--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Speaking does harm, sows confusion and…" description: "\"“Speaking does harm, sows confusion and weakens things that are obvious. Speaking makes me tremble inside. I don't think I have ever said anything real..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b4/olga-tokarczuk-6444_entire-life_speaking-does-harm-sows-confusion-and-we_2354588.jpg" --- # Speaking does harm, sows confusion and weakens things that… ![“Speaking does harm, sows confusion and weakens things that are obvious. Speaking makes me tremble inside. I don't think I have ever said anything really important in my entire life -- there's a lack of words for the most important things anyway. (I must make a list of missing words -- top of it…” quote by Olga Tokarczuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b4/olga-tokarczuk-6444_entire-life_speaking-does-harm-sows-confusion-and-we_2354588.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b4/olga-tokarczuk-6444_entire-life_speaking-does-harm-sows-confusion-and-we_2354588.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b4/olga-tokarczuk-6444_entire-life_speaking-does-harm-sows-confusion-and-we_2354588.jpg) > ““Speaking does harm, sows confusion and weakens things that are obvious. Speaking makes me tremble inside. I don't think I have ever said anything really important in my entire life -- there's a lack of words for the most important things anyway. (I must make a list of missing words -- top of it I'll put a verb that means something in between "I sense" and "I see.")”” [Olga Tokarczuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olga-tokarczuk/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote expresses frustration that speaking can obscure clarity, cause confusion, and fail to capture profound experiences, suggesting that some truths lie beyond words. **In simple terms:** Words often fail to convey deep truths, and speaking can muddle obvious ideas. Key Takeaway Seek silence or alternative expression for profound ideas. Themes communication language silence expression truth Mood contemplative melancholic introspective Type aphilosophical reflective literary When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative writing - therapy - public speaking - teaching Key Concepts philosophy linguistics existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How do you convey what cannot be spoken? - When is silence more powerful than speech? A Different Perspective Silence may limit sharing essential information and hinder collaboration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Entire life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entire-life/) [Important things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-things/) [Lack Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lack-words-350843/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Speaking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speaking/) [Speaking Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speaking-does-5744377/) [Speaking Makes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speaking-makes-4671495/) [Words Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-important-325613/) ## Related quotes > [“One person speaking up makes more noise than a thousand people who remain silent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-harnett/one-person-speaking-up-makes-more-noise-than-a-thousand-people-who/) [Thom Harnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-harnett/) > [Nothing is new in the world, but the way of speaking makes old things new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/nothing-is-new-in-the-world-but-the-way-of-speaking-makes-old-things/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [He lost himself in a maze of thoughts that were rendered vague by his lack of words to express them. Frowning, he tried again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/he-lost-himself-in-a-maze-of-thoughts-that-were-rendered-vague-by-his/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) > [I'm generally never at a lack for words, but it's indescribable how poor the response was from our own government officials, ... We could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannibal/i-m-generally-never-at-a-lack-for-words-but-it-s-indescribable-how/) [Hannibal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannibal/) > [I really lack the words to compliment myself today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-tomba/i-really-lack-the-words-to-compliment-myself-today/) [Alberto Tomba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-tomba/) > [Ideas never lack for words. It is words that lack ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/ideas-never-lack-for-words-it-is-words-that-lack-ideas/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [“Ryann… I love you. Do you not love me back' I swallow at that and try to fight back the emotions that I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-tetterton/ryann-i-love-you-do-you-not-love-me-back-i-swallow-at-that-and-try-to/) [Nicole Tetterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-tetterton/) > [Husbands are often more affected by the lack of words their wives speak, than by all nagging in the world..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nushra/husbands-are-often-more-affected-by-the-lack-of-words-their-wives/) [Nushra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nushra/) > [“All words that are important in history have been picked up and used by all kind of characters, for all kinds of reasons.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-d-wolff/all-words-that-are-important-in-history-have-been-picked-up-and-used/) [Richard D. Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-d-wolff/) > [“Words are most important. I never wanted to write a song about nothing. After all, the impulse towards music is at its heart an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevan-duke/words-are-most-important-i-never-wanted-to-write-a-song-about-nothing/) [Kevan Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevan-duke/) > [It took me years to understand that words are often as important as experience, because words make experience last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-took-me-years-to-understand-that-words-are-often-as-important-as/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Look between the lines. Read between the words. The most important things are left unsaid and unheard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/look-between-the-lines-read-between-the-words-the-most-important/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The important thing is not to know who "I" is or what "I" is. You'll never succeed. There are no words for it. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-de-mello/the-important-thing-is-not-to-know-who-i-is-or-what-i-is-you-ll-never/) [Anthony de Mello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-de-mello/) > [The things which cannot be adequately represented by words are more important than those which can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fitzjames-stephen/the-things-which-cannot-be-adequately-represented-by-words-are-more/) [James Fitzjames Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fitzjames-stephen/) > [I understand why we do that now. It’s a help, not a threat. It’s something to remind you how important words are. Ideas are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/i-understand-why-we-do-that-now-it-s-a-help-not-a-threat-it-s/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) ## More by Olga Tokarczuk > [My books are not 'political.' I don't make political demands. They actually describe life. 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