--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Using words to talk of words is like…" description: "\"Using words to talk of words is like using a pencil to draw a picture of itself, on itself. Impossible. Confusing. Frustrating ... but there are other ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/patrick-rothfuss-145_confusing_using-words-to-talk-of-words-is-like-usi_2248221.jpg" --- # Using words to talk of words is like using a pencil to… ![“Using words to talk of words is like using a pencil to draw a picture of itself, on itself. Impossible. Confusing. Frustrating ... but there are other ways to understanding.” quote by Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/patrick-rothfuss-145_confusing_using-words-to-talk-of-words-is-like-usi_2248221.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/patrick-rothfuss-145_confusing_using-words-to-talk-of-words-is-like-usi_2248221.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/patrick-rothfuss-145_confusing_using-words-to-talk-of-words-is-like-usi_2248221.jpg) > “Using words to talk of words is like using a pencil to draw a picture of itself, on itself. Impossible. Confusing. Frustrating ... but there are other ways to understanding.” [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Language can become self‑referential, creating paradox and frustration, yet alternative approaches can clarify meaning. **In simple terms:** Talking about language with language is confusing. Key Takeaway Seek clearer ways to understand. Themes communication metafiction clarity Mood confused curious Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - writing - teaching - philosophical discussion Key Concepts self‑reference paradox interpretation Questions to Reflect On - How can you simplify complex ideas? - What alternative methods help you grasp abstract concepts? A Different Perspective Self‑referential analysis can obscure meaning without concrete examples. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confusing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confusing/) [Draws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/draws/) [Frustrating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frustrating/) [Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Pencils](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pencils/) [Talk Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talk-words-828705/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Using Pencil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/using-pencil-2427181/) [Using words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/using-words/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) [Words Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-talk-531698/) ## Related quotes > [“You don't need words to talk to HIm. Words are for the priests. He doesn't care for words. He knows only your thoughts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-n-prasher/you-don-t-need-words-to-talk-to-him-words-are-for-the-priests-he/) [R. N. Prasher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-n-prasher/) > [There are words that exist in one language and not in another language. It creates barriers that keep us from understanding each other. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/there-are-words-that-exist-in-one-language-and-not-in-another/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [Somebody was using the pencil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/somebody-was-using-the-pencil/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [“Thus he always wrote using a pencil with a long, sharp but soft lead, so he couldn't here his words as they formed on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/thus-he-always-wrote-using-a-pencil-with-a-long-sharp-but-soft-lead/) [Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/) > [I start with an idea in my head. I sketch it out quickly as a line drawing, using pencil. It never comes out quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hewlett/i-start-with-an-idea-in-my-head-i-sketch-it-out-quickly-as-a-line/) [Jamie Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hewlett/) > [“He laid a hand on my shoulder. “Using words to talk of words is like using a pencil to draw a picture of itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/he-laid-a-hand-on-my-shoulder-using-words-to-talk-of-words-is-like/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Well here again that don't apply But I've gotta use words when I talk to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/well-here-again-that-don-t-apply-but-i-ve-gotta-use-words-when-i-talk/) [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) > [People ask me why I use words and the reason, of course, is that words talk to you. I mean, they're something that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barry/people-ask-me-why-i-use-words-and-the-reason-of-course-is-that-words/) [Robert Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barry/) > [“I've always found the ones that are the quietest make the most of their words when they do talk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindy-zart/i-ve-always-found-the-ones-that-are-the-quietest-make-the-most-of/) [Lindy Zart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindy-zart/) > [“When you write, you can hide behind your words. When you talk, you are up front, like the clown in the midway booth; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-r-espy/when-you-write-you-can-hide-behind-your-words-when-you-talk-you-are/) [Willard R. Espy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-r-espy/) > [Where can I find a man who has forgotten words so I can talk with him?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/where-can-i-find-a-man-who-has-forgotten-words-so-i-can-talk-with-him/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [I gotta use words to talk to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-gotta-use-words-to-talk-to-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I can’t talk to you anymore. I can’t talk to you with words with thoughts with silence. I can’t talk to you anymore (she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-j-ginger/i-can-t-talk-to-you-anymore-i-can-t-talk-to-you-with-words-with/) [Coco J. Ginger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-j-ginger/) > [We tried to talk it over but the words got in the way. We're lost inside this lonely game we play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-benson/we-tried-to-talk-it-over-but-the-words-got-in-the-way-we-re-lost/) [George Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-benson/) > [All talk is just that: talk. All the words written on these pages are just that: words. If you want things to get better,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-winget/all-talk-is-just-that-talk-all-the-words-written-on-these-pages-are/) [Larry Winget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-winget/) ## More by Patrick Rothfuss > [Each woman is like an instrument, waiting to be learned, loved, and finely played, to have at last her own true music made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/each-woman-is-like-an-instrument-waiting-to-be-learned-loved-and/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [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/) > [“Prefiero tocar canciones que divierten a mis amigos que complacer a quienes me juzgan basándose solo en habladurías" - Kvothe”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/prefiero-tocar-canciones-que-divierten-a-mis-amigos-que-complacer-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Wilem snorted."That doesn't sound suspicious at all," he said. "And you wonder why people talk about you." "I don't wonder why they talk," I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/wilem-snorted-that-doesn-t-sound-suspicious-at-all-he-said-and-you/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“The point isn't to win the game. The point is to play a beautiful game. (paraphrased)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/the-point-isn-t-to-win-the-game-the-point-is-to-play-a-beautiful-game/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I was nervous about writing Slow Regard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/i-was-nervous-about-writing-slow-regard/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I am no poet. I do not love words for the sake of words. I love words for what they can accomplish. Similarly, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/i-am-no-poet-i-do-not-love-words-for-the-sake-of-words-i-love-words/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“There is something deeply satisfying in shaping something with your hands. Proper artificing is like a song made solid. It is an act of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/there-is-something-deeply-satisfying-in-shaping-something-with-your/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [He had a bright, reckless tenor that was always wandering off, looking for notes in the wrong places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/he-had-a-bright-reckless-tenor-that-was-always-wandering-off-looking/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I smiled,"Deoch, my heart is made of stronger stuff than glass. When she strikes she'll find it strong as iron-bound brass, or gold and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/i-smiled-deoch-my-heart-is-made-of-stronger-stuff-than-glass-when-she/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I have a blog where I keep in touch with my fans. I write about things that are important to me. Sometimes on there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/i-have-a-blog-where-i-keep-in-touch-with-my-fans-i-write-about-things/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [Soft fantasy worlds have a much looser cause-and-effect relationship. Alchemists can turn lead into gold and nobody wonders about how it will impact the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/soft-fantasy-worlds-have-a-much-looser-cause-and-effect-relationship/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [But how awful would that be? How terrible to live surrounded by the stark, sharp, hollowness of things that simply were enough?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/but-how-awful-would-that-be-how-terrible-to-live-surrounded-by-the/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [ Here's the thing: Authors live or die by recommendations. \[That's one of the reason I review so many books on Goodreads.\] Giving books you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/here-s-the-thing-authors-live-or-die-by-recommendations-that-s-one-of/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I was pretty poor for a long time. Not \*poor\* poor. But college student poor. I lived for most of my adult life living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/i-was-pretty-poor-for-a-long-time-not-poor-poor-but-college-student/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) [Explore all 895 Patrick Rothfuss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) ## More Confusing quotes > [Because I'm in a modern studio, there are so many possibilities - you can do so much. So it's sometimes a little bit confusing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trentem-ller/because-i-m-in-a-modern-studio-there-are-so-many-possibilities-you/) [Trentemøller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trentem-ller/) > [A new constitution should be more amendable. A needlessly confusing system of courts should be altered to produce an arrangement that would be simple,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-edison/a-new-constitution-should-be-more-amendable-a-needlessly-confusing/) [Charles Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-edison/) > [I think in the past I think I probably was a little too diverse, probably went from one spectrum to the complete opposite and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-almond/i-think-in-the-past-i-think-i-probably-was-a-little-too-diverse/) [Marc Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-almond/) > [I had a couple of years in the mid-2000s where it was really confusing to me. I was like, 'Why is our band sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-martin/i-had-a-couple-of-years-in-the-mid-2000s-where-it-was-really/) [Chris Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-martin/) > [When you're playing a fictional character reacting to the real world, it's incredibly difficult and confusing and kind of messes with your values a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/when-you-re-playing-a-fictional-character-reacting-to-the-real-world/) [Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/) > [The chaos surrounding her was confusing. Everyone was suddenly talking at the same time. Perhaps she should try to swoon after all, Christine considered.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-garwood/the-chaos-surrounding-her-was-confusing-everyone-was-suddenly-talking/) [Julie Garwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-garwood/) > [You have very accurately described the difficulty of presenting my books on film: many of my characters are alone most of the time, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perry/you-have-very-accurately-described-the-difficulty-of-presenting-my/) [Thomas Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perry/) > [It's unrated, which means it's too confusing to possibly put a rating on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cena/it-s-unrated-which-means-it-s-too-confusing-to-possibly-put-a-rating/) [John Cena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cena/) > [These tipocs are so confusing but this helped me get the job done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jody/these-tipocs-are-so-confusing-but-this-helped-me-get-the-job-done/) [Jody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jody/) > [Our people have made the mistake of confusing the methods with the objectives. As long as we agree on objectives, we should never fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/our-people-have-made-the-mistake-of-confusing-the-methods-with-the/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [It's very confusing when fame comes early on in your career. You get a little bit bent out of shape in terms of what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-clayton/it-s-very-confusing-when-fame-comes-early-on-in-your-career-you-get-a/) [Adam Clayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-clayton/) > [Life is confusing. We're all just trying to get on with it, that's all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-carney/life-is-confusing-we-re-all-just-trying-to-get-on-with-it-that-s-all/) [Art Carney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-carney/) > [I, in particular, am in a confusing spot because I am Indian, but I am white, which people don't get. So often I find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalki-koechlin/i-in-particular-am-in-a-confusing-spot-because-i-am-indian-but-i-am/) [Kalki Koechlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalki-koechlin/) > [But fear is confusing. It tears you in two. 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