--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...because if there was one thing he…" description: "\"“...because if there was one thing he didn't like it was big words, they just lied and covered things up, those big words, they didn't let what really ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5b/jon-fosse-75838_big-words_because-if-there-was-one-thing-he-didn-t_112207.jpg" --- # ...because if there was one thing he didn't like it was… ![“...because if there was one thing he didn't like it was big words, they just lied and covered things up, those big words, they didn't let what really was live and breathe but just carried it off into something that wanted to be big, that's what he thought...” quote by Jon Fosse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5b/jon-fosse-75838_big-words_because-if-there-was-one-thing-he-didn-t_112207.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5b/jon-fosse-75838_big-words_because-if-there-was-one-thing-he-didn-t_112207.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5b/jon-fosse-75838_big-words_because-if-there-was-one-thing-he-didn-t_112207.jpg) > ““...because if there was one thing he didn't like it was big words, they just lied and covered things up, those big words, they didn't let what really was live and breathe but just carried it off into something that wanted to be big, that's what he thought...”” Jon Fosse ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker distrusts grandiose language, believing it obscures truth and prevents authentic experience. **In simple terms:** Big words hide reality. Key Takeaway Simplicity reveals truth. Themes language truth authenticity skepticism Mood skeptical reflective Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - editing a report - teaching vocabulary - public speaking Key Concepts philosophy of language cognitive bias Practical Applications - prefer clear, concrete wording - question pretentious jargon Questions to Reflect On - When does precise language become pretentious? - How does jargon affect understanding? A Different Perspective Complex terms can also convey nuance that simple words miss. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) ## Related quotes > [I don't know fancy big words, because I didn't have a rich mother who sent her to fancy schools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/i-don-t-know-fancy-big-words-because-i-didn-t-have-a-rich-mother-who/) [Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/) > [“He said only three words, but it was everything he didn’t say that I heard loudest. Because you see, I was waiting for him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kandi-steiner/he-said-only-three-words-but-it-was-everything-he-didn-t-say-that-i/) [Kandi Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kandi-steiner/) > [Rapping was kind of hard. It's so many words. When you sing you can kind of stretch the words out. I didn't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-faiyaz/rapping-was-kind-of-hard-it-s-so-many-words-when-you-sing-you-can/) [Brent Faiyaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-faiyaz/) > [Whoever came up first with that saying a picture is worth a thousand words didn't understand the first thing about either one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/whoever-came-up-first-with-that-saying-a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand/) [Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/) > [“People talked. Let them talk. Nothing I could do to stop them. They knew the thousand words, but they didn't know the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/people-talked-let-them-talk-nothing-i-could-do-to-stop-them-they-knew/) [Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) > [I don't believe in "writer's block". I try and deal with getting stuck by having more than one thing to work on at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-don-t-believe-in-writer-s-block-i-try-and-deal-with-getting-stuck/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“politics. Later, they read some more in bed, adhering to the tradition of circling the words she didn’t know and”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/politics-later-they-read-some-more-in-bed-adhering-to-the-tradition/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [“Sometimes the words didn’t have to be said to know love was real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gillenwater/sometimes-the-words-didn-t-have-to-be-said-to-know-love-was-real/) [Sharon Gillenwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gillenwater/) > [“We looked at each other in the half-light, searching for words that didn't exist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/we-looked-at-each-other-in-the-half-light-searching-for-words-that/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“But they were all tricks.They were very dull. There were pages and pages of words that didn't say anything.Or if they did say something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/but-they-were-all-tricks-they-were-very-dull-there-were-pages-and/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“How will I know I've grown up? When I've started using words I didn't really know the meaning of. I said I did that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/how-will-i-know-i-ve-grown-up-when-i-ve-started-using-words-i-didn-t/) [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) > [Some people offered up answers. We made out like we heard, they were only words. They didn't add up to a change in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotye/some-people-offered-up-answers-we-made-out-like-we-heard-they-were/) [Gotye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotye/) > [“It was in the words he didn't say... that I found all the answers to my questions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfa-h/it-was-in-the-words-he-didn-t-say-that-i-found-all-the-answers-to-my/) [Alfa H](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfa-h/) > [“Derek wished he had more of the right words to offer. But both he and Sloane knew those words didn't exist. So he gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-kane/derek-wished-he-had-more-of-the-right-words-to-offer-but-both-he-and/) [Andrea Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-kane/) > [“Still. Four words. And I didn’t realize it until a couple of days ago, when someone wrote in to my blog: Dear Neil, If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/still-four-words-and-i-didn-t-realize-it-until-a-couple-of-days-ago/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## More by Jon Fosse > [“Can you be happy when you are unhappy?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-fosse/can-you-be-happy-when-you-are-unhappy/) Jon Fosse > [“Kjærleiken er den ande som gjer at vi finst til Kjærleiken er den vande som vil og ikkje vil Kjærleiken er ei lykke og…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-fosse/kj-rleiken-er-den-ande-som-gjer-at-vi-finst-til-kj-rleiken-er-den/) Jon Fosse Explore all 3 Jon Fosse quotes ## More Big words quotes > [I'm not the guy who will sit in a room with somebody who's using a bunch of big words and just act like I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-wahlberg/i-m-not-the-guy-who-will-sit-in-a-room-with-somebody-who-s-using-a/) [Mark Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-wahlberg/) > [Well, 'aight, check this out, dawg. First of all, you throwin' too many big words at me, and because I don't understand them, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hart/well-aight-check-this-out-dawg-first-of-all-you-throwin-too-many-big/) [Kevin Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hart/) > [He read a lot. He used a lot of big words. I think maybe part of what got him into trouble was that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/he-read-a-lot-he-used-a-lot-of-big-words-i-think-maybe-part-of-what/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [People laugh at me because I use big words. But if you have big ideas, you have to use big words to express them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-laugh-at-me-because-i-use-big-words-but-if-you-have-big-ideas/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Small fruit is better than big words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/small-fruit-is-better-than-big-words/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It must be lovely to be grown up, Marilla, when just being treated as if you were is so nice...Well, anyway, when I grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/it-must-be-lovely-to-be-grown-up-marilla-when-just-being-treated-as/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [There is a note that comes into the human voice by which you may know real weariness. It comes when one has been trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwood-anderson/there-is-a-note-that-comes-into-the-human-voice-by-which-you-may-know/) [Sherwood Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwood-anderson/) > [“Big words from a guy who's trussed up like a turkey. What are you going to do, wobble over here like an upside- down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-ee/big-words-from-a-guy-who-s-trussed-up-like-a-turkey-what-are-you/) [Susan Ee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-ee/) > [Infinitesimal braggadocio I'm but since you most likely don't understand me with using big words I use small words to say I have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mrawesome/infinitesimal-braggadocio-i-m-but-since-you-most-likely-don-t/) MrAwesome > [“I don't use big words to show off because it's ostentatious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-roff/i-don-t-use-big-words-to-show-off-because-it-s-ostentatious/) [Don Roff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-roff/) > [“I'm working class. But it's the working class that keeps the world running, and it's the working class that gets exploited. What the hell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-m-working-class-but-it-s-the-working-class-that-keeps-the-world/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“But if you have big ideas you have to use big words to express them, haven't you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/but-if-you-have-big-ideas-you-have-to-use-big-words-to-express-them/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [I hate anything that occupies more space than it is worth... I hate to see a parcel of big words without anything in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/i-hate-anything-that-occupies-more-space-than-it-is-worth-i-hate-to/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [If you use big words, no one will know you aren't doing jack squat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/if-you-use-big-words-no-one-will-know-you-aren-t-doing-jack-squat/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Inside I feel much like a 12-year-old or a 17-year-old who knows big words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/inside-i-feel-much-like-a-12-year-old-or-a-17-year-old-who-knows-big/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) Browse all 122 Big words quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“...because if there was one thing he didn't like it was big words, they just lied and covered things up, those big words, they didn't let what really was live and breathe but just carried it off into something that wanted to be big, that's what he thought...”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jon Fosse" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-fosse/because-if-there-was-one-thing-he-didn-t-like-it-was-big-words-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Big words" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-fosse/because-if-there-was-one-thing-he-didn-t-like-it-was-big-words-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5b/jon-fosse-75838_big-words_because-if-there-was-one-thing-he-didn-t_112207.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5b/jon-fosse-75838_big-words_because-if-there-was-one-thing-he-didn-t_112207.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5b/jon-fosse-75838_big-words_because-if-there-was-one-thing-he-didn-t_112207.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...because if there was one thing he didn't like it was big words, they just lied and covered things up…” — Jon Fosse", "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": "Jon Fosse", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-fosse/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“...because if there was one thing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-fosse/because-if-there-was-one-thing-he-didn-t-like-it-was-big-words-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-fosse/because-if-there-was-one-thing-he-didn-t-like-it-was-big-words-they/#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 } } ] } ```