--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Words must surely be counted among the…" description: "\"Words must surely be counted among the most powerful drugs man ever invented.\" — Leo Rosten" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05b/leo-rosten-9943_language_words-must-surely-be-counted-among-the-m_2277200.jpg" --- # Words must surely be counted among the most powerful drugs… ![“Words must surely be counted among the most powerful drugs man ever invented.” quote by Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05b/leo-rosten-9943_language_words-must-surely-be-counted-among-the-m_2277200.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05b/leo-rosten-9943_language_words-must-surely-be-counted-among-the-m_2277200.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05b/leo-rosten-9943_language_words-must-surely-be-counted-among-the-m_2277200.jpg) > “Words must surely be counted among the most powerful drugs man ever invented.” [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Powerful words can alter perception and behavior as dramatically as drugs, influencing minds and societies. **In simple terms:** Words can change minds like medicine. Key Takeaway Choose language that empowers and heals. Themes communication influence psychology ethics Mood thoughtful reflective concerned Type ethical inspirational When to use this quote - public speaking - writing - advertising - therapy Key Concepts cognitive impact social engineering rhetoric Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities do we have when speaking? - How can we protect against harmful rhetoric? A Different Perspective Words can be misused to manipulate; intent matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) ## Related quotes > [“Books and knowledge are the two most powerful drugs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaya-carvajal/books-and-knowledge-are-the-two-most-powerful-drugs/) [Kaya Carvajal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaya-carvajal/) > [In medicine, as in statecraft and propaganda, words are sometimes the most powerful drugs we can use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-medicine-as-in-statecraft-and-propaganda-words-are-sometimes-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Man has invented so many amazing things, still no one in the world is able to invent a cure for missing someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/man-has-invented-so-many-amazing-things-still-no-one-in-the-world-is/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“He was frigging Dionysus! 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What, then, did I do? I read faster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/there-was-no-answer-no-solution-no-sop-no-deliverance-what-then-did-i/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [People say: idle curiosity. The one thing that curiosity cannot be is idle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/people-say-idle-curiosity-the-one-thing-that-curiosity-cannot-be-is/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [Everyone, in some small sacred sanctuary of the self, is nuts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/everyone-in-some-small-sacred-sanctuary-of-the-self-is-nuts/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [ What's green, hangs on a wall and whistles? \[A Herring\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/what-s-green-hangs-on-a-wall-and-whistles-a-herring/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [Dogs are getting bigger, according to a leading dog manufacturer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/dogs-are-getting-bigger-according-to-a-leading-dog-manufacturer/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [Acting is a form of deception, and actors can mesmerize themselves almost as easily as an audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/acting-is-a-form-of-deception-and-actors-can-mesmerize-themselves/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [Her cooking suggested she had attended the Cordon Noir.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/her-cooking-suggested-she-had-attended-the-cordon-noir/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [“The purpose of life is not to be happy—but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/the-purpose-of-life-is-not-to-be-happy-but-to-matter-to-be-productive/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [For some not to be martyrs is martyrdom indeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/for-some-not-to-be-martyrs-is-martyrdom-indeed/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [“Anybody who hates dogs and babies can't be all bad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/anybody-who-hates-dogs-and-babies-can-t-be-all-bad/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [O, to be sure, we laugh less and play less and wear uncomfortable disguises like adults, but beneath the costume is the child we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/o-to-be-sure-we-laugh-less-and-play-less-and-wear-uncomfortable/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [Where was it ever promised us that life on this earth can ever be easy, free from conflict and uncertainty, devoid of anguish and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/where-was-it-ever-promised-us-that-life-on-this-earth-can-ever-be/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [First-rate people hire first-rate people; second-rate people hire third-rate people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/first-rate-people-hire-first-rate-people-second-rate-people-hire/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) > [The purpose of life is not to be happy, the purpose of life is to matter..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/the-purpose-of-life-is-not-to-be-happy-the-purpose-of-life-is-to/) [Leo Rosten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) [Explore all 69 Leo Rosten quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/) ## More Language quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [Usually male directors have to use foul language to get the job done. 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Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [“I only have two words to say More or Less”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timbur/i-only-have-two-words-to-say-more-or-less/) TimBur > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/) [Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [What is music? Music is language. A human being wants to express ideas in this language, but not ideas that can be translated into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-webern/what-is-music-music-is-language-a-human-being-wants-to-express-ideas/) [Anton Webern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-webern/) > [You're beautiful, cute, pretty, gorgeous, and fuck.. I ran out of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/you-re-beautiful-cute-pretty-gorgeous-and-fuck-i-ran-out-of-words/) [Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/) > [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“The words for what I want to say right now don't exist. Everything sounds…so cliché.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-crane/the-words-for-what-i-want-to-say-right-now-don-t-exist-everything/) [Shelly Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-crane/) > [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Words can kill you trust towards someone, mind you language people, every reaction had its consequence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/words-can-kill-you-trust-towards-someone-mind-you-language-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Finxerunt animi, raro et perpauca loquentis. (To action little, less to words inclinded.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/finxerunt-animi-raro-et-perpauca-loquentis-to-action-little-less-to/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/) [Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/) [Browse all 21,951 Language quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Words must surely be counted among the most powerful drugs man ever invented.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leo Rosten" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/words-must-surely-be-counted-among-the-most-powerful-drugs-man-ever/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Language" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/words-must-surely-be-counted-among-the-most-powerful-drugs-man-ever/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05b/leo-rosten-9943_language_words-must-surely-be-counted-among-the-m_2277200.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05b/leo-rosten-9943_language_words-must-surely-be-counted-among-the-m_2277200.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05b/leo-rosten-9943_language_words-must-surely-be-counted-among-the-m_2277200.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Words must surely be counted among the most powerful drugs man ever invented.” — Leo Rosten", "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": "Leo Rosten", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-rosten/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Words must surely be counted among...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/words-must-surely-be-counted-among-the-most-powerful-drugs-man-ever/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-rosten/words-must-surely-be-counted-among-the-most-powerful-drugs-man-ever/#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 } } ] } ```