--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On the other hand, everyday language soon…" description: "\"“On the other hand, everyday language soon would prove inadequate for designating all the olfactory notions that he had accumulated within himself. Soo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d4/patrick-s-skind-5195_smell_on-the-other-hand-everyday-language-soon_2826483.png" --- # On the other hand, everyday language soon would prove… ![“On the other hand, everyday language soon would prove inadequate for designating all the olfactory notions that he had accumulated within himself. Soon he was no longer smelling mere wood, but kinds of wood: maple wood, oak wood, pinewood, elm wood, pearwood, old, young, rotting, moldering, mossy…” quote by Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d4/patrick-s-skind-5195_smell_on-the-other-hand-everyday-language-soon_2826483.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d4/patrick-s-skind-5195_smell_on-the-other-hand-everyday-language-soon_2826483.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d4/patrick-s-skind-5195_smell_on-the-other-hand-everyday-language-soon_2826483.png) > ““On the other hand, everyday language soon would prove inadequate for designating all the olfactory notions that he had accumulated within himself. Soon he was no longer smelling mere wood, but kinds of wood: maple wood, oak wood, pinewood, elm wood, pearwood, old, young, rotting, moldering, mossy wood, down to single logs, chips, and splinters.”” [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage illustrates how intense sensory experience can become so detailed that ordinary language fails to capture it, leading to a highly specific internal taxonomy. **In simple terms:** His sense of smell became so refined that normal words weren’t enough. Key Takeaway Recognize and expand your descriptive vocabulary. Themes perception language detail sensory experience Mood curious introspective Type descriptive analytical When to use this quote - perfume creation - wine tasting - forest management - artistic description - education in sensory skills Key Concepts Phenomenology semantic limitation olfactory taxonomy Questions to Reflect On - How do you describe experiences that exceed common vocabulary? - Can new terms be created to bridge sensory gaps? A Different Perspective Even refined senses can be constrained by the limits of language, potentially hindering communication. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Kinds Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kinds-wood-3628185/) [Olfactory Notions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/olfactory-notions-3628184/) [Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell/) [Smelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smelling/) [Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wood/) [Wood Kinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wood-kinds-3628186/) ## Related quotes > [“When you walk with trash, you end up smelling the same.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/when-you-walk-with-trash-you-end-up-smelling-the-same/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [“I had seen the strong chemical smelling urine before. It had occurred during researching the chapter “Body Voltage” in the book “Toxic Health”. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/i-had-seen-the-strong-chemical-smelling-urine-before-it-had-occurred/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“It is a sense you do not possess, and hence I cannot explain it to you,” she added condescendingly. “Imagine trying to explain a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/it-is-a-sense-you-do-not-possess-and-hence-i-cannot-explain-it-to-you/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [“The moon people do not eat by swallowing food but by smelling it. Their money is poetry - actual poems, written out on pieces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/the-moon-people-do-not-eat-by-swallowing-food-but-by-smelling-it/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [The last thing you want is to be smelling bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-sandoval/the-last-thing-you-want-is-to-be-smelling-bad/) [Tom Sandoval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-sandoval/) > [Ronald Reagan knew audiences. It was a key element of his political genius. One of the things at which brilliant politicians are better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/ronald-reagan-knew-audiences-it-was-a-key-element-of-his-political/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [“Now I sense the perfume of flowers like seeing a new thing. I know they smell just as well as I know I existed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-caeiro/now-i-sense-the-perfume-of-flowers-like-seeing-a-new-thing-i-know/) [Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/) > [Its Ludacris 'Mr. Slay-A-Bitch.' Unless that p-ssy is smelling like a Filet-O-Fish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludacris/its-ludacris-mr-slay-a-bitch-unless-that-p-ssy-is-smelling-like-a/) [Ludacris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludacris/) > [“We talk a lot about the five senses: vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. I would add one more…imagination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-adamson/we-talk-a-lot-about-the-five-senses-vision-hearing-smell-taste-and/) [Wes Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-adamson/) > [Im eating a Chop Suey dish and hanging with a very teen smelling friend. And for some reason, I have this strange need of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignas-kardas/im-eating-a-chop-suey-dish-and-hanging-with-a-very-teen-smelling/) [Ignas Kardas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignas-kardas/) > [Seducing him in the tub smelling of vinegar was out of the question. There had to be some boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/seducing-him-in-the-tub-smelling-of-vinegar-was-out-of-the-question/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [When I played for the Steelers and I got my bell rung, I'd take smelling salts and go right back out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bradshaw/when-i-played-for-the-steelers-and-i-got-my-bell-rung-i-d-take/) [Terry Bradshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bradshaw/) > [“I bear no shame in smelling books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-lynn-cupino/i-bear-no-shame-in-smelling-books/) [K. Lynn Cupino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-lynn-cupino/) > [“Your hair smells like wind, did you know that?" Yep, me and Tucker, smelling each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-hand/your-hair-smells-like-wind-did-you-know-that-yep-me-and-tucker/) [Cynthia Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-hand/) > [Then I'd crawl back into bed, smelling her all around me, and tell myself that next time, I would lock that window. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/then-i-d-crawl-back-into-bed-smelling-her-all-around-me-and-tell/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) ## More by Patrick Süskind > [“He had no use for sensual gratification, unless that gratification consisted of pure, incorporeal odors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/he-had-no-use-for-sensual-gratification-unless-that-gratification/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [“...if you could not close a door behind you to take a shit in the city - even if it was just the door…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/if-you-could-not-close-a-door-behind-you-to-take-a-shit-in-the-city/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [With one glance he had got himself trapped in the brown fundament of her eyes, he was in danger of sinking, as if into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/with-one-glance-he-had-got-himself-trapped-in-the-brown-fundament-of/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [“…in that moment, as he saw and smelled how irresistible its effect was and how with lightning speed it spread and made captives of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/in-that-moment-as-he-saw-and-smelled-how-irresistible-its-effect-was/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [“People even travelled to Lapland, up there in the North, with its eternal ice and savages who gorged themselves on raw fish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/people-even-travelled-to-lapland-up-there-in-the-north-with-its/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [When they finally did dare it, at first with stolen glances and then candid ones, they had to smile. They were uncommonly proud. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/when-they-finally-did-dare-it-at-first-with-stolen-glances-and-then/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [For people could close their eyes to greatness, to horrors, to beauty, and their ears to melodies or deceiving words. But they couldn't escape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/for-people-could-close-their-eyes-to-greatness-to-horrors-to-beauty/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [“The wind blew cold, and he was freezing, but he did not notice that he was freezing, for within him was a counterfrost, fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/the-wind-blew-cold-and-he-was-freezing-but-he-did-not-notice-that-he/) [Patrick Suskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [“Something was happening while you waited. The most essential thing was happening. And even if he himself was doing nothing, it was happening through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/something-was-happening-while-you-waited-the-most-essential-thing-was/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [“Although he had used it very sparingly, the perfume that he had mixed in Montpellier was slowly was slowly running out. He created a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/although-he-had-used-it-very-sparingly-the-perfume-that-he-had-mixed/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [He had withdrawn solely for his own personal pleasure, only to be near to himself. No longer distracted by anything external, he basked in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/he-had-withdrawn-solely-for-his-own-personal-pleasure-only-to-be-near/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [“This scent had a freshness, but not the freshness of limes or pomegranates, not the freshness of myrrh or cinnamon bark or curly mint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/this-scent-had-a-freshness-but-not-the-freshness-of-limes-or/) [Patrick Suskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [And because people are stupid and use their noses only for blowing, but believe absolutely anything they see with their eyes, they will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/and-because-people-are-stupid-and-use-their-noses-only-for-blowing/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [It was good, really, that this external world still existed, if only as a place of refuge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/it-was-good-really-that-this-external-world-still-existed-if-only-as/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) > [“And the awful thing was that Grenouille, although he knew that this odour was his odour, could not smell it. Virtually drowning in himself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-s-skind/and-the-awful-thing-was-that-grenouille-although-he-knew-that-this/) [Patrick Süskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) [Explore all 72 Patrick Süskind quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-s-skind/) ## More Smell quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [“On the third day, she smelled the fruit as soon as she came in. 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A person might not even consciously register the smell, but they’ll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-horn/spirits-carry-an-ozone-scent-and-demons-smell-like-sulfur-or-rotten/) [J.D. Horn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-horn/) > [Stevie Wonder always smells so good... I'm like a DEA dog, I can smell people a block away!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-estefan/stevie-wonder-always-smells-so-good-i-m-like-a-dea-dog-i-can-smell/) [Gloria Estefan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-estefan/) > [I collect my tools: sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing, intellect. Night has fallen...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/i-collect-my-tools-sight-smell-touch-taste-hearing-intellect-night/) [Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/) > [Posing the question: does the god of love use underarm deodorant, vaginal spray and fluoride toothpaste?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-ellison/posing-the-question-does-the-god-of-love-use-underarm-deodorant/) [Harlan Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-ellison/) > [I always gravitate to perfume with rose. My mom's maiden name is Rose, and the scent of my childhood was always rose. Le Sirenuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alana-haim/i-always-gravitate-to-perfume-with-rose-my-mom-s-maiden-name-is-rose/) [Alana Haim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alana-haim/) > [Do I Stank or was it already Stanky in Here?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/do-i-stank-or-was-it-already-stanky-in-here/) [Frank B. Wilderson III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-b-wilderson-iii/) > [Scents as well as clothes and hairstyles can go a long way in revealing a part of yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hathaway/scents-as-well-as-clothes-and-hairstyles-can-go-a-long-way-in/) [Anne Hathaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hathaway/) > [Wild honey smells of freedom The dust - of sunlight The mouth of a young girl, like a violet But gold - smells of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-akhmatova/wild-honey-smells-of-freedom-the-dust-of-sunlight-the-mouth-of-a/) [Anna Akhmatova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-akhmatova/) > [“My mom is having a Scentsy party tomorrow," he said. "The scented-wax thingies? Random. But go on." 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But when you split someone's head open it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/when-you-chopped-logs-with-the-ax-and-they-split-open-they-smelled/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) [Browse all 3,930 Smell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“On the other hand, everyday language soon would prove inadequate for designating all the olfactory notions that he had accumulated within himself. 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