'll hang out with him, sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-o-connor/if-leonardo-dicaprio-calls-i-ll-hang-out-with-him-sure/)

[Josh O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-o-connor/)

> [God Calls Collect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-aaron/god-calls-collect/)

[C Aaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-aaron/)

> [The phone will always ring. If I leave it even for a moment and go some where, by the time I come back there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saswata-chatterjee/the-phone-will-always-ring-if-i-leave-it-even-for-a-moment-and-go/)

[Saswata Chatterjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saswata-chatterjee/)

> [I text nonstop, and I love emoji. I'm also on the phone quite a bit for work - probably more than 10 calls per day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-spiegel/i-text-nonstop-and-i-love-emoji-i-m-also-on-the-phone-quite-a-bit-for/)

[Evan Spiegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-spiegel/)

> [I hate when I guy calls me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/i-hate-when-i-guy-calls-me/)

[Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/)

> [We've probably gotten 500 calls from people saying what the heck is going on with gas, and I gotta say I agree with you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-napolitano/we-ve-probably-gotten-500-calls-from-people-saying-what-the-heck-is/)

[Janet Napolitano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-napolitano/)

> [Obviously, if Woody Allen calls and says he wants you to read a script, of course you read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/obviously-if-woody-allen-calls-and-says-he-wants-you-to-read-a-script/)

[Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/)

> [Ending poverty calls for humility, honesty, freedom from ideology and refusal to accept cruel simplicities about anyone's human potential. It requires listening to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/ending-poverty-calls-for-humility-honesty-freedom-from-ideology-and/)

[Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/)

> [People who work with me think I should cut my hair. They say casting directors are less likely to hire me with long hair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-culkin/people-who-work-with-me-think-i-should-cut-my-hair-they-say-casting/)

[Rory Culkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-culkin/)

[Browse all 420 Calls quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calls/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The words come at my call but who calls whom?”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jeanette Winterson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/the-words-come-at-my-call-but-who-calls-whom/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Calls"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/the-words-come-at-my-call-but-who-calls-whom/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d4/jeanette-winterson-166_calls_the-words-come-at-my-call-but-who-calls_3187297.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d4/jeanette-winterson-166_calls_the-words-come-at-my-call-but-who-calls_3187297.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d4/jeanette-winterson-166_calls_the-words-come-at-my-call-but-who-calls_3187297.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The words come at my call but who calls whom?” — Jeanette Winterson",
                "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": "Jeanette Winterson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The words come at my call...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/the-words-come-at-my-call-but-who-calls-whom/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/the-words-come-at-my-call-but-who-calls-whom/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
