--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Abstract words are ancient coins whose…" description: "\"Abstract words are ancient coins whose concrete images in the give and take of talk have worn away with use.\" — Julian Jaynes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/julian-jaynes-13804_abstract_abstract-words-are-ancient-coins-whose-c_2671439.jpg" --- # Abstract words are ancient coins whose concrete images in… ![“Abstract words are ancient coins whose concrete images in the give and take of talk have worn away with use.” quote by Julian Jaynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/julian-jaynes-13804_abstract_abstract-words-are-ancient-coins-whose-c_2671439.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/julian-jaynes-13804_abstract_abstract-words-are-ancient-coins-whose-c_2671439.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/715/julian-jaynes-13804_abstract_abstract-words-are-ancient-coins-whose-c_2671439.jpg) > “Abstract words are ancient coins whose concrete images in the give and take of talk have worn away with use.” [Julian Jaynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-jaynes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Language abstracts reality, turning concrete experiences into symbolic tokens that lose specificity over time. **In simple terms:** Words become abstract symbols. Key Takeaway Be mindful of language’s limits. Themes language abstraction communication Mood reflective analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - academic writing - everyday conversation - legal drafting Key Concepts symbolic representation semantic drift Questions to Reflect On - How do you keep language concrete? - When does abstraction hinder understanding? A Different Perspective Abstract language can obscure meaning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) [Abstract Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract-words-1453599/) [Ancient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient/) [Ancient Coins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-coins-2506664/) [Coins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coins/) [Concrete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concrete/) [Give and take](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/give-and-take/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) [Words Ancient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-ancient-2506663/) [Worn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worn/) [Worn Away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worn-away-2506665/) ## Related quotes > [I've just always been a coin collector, ever since my grandfather had some ancient coins that he passed down to me, it's just always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellan-lutz/i-ve-just-always-been-a-coin-collector-ever-since-my-grandfather-had/) [Kellan Lutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellan-lutz/) > [It is worth the expense of youthful days and costly hours, if you learn only some words of an ancient language, which are raised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-is-worth-the-expense-of-youthful-days-and-costly-hours-if-you/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“The legends on the tombstones are eventually worn away as the stone is eroded by rain and wind and centuries. Better to slip away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-quick/the-legends-on-the-tombstones-are-eventually-worn-away-as-the-stone/) [Barbara Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-quick/) > [The surest method of being incomprehensible or, moreover, to be misunderstood is to use words in their original sense; especially words from the ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-wilhelm-friedrich-schlegel/the-surest-method-of-being-incomprehensible-or-moreover-to-be/) [Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-wilhelm-friedrich-schlegel/) > [You can't recall someone whose name has worn away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-faulks/you-can-t-recall-someone-whose-name-has-worn-away/) [Sebastian Faulks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-faulks/) > [There were many words that you could not stand to hear and finally only the names of places had dignity. 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The president doesn't get everything he wants, the Congress doesn't get everything they want.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/dealing-with-congress-is-a-matter-of-give-and-take-the-president/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [It is not a process of bargaining or give-and-take. The peace process is not about giving concessions. We will not allow any step which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/recep-tayyip-erdogan/it-is-not-a-process-of-bargaining-or-give-and-take-the-peace-process/) [Recep Tayyip Erdogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/recep-tayyip-erdogan/) > [All compromise is based on give and take, but there can be no give and take on fundamentals. 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It's sort of an abstract silliness, that sometimes the joke isn't the star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/describing-comic-sensibility-is-near-impossible-it-s-sort-of-an/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [The word of the Lord never comes to us as an opinion, no attempt is made to support it by argument, it comes as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-w-ivins/the-word-of-the-lord-never-comes-to-us-as-an-opinion-no-attempt-is/) [Anthony W. Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-w-ivins/) > [A mobile is an abstract sculpture made chiefly out of sheet metal, steel rods, wire and wood. 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