--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every word is a messenger. Some have…" description: "\"Every word is a messenger. Some have wings; some are filled with fire; some are filled with death.\" — Mary Oliver" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a3/mary-oliver-570_death_every-word-is-a-messenger-some-have-wing_2026255.jpg" --- # Every word is a messenger. Some have wings; some are… ![“Every word is a messenger. Some have wings; some are filled with fire; some are filled with death.” quote by Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a3/mary-oliver-570_death_every-word-is-a-messenger-some-have-wing_2026255.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a3/mary-oliver-570_death_every-word-is-a-messenger-some-have-wing_2026255.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a3/mary-oliver-570_death_every-word-is-a-messenger-some-have-wing_2026255.jpg) > “Every word is a messenger. Some have wings; some are filled with fire; some are filled with death.” [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Words act as carriers of various forces—light, fire, death—shaping how we perceive reality. **In simple terms:** Words carry different powers and meanings. Key Takeaway Choose words that uplift and enlighten. Themes language power perception Mood inspirational reflective Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - public speaking - education - writing therapy Key Concepts symbolism poetics communication Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide which “messenger” to send? - What impact do you want your words to have? A Different Perspective Words can also harm; responsibility lies with the speaker. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Filled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filled/) [Filled Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filled-death-3696783/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Messenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messenger/) [Messenger Wings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messenger-wings-3696780/) [Messengers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messengers/) [Wings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wings/) [Wings Filled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wings-filled-3696782/) [Word Messenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/word-messenger-3696781/) ## Related quotes > [I'm an imperfect messenger, but the message is perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/i-m-an-imperfect-messenger-but-the-message-is-perfect/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [My first job was working at Benihana as kitchen help. In college, I was a telemarketer for a company at the same time I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-aoki/my-first-job-was-working-at-benihana-as-kitchen-help-in-college-i-was/) [Steve Aoki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-aoki/) > [I've almost been hit by a lot of things in New York City. I am pretty sure I have almost been hit by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-pieterse/i-ve-almost-been-hit-by-a-lot-of-things-in-new-york-city-i-am-pretty/) [Sasha Pieterse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-pieterse/) > [Coincidence is a messenger sent by truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/coincidence-is-a-messenger-sent-by-truth/) [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) > [And always I have this feeling--which may not be true at all--that I am being used as a messenger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/and-always-i-have-this-feeling-which-may-not-be-true-at-all-that-i-am/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [I can see he's not in your good books,' said the messenger. 'No, and if he were I would burn my library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-can-see-he-s-not-in-your-good-books-said-the-messenger-no-and-if-he/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“O Heavenly Children, God's messengers are as limitless as the fish in the sea. They come in all colors, regions, languages and creeds. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/o-heavenly-children-god-s-messengers-are-as-limitless-as-the-fish-in/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [So when we come across somebody who does understand this and makes an effort to try and explain it to us, some people freak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/so-when-we-come-across-somebody-who-does-understand-this-and-makes-an/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [None love the messenger who brings bad news.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/none-love-the-messenger-who-brings-bad-news/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [The messenger is not as important as the message.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/the-messenger-is-not-as-important-as-the-message/) [Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/) > [As a writer you have a duty to be a messenger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/as-a-writer-you-have-a-duty-to-be-a-messenger/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [If you let the image of the messenger get in the way of whatever message there may be, however large or small, that's your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-ellison/if-you-let-the-image-of-the-messenger-get-in-the-way-of-whatever/) [Harlan Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-ellison/) > [When the messenger arrives and says 'Don't shoot the messenger,' it's a good idea to be prepared to shoot the messenger, just in case.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-tayler/when-the-messenger-arrives-and-says-don-t-shoot-the-messenger-it-s-a/) [Howard Tayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-tayler/) > [I became the messenger who had to be killed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-hill/i-became-the-messenger-who-had-to-be-killed/) [Anita Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-hill/) > [A good messenger expects to get shot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/a-good-messenger-expects-to-get-shot/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) ## More by Mary Oliver > [Belief isn't always easy. But this much I have learned--- if not enough else--- to live with my eyes open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/belief-isn-t-always-easy-but-this-much-i-have-learned-if-not-enough/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [In this universe we are given two gifts: the ability to love and the ability to question. Which are, at the same time, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/in-this-universe-we-are-given-two-gifts-the-ability-to-love-and-the/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [Poetry is one of the original arts, and it began, as did all the fine arts, within the original wilderness of the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/poetry-is-one-of-the-original-arts-and-it-began-as-did-all-the-fine/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [The dream of my life is to lie down by a slow river and stare at the light in the trees - to learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/the-dream-of-my-life-is-to-lie-down-by-a-slow-river-and-stare-at-the/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/tell-me-what-is-it-you-plan-to-do-with-your-one-wild-and-precious-life/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [“All important ideas must include the trees, the mountains, and the rivers. • To understand many things you must reach out of your own condition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/all-important-ideas-must-include-the-trees-the-mountains-and-the/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [“Sometimes I think, were I just a little rougher made, I would go altogether to the woods—to my work entirely, and solitude, a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/sometimes-i-think-were-i-just-a-little-rougher-made-i-would-go/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [“First Snow The snow began here this morning and all day continued, its white rhetoric everywhere calling us back to why, how, whence such beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/first-snow-the-snow-began-here-this-morning-and-all-day-continued-its/) [mary oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [“What can I say that I have not said before? So I’ll say it again. The leaf has a song in it. Stone is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/what-can-i-say-that-i-have-not-said-before-so-i-ll-say-it-again-the/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [The sea is the most beautiful face in our universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/the-sea-is-the-most-beautiful-face-in-our-universe/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [There is nothing better than work. Work is also play; children know that. Children play earnestly as if it were work. But people grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/there-is-nothing-better-than-work-work-is-also-play-children-know/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [“What will you do with your one precious, wild life?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/what-will-you-do-with-your-one-precious-wild-life/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [“Poetry is a life-cherishing force. For poems are not words, after all, but fires for the cold, ropes let down to the lost, something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/poetry-is-a-life-cherishing-force-for-poems-are-not-words-after-all/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [“I stood like Adam in his lonely garden On that first morning, shaken out of sleep, Rubbing his eyes, listening, parting the leaves, Like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/i-stood-like-adam-in-his-lonely-garden-on-that-first-morning-shaken/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [We all have a hungry heart, and one of the things we hunger for is happiness. So as much as I possibly could, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/we-all-have-a-hungry-heart-and-one-of-the-things-we-hunger-for-is/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) [Explore all 470 Mary Oliver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) ## More Death quotes > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“It was beautiful. 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Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/) [J. Anthony Torino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-anthony-torino/) > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/) [Alan W. Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-powers/) > [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/) [Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/) > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/) [Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/) > [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) [Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Every word is a messenger. 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