--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are all full of discourses that we…" description: "\"We are all full of discourses that we only half understand and half mean.\" — Rae Armantrout" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0d/rae-armantrout-15496_discourse_we-are-all-full-of-discourses-that-we-on_1858405.png" --- # We are all full of discourses that we only half understand… ![“We are all full of discourses that we only half understand and half mean.” quote by Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0d/rae-armantrout-15496_discourse_we-are-all-full-of-discourses-that-we-on_1858405.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0d/rae-armantrout-15496_discourse_we-are-all-full-of-discourses-that-we-on_1858405.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0d/rae-armantrout-15496_discourse_we-are-all-full-of-discourses-that-we-on_1858405.png) > “We are all full of discourses that we only half understand and half mean.” [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often speak in half‑understood fragments, revealing incomplete comprehension. **In simple terms:** We speak in half‑understood ways. Key Takeaway Seek deeper understanding in conversation. Themes communication language perception Mood thoughtful introspective Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - literary analysis - philosophical discussion - teaching seminars Key Concepts semantic ambiguity partial meaning cognitive limits Questions to Reflect On - What does “half‑understood” mean to you? - How can you clarify ambiguous statements? A Different Perspective Misinterpretation can cause conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Discourse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discourse/) ## Related quotes > [Contention is inseparable from creating knowledge. It is not contention we should try to avoid, but discourses that attempt to suppress contention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-appleby/contention-is-inseparable-from-creating-knowledge-it-is-not/) [Joyce Appleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-appleby/) > [The most superficial fact regarding the 'Discourses,' the fact that the number of its chapters equals the number of books of Livy's 'History,' compelled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-strauss/the-most-superficial-fact-regarding-the-discourses-the-fact-that-the/) [Leo Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-strauss/) > [The most tedious of all discourses are on the subject of the Supreme Being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-most-tedious-of-all-discourses-are-on-the-subject-of-the-supreme/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“Spiritual discourses with poor people is good, but what is the use of bad company of wealthy people?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/spiritual-discourses-with-poor-people-is-good-but-what-is-the-use-of/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [The greatest mistake we humans make in our relationships; We listen half, understand quarter, think zero, and react double.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-greatest-mistake-we-humans-make-in-our-relationships-we-listen/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The greatest mistakes that we humans make in our relationships: We listen half understand quarter think zero and react double.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedric/the-greatest-mistakes-that-we-humans-make-in-our-relationships-we/) [Cedric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedric/) > [“Theological discourses function in various ways as sites of contestation and resistance, of forming new religious and personal identities, and of building solidarities. Theological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/namsoon-kang/theological-discourses-function-in-various-ways-as-sites-of/) [Namsoon Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/namsoon-kang/) > [I've discovered that half the people would love to go into space and there's no need to explain it to them. The other half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-ride/i-ve-discovered-that-half-the-people-would-love-to-go-into-space-and/) [Sally Ride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-ride/) > [There is not one but many silences, and they are an integral part of the strategies that underlie and permeate discourses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/there-is-not-one-but-many-silences-and-they-are-an-integral-part-of/) [Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/) > [“If people fully understand you, they will think of you as a normal, if they half understand you, will think of you as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/if-people-fully-understand-you-they-will-think-of-you-as-a-normal-if/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [It is well sometimes to half understand a poem in the same manner that we half understand the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-well-sometimes-to-half-understand-a-poem-in-the-same-manner/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Women, if I understood them half as well as I understand fractions, I'd have said a third. But I don't have time for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/women-if-i-understood-them-half-as-well-as-i-understand-fractions-i-d/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [The greatest mistake ,we human make in our relationship: We listen half,understand quarter,think zero and react double.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-greatest-mistake-we-human-make-in-our-relationship-we-listen-half/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“discourses were chiefly either polemic arguments or explications of the peculiar doctrines of our sect, and were all to me very dry, uninteresting, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/discourses-were-chiefly-either-polemic-arguments-or-explications-of/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Women have an amazingly mysterious ability of communication. They listen half, understand quarter but can tell double](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy/women-have-an-amazingly-mysterious-ability-of-communication-they/) Rudy ## More by Rae Armantrout > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [“this route is only one of several imaginary paths.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/this-route-is-only-one-of-several-imaginary-paths/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [“To reinvent anomalous figments.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/to-reinvent-anomalous-figments/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [I know you by your willingness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-know-you-by-your-willingness/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [People probably long for something genuinely personal in a society where the personal is often indistinguishable from the "personalized." Maybe the poetry audience member…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/people-probably-long-for-something-genuinely-personal-in-a-society/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [“The jacaranda, for instance, is beautiful but not serious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/the-jacaranda-for-instance-is-beautiful-but-not-serious/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [Like most of my poems, 'Lie' has several sources: I read a very troubling book called The Sixth Extinction. I took note of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/like-most-of-my-poems-lie-has-several-sources-i-read-a-very-troubling/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [Poets tend to form loose groups - the "Romantics" or the "Imagists". And sometimes they write manifestoes in the name of these groups. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/poets-tend-to-form-loose-groups-the-romantics-or-the-imagists-and/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [“Evening succeeds evening.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/evening-succeeds-evening/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [The ghosts swarm. They speak as one person. Each has left something undone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/the-ghosts-swarm-they-speak-as-one-person-each-has-left-something/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [Metaphor is ritual sacrifice. It kills the look-alike. No, metaphor is homeopathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/metaphor-is-ritual-sacrifice-it-kills-the-look-alike-no-metaphor-is/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [Carried by light, images remain while sensation is so evanescent as to be always beyond belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/carried-by-light-images-remain-while-sensation-is-so-evanescent-as-to/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [“The feeling of emptiness is a pre-existing condition. Jargon forces intimacy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/the-feeling-of-emptiness-is-a-pre-existing-condition-jargon-forces/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [Like all my poems, 'Negotiations' has several sources. It deals with aging lovers and the often silent deals they make. Thinking about bargains made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/like-all-my-poems-negotiations-has-several-sources-it-deals-with/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [clarity need not be equivalent to / readability. How readable is the world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/clarity-need-not-be-equivalent-to-readability-how-readable-is-the/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) [Explore all 43 Rae Armantrout quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) ## More Discourse quotes > [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. 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But it is rude to argue about politics with people you disagree with.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/it-s-fine-to-talk-about-politics-with-people-you-agree-with-but-it-is/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [There is no question but that nominally religious scientists like Francis Collins and Kenneth R. Miller are doing lasting harm to our discourse by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/there-is-no-question-but-that-nominally-religious-scientists-like/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [When the only people in mainstream discourse who care about the working class are Wall Street investors, it really is time to ask where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-noah/when-the-only-people-in-mainstream-discourse-who-care-about-the/) [Timothy Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-noah/) > [ That is another theme in the book \[Dreams from My Father\]. How do we exercise more empathy in our public discourse? How do we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/that-is-another-theme-in-the-book-dreams-from-my-father-how-do-we/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I am interested in levels of brain discourse. How articulate are the voices in your head? You know, there's a different voice for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/i-am-interested-in-levels-of-brain-discourse-how-articulate-are-the/) [Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/) > [Silence is the universal refuge, the sequel to all dull discourses and all foolish acts, a balm to our every chagrin, as welcome after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/silence-is-the-universal-refuge-the-sequel-to-all-dull-discourses-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What makes power hold good, what makes it accepted, is simply the fact that it doesn't only weigh on us as a force that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/what-makes-power-hold-good-what-makes-it-accepted-is-simply-the-fact/) [Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/) > [I've watched politics for years. Republicans rarely get credit for the good things that happen in the economy during their watch. Democrats always get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-ve-watched-politics-for-years-republicans-rarely-get-credit-for-the/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [While the intelligence profession oftentimes demands secrecy, it is critically important that there be a full and open discourse on intelligence matters with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-brennan/while-the-intelligence-profession-oftentimes-demands-secrecy-it-is/) [John O. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-brennan/) > [I wish we had a more open discourse. It's just a shame that with our 24-hour news media and the Internet, people have become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-james/i-wish-we-had-a-more-open-discourse-it-s-just-a-shame-that-with-our/) [Jim James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-james/) > [We want to create, never mind the leaders or the bishops or chief rabbis or imams, or Popes. We want to create a grassroots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/we-want-to-create-never-mind-the-leaders-or-the-bishops-or-chief/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [ Sweet discourse makes short daies and nights. \[Sweet discourse makes short days and nights.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/sweet-discourse-makes-short-daies-and-nights-sweet-discourse-makes/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) [Browse all 641 Discourse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discourse/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are all full of discourses that we only half understand and half mean.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rae Armantrout" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/we-are-all-full-of-discourses-that-we-only-half-understand-and-half/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Discourse" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/we-are-all-full-of-discourses-that-we-only-half-understand-and-half/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0d/rae-armantrout-15496_discourse_we-are-all-full-of-discourses-that-we-on_1858405.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0d/rae-armantrout-15496_discourse_we-are-all-full-of-discourses-that-we-on_1858405.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0d/rae-armantrout-15496_discourse_we-are-all-full-of-discourses-that-we-on_1858405.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We are all full of discourses that we only half understand and half mean.” — Rae Armantrout", "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": "Rae Armantrout", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We are all full of discourses...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/we-are-all-full-of-discourses-that-we-only-half-understand-and-half/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/we-are-all-full-of-discourses-that-we-only-half-understand-and-half/#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 } } ] } ```