--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I really devoured . . . was the…" description: "\"“What I really devoured . . . was the truculence of my hosts' language: the syntax may have been brutally sloppy, but it was oh so warm in its juvenile..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/muriel-barbery-1092_anthology_what-i-really-devoured-was-the-truculenc_1402182.png" --- # What I really devoured . . . was the truculence of my… ![“What I really devoured . . . was the truculence of my hosts' language: the syntax may have been brutally sloppy, but it was oh so warm in its juvenile authenticity. I feasted on their words, yes, the words flowing at that get-together of country brothers, the sort of words that, at times, delight…” quote by Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/muriel-barbery-1092_anthology_what-i-really-devoured-was-the-truculenc_1402182.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/muriel-barbery-1092_anthology_what-i-really-devoured-was-the-truculenc_1402182.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/muriel-barbery-1092_anthology_what-i-really-devoured-was-the-truculenc_1402182.png) > ““What I really devoured . . . was the truculence of my hosts' language: the syntax may have been brutally sloppy, but it was oh so warm in its juvenile authenticity. I feasted on their words, yes, the words flowing at that get-together of country brothers, the sort of words that, at times, delight one much more than the pleasures of the flesh. Words: repositories for singular realities which they transform into moments in an anthology, magicians that change the face of reality by adorning it with the right to become memorable, to be placed in a library of memories. Life exists only by virtue of the osmosis of words and facts, where the former encase the latter in ceremonial dress.”” [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Language, though imperfect, can be warm and transformative, shaping memory and reality through its authentic expression. **In simple terms:** Words can be rough yet heartfelt, shaping our reality. Key Takeaway Value authentic, imperfect language for its transformative power. Themes literature language memory authenticity Mood reflective nostalgic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative writing - social interaction Key Concepts transformative power osmois reality memory authenticity communication Questions to Reflect On - In what ways do imperfect words enrich experience? - How does language shape personal memory? A Different Perspective The metaphor may overstate language’s power over factual reality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anthology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anthology/) [Authenticity Feasted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authenticity-feasted-4917717/) [Feasted Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feasted-words-4917716/) [Flesh Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flesh-words-675382/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Words Flowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-flowing-2095393/) ## Related quotes > [“In my tradition, God revealed Himself in words and lives in stories and, no, you cannot touch or even see Him. The Word, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-rosen/in-my-tradition-god-revealed-himself-in-words-and-lives-in-stories/) [Jonathan Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-rosen/) > [“You don’t understand,” getting mad. “You guys, you’re like Puritans are about the Bible. So hung up with words, words. You know where that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/you-don-t-understand-getting-mad-you-guys-you-re-like-puritans-are/) [Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/) > [There's often a distressing disconnect between the good words we speak and the way we live our lives. In personal relations and politics, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/there-s-often-a-distressing-disconnect-between-the-good-words-we/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [“No matter what happens life just keeps going and moving forward and words keep flowing and truths keep spewing whether you like it or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/no-matter-what-happens-life-just-keeps-going-and-moving-forward-and/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [I'm in my happy place when I'm sitting in my room, alone. The only light coming from my laptop. The sound of the wind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/universalclockwork/i-m-in-my-happy-place-when-i-m-sitting-in-my-room-alone-the-only/) [Universalclockwork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/universalclockwork/) > [“Life can't be divided into chapters...only minutes. The events of your life are all crammed together one minute right after the other without any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/life-can-t-be-divided-into-chapters-only-minutes-the-events-of-your-2/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [“It is a glorious thing, to be able to write with pen on paper instead of nail or hook into oak, to feel one's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-dorst/it-is-a-glorious-thing-to-be-able-to-write-with-pen-on-paper-instead/) [Doug Dorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-dorst/) > [“The events of your life are all crammed together one minute right after the other without any time lapses or blank pages or chapter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/the-events-of-your-life-are-all-crammed-together-one-minute-right/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [“Love’s language starts, stops, starts; the right words flowing or clotting in the heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ann-duffy/love-s-language-starts-stops-starts-the-right-words-flowing-or/) [Carol Ann Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ann-duffy/) > [“Life can’t be divided into chapters...only minutes. The events of your life are all crammed together one minute right after the other without any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/life-can-t-be-divided-into-chapters-only-minutes-the-events-of-your/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [My mother was very involved with me. And we had a dialogue constantly. And it was like an umbilical cord. As long as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-stern/my-mother-was-very-involved-with-me-and-we-had-a-dialogue-constantly/) [Howard Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-stern/) > [“Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup, they slither while they pass, they slip away across the universe”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatles/words-are-flowing-out-like-endless-rain-into-a-paper-cup-they-slither/) [Beatles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatles/) > [“One of the things I love about books is being able to define and condense certain portions of a character's life into chapters. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/one-of-the-things-i-love-about-books-is-being-able-to-define-and/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [“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/) > [“Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup, They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe Pools of sorrow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/words-are-flowing-out-like-endless-rain-into-a-paper-cup-they-slither-2/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) ## More by Muriel Barbery > [“Those who can, do; those who can't, teach; those who can't teach, teach the teachers; and those who can't teach the teachers go into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/those-who-can-do-those-who-can-t-teach-those-who-can-t-teach-teach/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [What is writing, no matter how lavish the pieces, if it says nothing of the truth, cares little for the heart, and is merely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/what-is-writing-no-matter-how-lavish-the-pieces-if-it-says-nothing-of/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [Live or die: mere consequences of what you have built. What matters is building well. So here we are I've assigned myself a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/live-or-die-mere-consequences-of-what-you-have-built-what-matters-is/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“A terroir only exists by virtue of one's childhood mythology . . . we have invented these words of tradition rooted deep in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/a-terroir-only-exists-by-virtue-of-one-s-childhood-mythology-we-have/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“The tea ritual: such a precise repetition of the same gestures and the same tastes; accession to simple,authentic and refined sensations, a license given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/the-tea-ritual-such-a-precise-repetition-of-the-same-gestures-and-the/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [As always, I am saved by the inability of living creatures to believe anything that might cause the walls of their little mental assumptions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/as-always-i-am-saved-by-the-inability-of-living-creatures-to-believe/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“I wonder if I am not turning into a contemplative . . . But those roses . They were something else. I was having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/i-wonder-if-i-am-not-turning-into-a-contemplative-but-those-roses/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [Personally I think that grammar is a way to attain beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/personally-i-think-that-grammar-is-a-way-to-attain-beauty/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [To be poor, ugly and, moreover, intelligent condemns one in our society to a dark and disillusioned life...to beauty all is forgiven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/to-be-poor-ugly-and-moreover-intelligent-condemns-one-in-our-society/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [Beautiful things should belong to beautiful souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/beautiful-things-should-belong-to-beautiful-souls/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [I know that they're all unhappy because nobody loves the right person the way they should and because they don't understand that it's really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/i-know-that-they-re-all-unhappy-because-nobody-loves-the-right-person/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [We never look beyond our assumptions and what's worse, we have given up trying to meet others; we just meet ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/we-never-look-beyond-our-assumptions-and-what-s-worse-we-have-given/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“To rich people it must seem that the ordinary little people..experience human emotions with less intensity and greater indifference...The fact that we might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/to-rich-people-it-must-seem-that-the-ordinary-little-people/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [I may know that the world is an ugly place, I still don't want to see it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/i-may-know-that-the-world-is-an-ugly-place-i-still-don-t-want-to-see/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“Personally I think that grammar is a way to attain Beauty. When you speak, or read, or write, you can tell if you’ve said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/personally-i-think-that-grammar-is-a-way-to-attain-beauty-when-you/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) [Explore all 250 Muriel Barbery quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) ## More Anthology quotes > [It's nice when you've done enough movies that you can do your own anthology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/it-s-nice-when-you-ve-done-enough-movies-that-you-can-do-your-own/) [John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/) > [I had the idea to do an anthology about instrument-making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-toop/i-had-the-idea-to-do-an-anthology-about-instrument-making/) [David Toop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-toop/) > [I regret that there aren't more short stories in other magazines. But in a certain way, I think the disappearance of the short-story template…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorin-stein/i-regret-that-there-aren-t-more-short-stories-in-other-magazines-but/) [Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/) > [Way back in 1989, I got lucky with my first published story when it was selected for the Journey Prize anthology. Then I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bergen/way-back-in-1989-i-got-lucky-with-my-first-published-story-when-it/) [David Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bergen/) > [I once was asked to contribute to a mushroom poem anthology. I didn't have anything, and so instead ended up writing the introduction. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hirshfield/i-once-was-asked-to-contribute-to-a-mushroom-poem-anthology-i-didn-t/) [Jane Hirshfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hirshfield/) > [I am also working on a couple of short stories for anthologies. This is new to me and Im enjoying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-guest/i-am-also-working-on-a-couple-of-short-stories-for-anthologies-this/) [Judith Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-guest/) > [No matter what, I'm never going to get an anthology from an actual publisher, though I could always score another music anthology. But if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-meltzer/no-matter-what-i-m-never-going-to-get-an-anthology-from-an-actual/) [Richard Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-meltzer/) > [You apply the skills you use to produce your own book to make an anthology. Shaping. Rhythm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-apply-the-skills-you-use-to-produce-your-own-book-to-make-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [After my grandfather died I went down to the basement of my family house where my family kept books, anthologies and things and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/after-my-grandfather-died-i-went-down-to-the-basement-of-my-family/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [Cross-pollination and "contamination" is really important to the health of fiction, and sometimes it's a literal conversation, too, in that writers who might never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/cross-pollination-and-contamination-is-really-important-to-the-health/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [When I stand in a library where is all the recorded wit of the world, but none of the recording, a mere accumulated, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/when-i-stand-in-a-library-where-is-all-the-recorded-wit-of-the-world/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I think as long as the standard of quality, the story-telling, film-making, acting etc. etc. remains consistent, then you've got a good change of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-marshall/i-think-as-long-as-the-standard-of-quality-the-story-telling-film/) [Neil Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-marshall/) > [ I've never heard of that anthology \[Vance Randolph, Pissing in the Snow\], but you can be sure I'll buy it now. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-ray-pollock/i-ve-never-heard-of-that-anthology-vance-randolph-pissing-in-the-snow/) [Donald Ray Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-ray-pollock/) > [The original Greek meaning of the word anthology is a collection or gathering of flowers in bloom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-garmey/the-original-greek-meaning-of-the-word-anthology-is-a-collection-or/) [Jane Garmey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-garmey/) > [The Psalms, the anthology of the hymns of Israel, are still used by Christians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-scott-latourette/the-psalms-the-anthology-of-the-hymns-of-israel-are-still-used-by/) [Kenneth Scott Latourette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-scott-latourette/) [Browse all 129 Anthology quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anthology/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What I really devoured . . . was the truculence of my hosts' language: the syntax may have been brutally sloppy, but it was oh so warm in its juvenile authenticity. 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