---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No one, not even Shakespeare, surpasses…"
description: "\"“No one, not even Shakespeare, surpasses Milton in his command of the sound, the music, the weight and taste and texture of English words.”\" — Philip P..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/philip-pullman-525_english-words_no-one-not-even-shakespeare-surpasses-mi_1998918.png"
---

#  No one, not even Shakespeare, surpasses Milton in his…

![“No one, not even Shakespeare, surpasses Milton in his command of the sound, the music, the weight and taste and texture of English words.” quote by Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/philip-pullman-525_english-words_no-one-not-even-shakespeare-surpasses-mi_1998918.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/philip-pullman-525_english-words_no-one-not-even-shakespeare-surpasses-mi_1998918.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/philip-pullman-525_english-words_no-one-not-even-shakespeare-surpasses-mi_1998918.png)

> ““No one, not even Shakespeare, surpasses Milton in his command of the sound, the music, the weight and taste and texture of English words.””

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

## About This Quote

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

Milton’s mastery of English surpasses even Shakespeare in sound and texture.

**In simple terms:** Milton excels in language’s musical quality.

Key Takeaway

Study Milton’s use of rhythm and diction.

Themes

literature language style

Mood

analytical appreciative

Type

literary criticism educational

When to use this quote

- academic courses
- creative writing workshops
- literary analysis

Key Concepts

poetics historical criticism

Questions to Reflect On

- Which Milton passages illustrate this?
- How does sound affect meaning?

A Different Perspective

Claims superiority, which is subjective and may ignore other great writers.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[English words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-words/) [Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/milton/) [Milton Command](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/milton-command-3505053/) [Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare/) [Shakespeare Surpasses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare-surpasses-1188963/) [Surpasses Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surpasses-milton-3505052/)

## Related quotes

> [“At the top of the heap is poetry,at least as it used to be written.Nothing else goes far,nothing goes as deep n the blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-moore/at-the-top-of-the-heap-is-poetry-at-least-as-it-used-to-be-written/)

[Jeffrey Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-moore/)

> [This is not writing at all. Indeed, I could say that Shakespeare surpasses literature altogether, if I knew what I meant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/this-is-not-writing-at-all-indeed-i-could-say-that-shakespeare/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [White people use their literature to maintain culture. That's why you find references to Milton and Spencer and Shakespeare and Dostoyevsky in contemporary novels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/white-people-use-their-literature-to-maintain-culture-that-s-why-you/)

[Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/)

> [Shakespeare was of us, Milton was of us, Burns, Shelley, were with us. They watch from their graves!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/shakespeare-was-of-us-milton-was-of-us-burns-shelley-were-with-us/)

[Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/)

> [“The portraits, of more historical than artistic interest, had gone; and tapestry, full of the blue and bronze of peacocks, fell over the doors,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-b-yeats/the-portraits-of-more-historical-than-artistic-interest-had-gone-and/)

[W.B. Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-b-yeats/)

> [Every free minute away from dance (my main focus) I was memorizing new English words, either showering, walking or on the toilet. I started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-cunxin/every-free-minute-away-from-dance-my-main-focus-i-was-memorizing-new/)

[Li Cunxin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-cunxin/)

> [In the year 1090, there was founded in Persia the religious and military order of the Assassins, whose history is one of cruelty, barbarity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-j-anslinger/in-the-year-1090-there-was-founded-in-persia-the-religious-and/)

[Harry J. Anslinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-j-anslinger/)

> [Of all the words in all languages I know, the greatest concentration is in the English word I.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/of-all-the-words-in-all-languages-i-know-the-greatest-concentration/)

[Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/)

> [When I was quite young I fondly imagined that all foreign languages were codes for English. I thought that "hat," say, was the real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/when-i-was-quite-young-i-fondly-imagined-that-all-foreign-languages/)

[Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/)

> [“They then named one day after the Moon and another after the Sun, giving them a seven-day week. Seven was regarded as a perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-marr/they-then-named-one-day-after-the-moon-and-another-after-the-sun/)

[Andrew Marr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-marr/)

> [Most of us would be upset if we were accused of being "silly." But the word "silly" comes from the old English word "selig,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/most-of-us-would-be-upset-if-we-were-accused-of-being-silly-but-the/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [Impossible isn't found in the dictionary, at least in mine. When trying to define it, I couldn't find a meaning more expressive than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiman-n/impossible-isn-t-found-in-the-dictionary-at-least-in-mine-when-trying/)

[Aiman N](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiman-n/)

> [“When it first appeared in the language in the early seventeenth century, affiliate meant ‘to adopt a child’ – or, as the English lexicographer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-anthony-jones/when-it-first-appeared-in-the-language-in-the-early-seventeenth/)

[Paul Anthony Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-anthony-jones/)

> [Words, English words, are full of echoes, of memories, of associations. They have been out and about, on people's lips, in their houses, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/words-english-words-are-full-of-echoes-of-memories-of-associations/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“My goal is to act as a faithful interpreter, preserving as much of the original's nuances of meaning as possible without embellishment or omission.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/my-goal-is-to-act-as-a-faithful-interpreter-preserving-as-much-of-the/)

[Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/)

## More by Philip Pullman

> [The state of mind which I put myself when I tell a story is one in which superstition flourishes very easily. And I welcome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-state-of-mind-which-i-put-myself-when-i-tell-a-story-is-one-in/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [Religion grants its adherents malign, intoxicating and morally corrosive sensations. Destroying intellectual freedom is always evil, but only religion makes doing evil feel quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/religion-grants-its-adherents-malign-intoxicating-and-morally/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [We don't need lists of rights and wrongs, tables of do's and don'ts: we need books, time, and silence. Thou shalt not is soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/we-don-t-need-lists-of-rights-and-wrongs-tables-of-do-s-and-don-ts-we/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [I have stolen ideas from every book I have ever read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/i-have-stolen-ideas-from-every-book-i-have-ever-read/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [All the stories of the Bible that I know came to me first from my grandfather's lips... He would see stories in everything. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/all-the-stories-of-the-bible-that-i-know-came-to-me-first-from-my/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [What I do say is that I can write verse, and that the writing of verse in strict form is the best possible training…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/what-i-do-say-is-that-i-can-write-verse-and-that-the-writing-of-verse/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [Writing is tyranny ... but reading is democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/writing-is-tyranny-but-reading-is-democracy/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [“Middlemarch is a novel that is diminished by being put on the screen. It can't help but be, because so much of what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/middlemarch-is-a-novel-that-is-diminished-by-being-put-on-the-screen/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [I have maintained a passionate interest in education, which leads me occasionally to make foolish and ill-considered remarks alleging that not everything is well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/i-have-maintained-a-passionate-interest-in-education-which-leads-me/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [And think what worrying does: has anyone ever added a single hour to the length of his life by worrying about it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/and-think-what-worrying-does-has-anyone-ever-added-a-single-hour-to/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [“The question authors get asked more than any other is "Where do you get your ideas from?" And we all find a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-question-authors-get-asked-more-than-any-other-is-where-do-you/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [“We are all subject to the fates. But we must all act as if we are not,” said the witch, “or die of despair.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/we-are-all-subject-to-the-fates-but-we-must-all-act-as-if-we-are-not/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [Lonely? I don't know. They tell me this is cold. I don't know what cold is, because I don't freeze. So I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/lonely-i-don-t-know-they-tell-me-this-is-cold-i-don-t-know-what-cold/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [Just finished 'Secrecy' - truly enthralling both as a love story and as a tale of suspense - but much more than both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/just-finished-secrecy-truly-enthralling-both-as-a-love-story-and-as-a/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [“As Auden is believed to have said, no poem saved a single Jew from the gas chambers. Never mind. Write the poems anyway. Play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/as-auden-is-believed-to-have-said-no-poem-saved-a-single-jew-from-the/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

[Explore all 479 Philip Pullman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

## More English words quotes

> [“My goal is to act as a faithful interpreter, preserving as much of the original's nuances of meaning as possible without embellishment or omission.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/my-goal-is-to-act-as-a-faithful-interpreter-preserving-as-much-of-the/)

[Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/)

> [Words, English words, are full of echoes, of memories, of associations. They have been out and about, on people's lips, in their houses, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/words-english-words-are-full-of-echoes-of-memories-of-associations/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“When it first appeared in the language in the early seventeenth century, affiliate meant ‘to adopt a child’ – or, as the English lexicographer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-anthony-jones/when-it-first-appeared-in-the-language-in-the-early-seventeenth/)

[Paul Anthony Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-anthony-jones/)

> [Impossible isn't found in the dictionary, at least in mine. When trying to define it, I couldn't find a meaning more expressive than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiman-n/impossible-isn-t-found-in-the-dictionary-at-least-in-mine-when-trying/)

[Aiman N](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiman-n/)

> [Most of us would be upset if we were accused of being "silly." But the word "silly" comes from the old English word "selig,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/most-of-us-would-be-upset-if-we-were-accused-of-being-silly-but-the/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [“They then named one day after the Moon and another after the Sun, giving them a seven-day week. Seven was regarded as a perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-marr/they-then-named-one-day-after-the-moon-and-another-after-the-sun/)

[Andrew Marr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-marr/)

> [When I was quite young I fondly imagined that all foreign languages were codes for English. I thought that "hat," say, was the real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/when-i-was-quite-young-i-fondly-imagined-that-all-foreign-languages/)

[Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/)

> [Of all the words in all languages I know, the greatest concentration is in the English word I.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/of-all-the-words-in-all-languages-i-know-the-greatest-concentration/)

[Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/)

> [In the year 1090, there was founded in Persia the religious and military order of the Assassins, whose history is one of cruelty, barbarity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-j-anslinger/in-the-year-1090-there-was-founded-in-persia-the-religious-and/)

[Harry J. Anslinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-j-anslinger/)

> [Every free minute away from dance (my main focus) I was memorizing new English words, either showering, walking or on the toilet. I started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-cunxin/every-free-minute-away-from-dance-my-main-focus-i-was-memorizing-new/)

[Li Cunxin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-cunxin/)

> [“You English words? I know you: You are light as dreams, Tough as oak, Precious as gold, As poppies and corn, Or an old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-thomas/you-english-words-i-know-you-you-are-light-as-dreams-tough-as-oak/)

[Edward Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-thomas/)

> [The purpose of life is to be beautiful, to be bountiful, to be blissful, to be graceful and grateful. What a wonderful English word-grateful.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/the-purpose-of-life-is-to-be-beautiful-to-be-bountiful-to-be-blissful/)

[Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/)

> [The only English words I saw in Japan were Sony and Mitsubishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/the-only-english-words-i-saw-in-japan-were-sony-and-mitsubishi/)

[Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/)

> [A US Border Patrol Agent catches an illegal alien in the bushes right by the border fence, he pulls him out and says \*Sorry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamika-leeigh/a-us-border-patrol-agent-catches-an-illegal-alien-in-the-bushes-right/)

[Tamika-leeigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamika-leeigh/)

> [Fair play is an English word. It is not a French word, and it has been copied all over the world. Unfortunately, it does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arsene-wenger/fair-play-is-an-english-word-it-is-not-a-french-word-and-it-has-been/)

[Arsene Wenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arsene-wenger/)

[Browse all 46 English words quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-words/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“No one, not even Shakespeare, surpasses Milton in his command of the sound, the music, the weight and taste and texture of English words.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Philip Pullman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/no-one-not-even-shakespeare-surpasses-milton-in-his-command-of-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "English words"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/no-one-not-even-shakespeare-surpasses-milton-in-his-command-of-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/philip-pullman-525_english-words_no-one-not-even-shakespeare-surpasses-mi_1998918.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/philip-pullman-525_english-words_no-one-not-even-shakespeare-surpasses-mi_1998918.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/philip-pullman-525_english-words_no-one-not-even-shakespeare-surpasses-mi_1998918.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“No one, not even Shakespeare, surpasses Milton in his command of the sound, the music, the weight and taste…” — Philip Pullman",
                "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": "Philip Pullman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“No one, not even Shakespeare, surpasses...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/no-one-not-even-shakespeare-surpasses-milton-in-his-command-of-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/no-one-not-even-shakespeare-surpasses-milton-in-his-command-of-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
