---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Articulate words are a harsh clamor and…"
description: "\"Articulate words are a harsh clamor and dissonance. When man arrives at his highest perfection, he will again be dumb.\" — Nathaniel Hawthorne"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f36/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_book_articulate-words-are-a-harsh-clamor-and_691139.jpg"
---

#  Articulate words are a harsh clamor and dissonance. When…

![“Articulate words are a harsh clamor and dissonance. When man arrives at his highest perfection, he will again be dumb.” quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f36/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_book_articulate-words-are-a-harsh-clamor-and_691139.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f36/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_book_articulate-words-are-a-harsh-clamor-and_691139.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f36/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_book_articulate-words-are-a-harsh-clamor-and_691139.jpg)

> “Articulate words are a harsh clamor and dissonance. When man arrives at his highest perfection, he will again be dumb.”

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Even when humanity reaches its peak, it may revert to simplicity, suggesting limits to intellectual progress.

**In simple terms:** Great achievement can lead back to basic speech.

Key Takeaway

Value humility despite advancement.

Themes

philosophy human nature humility knowledge

Mood

thoughtful serious

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- academic lectures
- personal growth
- public speaking
- writing

Key Concepts

existential limits paradox communication

Questions to Reflect On

- Why does perfection bring simplicity?
- Can true wisdom coexist with eloquence?

A Different Perspective

May oversimplify complex ideas.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Articulate Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/articulate-words-5491203/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-reading/) [Clamor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clamor/) [Clamor Dissonance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clamor-dissonance-5491206/) [Dissonance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissonance/) [Dissonance Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissonance-man-5491205/) [Dumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dumb/) [Harsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harsh/) [Highest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/highest/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Perfection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfection/) [Perfection Dumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfection-dumb-5491204/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Words Harsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-harsh-650924/)

## Related quotes

> [“Run.” His voice was low, the words a harsh plea. “Please… Run.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mina-carter/run-his-voice-was-low-the-words-a-harsh-plea-please-run/)

[Mina Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mina-carter/)

> [Just a couple of words can change everything and some days Ive said a couple words too few and Ive said a couple of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brianna-wyka/just-a-couple-of-words-can-change-everything-and-some-days-ive-said-a/)

[Brianna Wyka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brianna-wyka/)

> [“I love you." He breaks. His voice. His back. His knees. His face. He breaks. He has to hold on to the side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/i-love-you-he-breaks-his-voice-his-back-his-knees-his-face-he-breaks/)

[Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/)

> [“I knew my words were harsh, as I enunciated each syllable slowly, but I felt like I had to be clear with him. We’d…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-alexander/i-knew-my-words-were-harsh-as-i-enunciated-each-syllable-slowly-but-i/)

[Monica Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-alexander/)

> [“I love you, ” he says , his words harsh and soft all at once. “ I love you and it isn’t enough .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/i-love-you-he-says-his-words-harsh-and-soft-all-at-once-i-love-you/)

[Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/)

> [William Waltz will take me through 'the buzz and clamor in a forest of hearts.' Adventures in the Lost Interiors of America is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tate/william-waltz-will-take-me-through-the-buzz-and-clamor-in-a-forest-of/)

[James Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-tate/)

> [Meditation is first quietness. We live in a great din. It is well to see (for who sees it not will have but narrow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-vila-blake/meditation-is-first-quietness-we-live-in-a-great-din-it-is-well-to/)

[James Vila Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-vila-blake/)

> [Before the thunderous clamor of political debate or war set loose in the world, love insisted on its promise for the possibility of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/before-the-thunderous-clamor-of-political-debate-or-war-set-loose-in/)

[Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aberjhani/)

> [Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/whatever-affects-one-directly-affects-all-indirectly/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [Africans sensed in their hearts that Jesus did not mock their respect for the sacred or their clamor for an invincible Savior, so they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamin-sanneh/africans-sensed-in-their-hearts-that-jesus-did-not-mock-their-respect/)

[Lamin Sanneh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamin-sanneh/)

> [There are three things which the public will always clamour for, sooner or later; namely: novelty, novelty, novelty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hood/there-are-three-things-which-the-public-will-always-clamour-for/)

[Thomas Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hood/)

> [They who clamor loudest for freedom are often the ones least likely to be happy in a free society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/they-who-clamor-loudest-for-freedom-are-often-the-ones-least-likely/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [Love clamors far more incessantly and passionately at a closed gate than an open one!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-corelli/love-clamors-far-more-incessantly-and-passionately-at-a-closed-gate/)

[Marie Corelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-corelli/)

> [I have never been carried around by a large boy, or laughed until my stomach hurt at the dinner table, or listened to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/i-have-never-been-carried-around-by-a-large-boy-or-laughed-until-my/)

[Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/)

> [People who are not prepared to do unpopular things and defy the clamor of the multitude are not fit to be ministers in time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/people-who-are-not-prepared-to-do-unpopular-things-and-defy-the/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

## More by Nathaniel Hawthorne

> [“there was something of the women molded into the great, stalwart frame of Hollingsworth; nor was he ashamed of it; as men often are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-was-something-of-the-women-molded-into-the-great-stalwart-frame/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [The trees reflected in the river - they are unconscious of a spiritual world so near to them. So are we.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-trees-reflected-in-the-river-they-are-unconscious-of-a-spiritual/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“The dismaying thing about the classic totalitarian mind is that any given gear, though mutilated, will have at its circumference unbroken sequences of teeth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-dismaying-thing-about-the-classic-totalitarian-mind-is-that-any/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“My heart was a habitation large enough for many guests, but lonely and chill, and without a household fire, I longed to kindle one!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/my-heart-was-a-habitation-large-enough-for-many-guests-but-lonely-and/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [Wherever there is a heart and an intellect, the diseases of the physical frame are tinged with the peculiarities of these.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/wherever-there-is-a-heart-and-an-intellect-the-diseases-of-the/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-founders-of-a-new-colony-whatever-utopia-of-human-virtue-and/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [Generosity is the flower of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/generosity-is-the-flower-of-justice/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“he seemed to be in quest for mental food, not heart sustenance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/he-seemed-to-be-in-quest-for-mental-food-not-heart-sustenance/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“Unfathomable to mere mortals is the lore of fiends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/unfathomable-to-mere-mortals-is-the-lore-of-fiends/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“Possibly, he was in a state of second growth and recovery, and was constantly assimilating nutriment for his spirit and intellect from sights, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/possibly-he-was-in-a-state-of-second-growth-and-recovery-and-was/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“What wonder, then, should we be frightened by the aspect of a monster, which, after all,—though we can point to every feature of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-wonder-then-should-we-be-frightened-by-the-aspect-of-a-monster/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [As the architecture of a country always follows the earliest structures, American architecture should be a refinement of the log-house. The Egyptian is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/as-the-architecture-of-a-country-always-follows-the-earliest/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [What we call real estate - the solid ground to build a house on - is the broad foundation on which nearly all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-we-call-real-estate-the-solid-ground-to-build-a-house-on-is-the/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“The bookworm of great libraries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-bookworm-of-great-libraries/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [There are many things in this world that a child must not ask about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-are-many-things-in-this-world-that-a-child-must-not-ask-about/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

[Explore all 526 Nathaniel Hawthorne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

## More Book quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Articulate words are a harsh clamor and dissonance. When man arrives at his highest perfection, he will again be dumb.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nathaniel Hawthorne"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/articulate-words-are-a-harsh-clamor-and-dissonance-when-man-arrives/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/articulate-words-are-a-harsh-clamor-and-dissonance-when-man-arrives/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f36/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_book_articulate-words-are-a-harsh-clamor-and_691139.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f36/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_book_articulate-words-are-a-harsh-clamor-and_691139.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f36/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_book_articulate-words-are-a-harsh-clamor-and_691139.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Articulate words are a harsh clamor and dissonance. When man arrives at his highest perfection, he will…” — Nathaniel Hawthorne",
                "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": "Nathaniel Hawthorne",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Articulate words are a harsh clamor...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/articulate-words-are-a-harsh-clamor-and-dissonance-when-man-arrives/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/articulate-words-are-a-harsh-clamor-and-dissonance-when-man-arrives/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
