--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People talk fundamentals and superlatives…" description: "\"People talk fundamentals and superlatives and then make some changes of detail.\" — Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr-1986_fundamentals_people-talk-fundamentals-and-superlative_1925536.png" --- # People talk fundamentals and superlatives and then make… ![“People talk fundamentals and superlatives and then make some changes of detail.” quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr-1986_fundamentals_people-talk-fundamentals-and-superlative_1925536.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr-1986_fundamentals_people-talk-fundamentals-and-superlative_1925536.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr-1986_fundamentals_people-talk-fundamentals-and-superlative_1925536.png) > “People talk fundamentals and superlatives and then make some changes of detail.” [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fundamentals are core truths; superlatives are embellishments; focus on essential details over flashy language. **In simple terms:** Focus on basics, not hype. Key Takeaway Prioritize substance over style. Themes focus clarity precision Mood analytical thoughtful Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - writing - public speaking - education - policy making - marketing Key Concepts philosophy communication Questions to Reflect On - What core principles guide your decisions? - When might superlatives be useful? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on basics can ignore necessary nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fundamentals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fundamentals/) [Fundamentals Superlatives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fundamentals-superlatives-2982450/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-talk/) [Superlatives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superlatives/) [Superlatives Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superlatives-make-2982451/) [Talk Fundamentals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talk-fundamentals-2982449/) ## Related quotes > [There is in all men a demand for the superlative, so much so that the poor devil that has no other way of reaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/there-is-in-all-men-a-demand-for-the-superlative-so-much-so-that-the/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [Poets and writers who are in love with the superlative all want to do more than they can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/poets-and-writers-who-are-in-love-with-the-superlative-all-want-to-do/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [For Rat Kiley, I think, facts were formed by sensation, not the other way around, and when you listened to one of his stories,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/for-rat-kiley-i-think-facts-were-formed-by-sensation-not-the-other/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [From scarlet to powdered gold, to blazing yellow, to the rare ashen emerald, to the orange and black velvet of your shimmering corselet, out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/from-scarlet-to-powdered-gold-to-blazing-yellow-to-the-rare-ashen/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [Whether early or late, the Parker novels are all superlative literary entertainments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-teachout/whether-early-or-late-the-parker-novels-are-all-superlative-literary/) [Terry Teachout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-teachout/) > [To me singing is a joy. Choral singing is a delight. Welsh Choral singing is more than a delight. The Treorchy Male Choir is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronnie-barker/to-me-singing-is-a-joy-choral-singing-is-a-delight-welsh-choral/) [Ronnie Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronnie-barker/) > [My pride and my power of vision were all that I owned when I started - and whatever I achieved, was achieved by means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/my-pride-and-my-power-of-vision-were-all-that-i-owned-when-i-started/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [I don't know why we have to put things in boxes of superlatives. That isolates them. Life is fluid, and the minute you start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-know-why-we-have-to-put-things-in-boxes-of-superlatives-that/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [What but education has advanced us beyond the condition of our indigenous neighbors? And what chains them to their present state of barbarism and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/what-but-education-has-advanced-us-beyond-the-condition-of-our/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [ \[Chicago\] is the greatest and most typically American of all cities. New York is bigger and more spectacular and can outmatch it in other… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gunther/chicago-is-the-greatest-and-most-typically-american-of-all-cities-new/) [John Gunther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gunther/) > [I wouldn't touch a superlative again with an umbrella.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/i-wouldn-t-touch-a-superlative-again-with-an-umbrella/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [There emanates from superlatives a destructive force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/there-emanates-from-superlatives-a-destructive-force/) [Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/) > [I needed people to deliver my feelings back to me in a form that was legible. Which is a superlative kind of empathy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-jamison/i-needed-people-to-deliver-my-feelings-back-to-me-in-a-form-that-was/) [Leslie Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-jamison/) > [Supernatural is a dangerous and difficult word in any of its senses, looser or stricter. But to fairies it can hardly be applied, unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/supernatural-is-a-dangerous-and-difficult-word-in-any-of-its-senses/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Wilderness is rapidly becoming one of those aspects of the American dream which is more of the past than of the present. Wilderness is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/wilderness-is-rapidly-becoming-one-of-those-aspects-of-the-american/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) ## More by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [Blood is a destiny. One's genius descends in the stream from long lines of ancestry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/blood-is-a-destiny-one-s-genius-descends-in-the-stream-from-long/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [If you don't know what you want, you will probably never get it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/if-you-don-t-know-what-you-want-you-will-probably-never-get-it/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [Any two philosophers can tell each other all they know in two hours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/any-two-philosophers-can-tell-each-other-all-they-know-in-two-hours/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It is mere childishness to expect men to believe as their fathers did; that is, if they have any minds of their own. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/it-is-mere-childishness-to-expect-men-to-believe-as-their-fathers-did/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [Longevity is having a chronic disease - and taking care of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/longevity-is-having-a-chronic-disease-and-taking-care-of-it/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [As for the excellent little wretches who grow up in what they are taught, with never a scruple or a query, ... they signify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/as-for-the-excellent-little-wretches-who-grow-up-in-what-they-are/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [On every stem, on every leaf,... and at the root of everything that grew, was a professional specialist in the shape of grub, caterpillar,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/on-every-stem-on-every-leaf-and-at-the-root-of-everything-that-grew/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [Three generations of imbeciles are enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/three-generations-of-imbeciles-are-enough/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [A good soldier, like a good horse, cannot be of a bad color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/a-good-soldier-like-a-good-horse-cannot-be-of-a-bad-color/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [Free competition is worth more to society than it costs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/free-competition-is-worth-more-to-society-than-it-costs/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [Systems die; instincts remain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/systems-die-instincts-remain/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [In my opinion, economists and sociologists are the people to whom we ought to turn more than we do for instruction in the grounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/in-my-opinion-economists-and-sociologists-are-the-people-to-whom-we/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [The great end of being is to harmonize man with the order of things, and the church has been a good pitch-pipe, and may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/the-great-end-of-being-is-to-harmonize-man-with-the-order-of-things/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [Between two groups of people who want to make inconsistent kinds of worlds, I see no remedy but force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/between-two-groups-of-people-who-want-to-make-inconsistent-kinds-of/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) [Explore all 193 Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) ## More Fundamentals quotes > [Anybody can direct a picture once they know the fundamentals. Directing is not a mystery, it's not an art. The main thing about directing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ford/anybody-can-direct-a-picture-once-they-know-the-fundamentals/) [John Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ford/) > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [We will make sure our troops have all that is necessary to complete their missions. That's why I went to the Congress last September…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/we-will-make-sure-our-troops-have-all-that-is-necessary-to-complete/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [What really concerns me is for Christians to understand the fundamentals of evangelism in a way that is helpful in the contemporary scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/what-really-concerns-me-is-for-christians-to-understand-the/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [If a Coach is determined to stay in the coaching profession, he will develop from year to year. This much is true, no coach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolph-rupp/if-a-coach-is-determined-to-stay-in-the-coaching-profession-he-will/) [Adolph Rupp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolph-rupp/) > [The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-suppression-of-uncomfortable-ideas-may-be-common-in-religion-or/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Early experience shapes the structure and function of the brain. This reveals the fundamental way in which gene expression is determined by experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-siegel/early-experience-shapes-the-structure-and-function-of-the-brain-this/) [Daniel J. Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-siegel/) > [But if you will recall the history of our civil troubles, you will see half the nation bathe itself, out of piety, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/but-if-you-will-recall-the-history-of-our-civil-troubles-you-will-see/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [We're at a time when we are being presented with undeniable changes in the global climate and fundamental issues that affect every single one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/we-re-at-a-time-when-we-are-being-presented-with-undeniable-changes/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [It is impossible to build enduring institutions without solid values. For us, the fundamental value is that associated with democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-henrique-cardoso/it-is-impossible-to-build-enduring-institutions-without-solid-values/) [Fernando Henrique Cardoso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-henrique-cardoso/) [Browse all 2,578 Fundamentals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fundamentals/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People talk fundamentals and superlatives and then make some changes of detail.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/people-talk-fundamentals-and-superlatives-and-then-make-some-changes/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fundamentals" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/people-talk-fundamentals-and-superlatives-and-then-make-some-changes/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr-1986_fundamentals_people-talk-fundamentals-and-superlative_1925536.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr-1986_fundamentals_people-talk-fundamentals-and-superlative_1925536.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40e/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr-1986_fundamentals_people-talk-fundamentals-and-superlative_1925536.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People talk fundamentals and superlatives and then make some changes of detail.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr", "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": "Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People talk fundamentals and superlatives and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/people-talk-fundamentals-and-superlatives-and-then-make-some-changes/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/people-talk-fundamentals-and-superlatives-and-then-make-some-changes/#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 } } ] } ```