Cold water Quote by Jonathan Lethem
““Punctuation! We knew it was holy. Every sentence we cherished was sturdy and Biblical in its form, carved somehow by hand-dragged implement or slapped onto sheets by an inky key. For sentences were sculptural, were we the only ones who understood? Sentences were bodies, too, as horny as the flesh-envelopes we wore around the house all day. Erotically enjambed in our loft bed, Clea patrolled my utterances for subject, verb, predicate, as a chef in a five-star kitchen would minister a recipe, insuring that a soufflé or sourdough would rise. A good brave sentence (“I can hardly bear your heel at my nape without roaring”) might jolly Clea to instant climax. We’d rise from the bed giggling, clutching for glasses of cold water that sat in pools of their own sweat on bedside tables. The sentences had liberated our higher orgasms, nothing to sneeze at. Similarly, we were also sure that sentences of the right quality could end this hideous endless war, if only certain standards were adopted at the higher levels. They never would be. All the media trumpeted the Administration’s lousy grammar.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem, 2003
The author celebrates the power of precise, crafted sentences, likening them to art and even sexual fulfillment, while critiquing poor grammar in media.
In simple terms: Well‑crafted sentences feel powerful and can be intoxicating.
Value precise language.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- editing
- teaching
- public discourse
- personal expression
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- Do you prioritize form over meaning?
- How does grammar affect persuasion?
Overemphasis on form can stifle spontaneity.