--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have an odd relationship with words…" description: "\"“We have an odd relationship with words. We learn a few when we are small, throughout our lives we collect others through education, conversation, our ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45a/jos-saramago-208_books_we-have-an-odd-relationship-with-words-w_1141396.jpg" --- # We have an odd relationship with words. We learn a few… ![“We have an odd relationship with words. We learn a few when we are small, throughout our lives we collect others through education, conversation, our contact with books, and yet, in comparison, there are only a tiny number about whose meaning, sense, and denotation we would have absolutely no…” quote by José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45a/jos-saramago-208_books_we-have-an-odd-relationship-with-words-w_1141396.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45a/jos-saramago-208_books_we-have-an-odd-relationship-with-words-w_1141396.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45a/jos-saramago-208_books_we-have-an-odd-relationship-with-words-w_1141396.jpg) > ““We have an odd relationship with words. We learn a few when we are small, throughout our lives we collect others through education, conversation, our contact with books, and yet, in comparison, there are only a tiny number about whose meaning, sense, and denotation we would have absolutely no doubts, if one day, we were to ask ourselves seriously what they meant. Thus we affirm and deny, thus we convince and are convinced, thus we argue, deduce, and conclude, wandering fearlessly over the surface of concepts about which we only have the vaguest of ideas, and, despite the false air of confidence that we generally affect as we feel our way along the road in verbal darkness, we manage, more or less, to understand each other and even, sometimes, to find each other.”” [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Language shapes perception but our grasp of meaning is often shallow, yet we still manage communication despite uncertainty. **In simple terms:** Words guide us, but we rarely fully understand them. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty and seek clarity. Themes communication language perception Mood reflective curious Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - daily conversation - academic discussion - cross‑cultural exchange Key Concepts semiotics epistemology social interaction Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify true meaning? - When does confidence become a barrier? A Different Perspective Our confidence can mask misunderstanding, leading to misinterpretation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning/) [Meant Affirm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meant-affirm-3183253/) [Relationship Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship-words-3183254/) [Verbal Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/verbal-darkness-3183252/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) [Words Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-learn-2607119/) ## Related quotes > [“Love is a verb, not a noun. It is active. Love is not just feelings of passion and romance. It is behavior. 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Thus we affirm and deny, thus we convince and are convinced, thus we argue, deduce, and conclude, wandering fearlessly over the surface of concepts about which we only have the vaguest of ideas, and, despite the false air of confidence that we generally affect as we feel our way along the road in verbal darkness, we manage, more or less, to understand each other and even, sometimes, to find each other.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "José Saramago" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/we-have-an-odd-relationship-with-words-we-learn-a-few-when-we-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/we-have-an-odd-relationship-with-words-we-learn-a-few-when-we-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45a/jos-saramago-208_books_we-have-an-odd-relationship-with-words-w_1141396.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45a/jos-saramago-208_books_we-have-an-odd-relationship-with-words-w_1141396.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45a/jos-saramago-208_books_we-have-an-odd-relationship-with-words-w_1141396.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We have an odd relationship with words. 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