--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I feel certain that words can be as human…" description: "\"I feel certain that words can be as human as people, alive with the breath of compassion.\" — Margarita Engle" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd8/margarita-engle-13902_alive_i-feel-certain-that-words-can-be-as-huma_643149.jpg" --- # I feel certain that words can be as human as people, alive… ![“I feel certain that words can be as human as people, alive with the breath of compassion.” quote by Margarita Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd8/margarita-engle-13902_alive_i-feel-certain-that-words-can-be-as-huma_643149.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd8/margarita-engle-13902_alive_i-feel-certain-that-words-can-be-as-huma_643149.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd8/margarita-engle-13902_alive_i-feel-certain-that-words-can-be-as-huma_643149.jpg) > “I feel certain that words can be as human as people, alive with the breath of compassion.” [Margarita Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margarita-engle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Words can embody human compassion, breathing life into language and connecting people emotionally. **In simple terms:** Words can be alive with compassion. Key Takeaway Use compassionate language. Themes language compassion humanity Mood thoughtful hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing - teaching - conflict resolution - public speaking Key Concepts empathy communication theory Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure empathy in digital communication? - What role does tone play in understanding? A Different Perspective Compassionate words may be ignored in hostile contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [“Survival is staying alive one breath at a time. p. 251”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/survival-is-staying-alive-one-breath-at-a-time-p-251/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Alive without breath, As cold as death; Never thirsty, ever drinking, All in mail never clinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/alive-without-breath-as-cold-as-death-never-thirsty-ever-drinking-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I believe that the Source from which we come is alive in us as our breath, and as we speak and sing and breathe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-phillips/i-believe-that-the-source-from-which-we-come-is-alive-in-us-as-our/) [Jan Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-phillips/) > [We can smile, breathe, walk, and eat our meals in a way that allows us to be in touch with the abundance of happiness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/we-can-smile-breathe-walk-and-eat-our-meals-in-a-way-that-allows-us/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [...words are in a way our godly sharing in the work of creation, and the speaking and writing of words is at once the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/words-are-in-a-way-our-godly-sharing-in-the-work-of-creation-and-the/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [“If’ and ‘only’ are the two most useless words in the human vocabulary,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-bliss/if-and-only-are-the-two-most-useless-words-in-the-human-vocabulary/) [Harper Bliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-bliss/) > [The use of words by human agents to form attitudes or induce actionsin other human agents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-burke/the-use-of-words-by-human-agents-to-form-attitudes-or-induce/) [Kenneth Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-burke/) > [Wind and words. We are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love. That is our great glory, and our great tragedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wind-and-words-we-are-only-human-and-the-gods-have-fashioned-us-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One of the most frustrating words in the human language, as far as I could tell, was love. So much meaning attached to this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-adornetto/one-of-the-most-frustrating-words-in-the-human-language-as-far-as-i/) [Alexandra Adornetto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-adornetto/) > [We can all mouth the words that every human is fundamentally worthy, but we don't act like it. We don't even believe it about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/we-can-all-mouth-the-words-that-every-human-is-fundamentally-worthy/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) > [Words are a human way of trying to describe things. But they're much more of interference than they are a help in the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/words-are-a-human-way-of-trying-to-describe-things-but-they-re-much/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“It is my opinion that humans are largely what they make of themselves; in other words, "human nature" is not so much an empirical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-marie-fedigan/it-is-my-opinion-that-humans-are-largely-what-they-make-of-themselves/) Linda Marie Fedigan > [“...If only Dad hadn't cheated. If only Mom had found a way to be happier. If only Nina hadn't run away. If only I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-bliss/if-only-dad-hadn-t-cheated-if-only-mom-had-found-a-way-to-be-happier/) [Harper Bliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-bliss/) > [“Professor . . .” Majime was moved by this declaration. “Words and the human heart that creates them are absolutely free, with no connection to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shion-miura/professor-majime-was-moved-by-this-declaration-words-and-the-human/) [Shion Miura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shion-miura/) > [“Hebrew, there’s a little play on words between the human (“adam”) and the earth (“adamah”). Thanks to God’s breath of life, the human of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-shroyer/hebrew-there-s-a-little-play-on-words-between-the-human-adam-and-the/) [Danielle Shroyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-shroyer/) ## More by Margarita Engle > [“The whole world's safety depends on the words of two men who are enemies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarita-engle/the-whole-world-s-safety-depends-on-the-words-of-two-men-who-are/) [Margarita Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margarita-engle/) > [“I envy the trees that grow at crossroads. They are never forced to decide which way to go...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarita-engle/i-envy-the-trees-that-grow-at-crossroads-they-are-never-forced-to/) [Margarita Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margarita-engle/) > [“I will never understand the whole world or even one country. All I can do is try to understand the truth and lies in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarita-engle/i-will-never-understand-the-whole-world-or-even-one-country-all-i-can/) [Margarita Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margarita-engle/) > [“Do I have to admit that I'm half Cuban and half American, or should I go even further, and explain that Dad's parents were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarita-engle/do-i-have-to-admit-that-i-m-half-cuban-and-half-american-or-should-i/) [Margarita Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margarita-engle/) > [“Books are enchanted. Books help me travel. Books help me breathe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarita-engle/books-are-enchanted-books-help-me-travel-books-help-me-breathe/) [Margarita Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margarita-engle/) > [If we knew how to find the lost, we would know how to rediscover the parts of our minds left behind in battle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarita-engle/if-we-knew-how-to-find-the-lost-we-would-know-how-to-rediscover-the/) [Margarita Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margarita-engle/) > [“Some people are born with words flowing in their veins.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarita-engle/some-people-are-born-with-words-flowing-in-their-veins/) [Margarita Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margarita-engle/) > [“Is there any way that two people from faraway places can ever really understand each other's daydrems?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarita-engle/is-there-any-way-that-two-people-from-faraway-places-can-ever-really/) [Margarita Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margarita-engle/) > [“I feel at home, choosing to live inside my own imagination, savage and natural, yet I also long to be honest about my desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarita-engle/i-feel-at-home-choosing-to-live-inside-my-own-imagination-savage-and/) [Margarita Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margarita-engle/) > [“But love is a wildly unpredictable hurricane wind, not a swirling blue ocean with peaceful shores.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarita-engle/but-love-is-a-wildly-unpredictable-hurricane-wind-not-a-swirling-blue/) [Margarita Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margarita-engle/) > [“Danger is a chain...passed from one wounded child to the next. We must stop the danger by breaking the chain. We must learn how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarita-engle/danger-is-a-chain-passed-from-one-wounded-child-to-the-next-we-must/) [Margarita Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margarita-engle/) > [“Books are door-shaped portals carrying me across oceans and centuries, helping me feel less alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarita-engle/books-are-door-shaped-portals-carrying-me-across-oceans-and-centuries/) [Margarita Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margarita-engle/) > [“I sing without knowing what my song means, and whether the listening world is amazed or wounded.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarita-engle/i-sing-without-knowing-what-my-song-means-and-whether-the-listening/) [Margarita Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margarita-engle/) > [I don't understand the whole thrilling verse, but I love the way poetry turns ordinary words into winged things that rise up and soar!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarita-engle/i-don-t-understand-the-whole-thrilling-verse-but-i-love-the-way/) [Margarita Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margarita-engle/) > [In Latin America in general, and Cuba in particular, poets have been the inspiration behind struggles for independence, struggles for freedom of all sorts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarita-engle/in-latin-america-in-general-and-cuba-in-particular-poets-have-been/) [Margarita Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margarita-engle/) [Explore all 48 Margarita Engle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margarita-engle/) ## More Alive quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I feel certain that words can be as human as people, alive with the breath of compassion.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Margarita Engle" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarita-engle/i-feel-certain-that-words-can-be-as-human-as-people-alive-with-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alive" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarita-engle/i-feel-certain-that-words-can-be-as-human-as-people-alive-with-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd8/margarita-engle-13902_alive_i-feel-certain-that-words-can-be-as-huma_643149.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd8/margarita-engle-13902_alive_i-feel-certain-that-words-can-be-as-huma_643149.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd8/margarita-engle-13902_alive_i-feel-certain-that-words-can-be-as-huma_643149.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I feel certain that words can be as human as people, alive with the breath of compassion.” — Margarita Engle", "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": "Margarita Engle", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margarita-engle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I feel certain that words can...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarita-engle/i-feel-certain-that-words-can-be-as-human-as-people-alive-with-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margarita-engle/i-feel-certain-that-words-can-be-as-human-as-people-alive-with-the/#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 } } ] } ```