--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every word which is used to express a…" description: "\"Every word which is used to express a moral or intellectual fact, if traced to its root, is found to be borrowed from some material appearance.\" — Ralp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bd/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_appearance_every-word-which-is-used-to-express-a-mo_1370702.png" --- # Every word which is used to express a moral or… ![“Every word which is used to express a moral or intellectual fact, if traced to its root, is found to be borrowed from some material appearance.” quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bd/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_appearance_every-word-which-is-used-to-express-a-mo_1370702.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bd/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_appearance_every-word-which-is-used-to-express-a-mo_1370702.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bd/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_appearance_every-word-which-is-used-to-express-a-mo_1370702.png) > “Every word which is used to express a moral or intellectual fact, if traced to its root, is found to be borrowed from some material appearance.” [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Moral and intellectual concepts are derived from tangible experiences, showing that abstract ideas have material origins. **In simple terms:** Ideas stem from physical experiences. Key Takeaway Recognize material roots of abstract thoughts. Themes language philosophy materialism Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - education - writing - critical analysis Key Concepts etymology conceptual origin Questions to Reflect On - How does material experience shape moral ideas? - Can abstract thought exist without physical reference? A Different Perspective Abstract concepts may evolve beyond original material roots. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appearance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appearance/) [Borrowed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borrowed/) [Borrowed Material](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borrowed-material-4719418/) [Fact Traced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fact-traced-4719421/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Intellectual Fact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual-fact-4719420/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Materials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materials/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Root Borrowed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/root-borrowed-4719419/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) ## Related quotes > [Man is physical as well as metaphysical, a thing of shreds and patches, borrowed unequally from good and bad ancestors, and a misfit from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/man-is-physical-as-well-as-metaphysical-a-thing-of-shreds-and-patches/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [A certain awkwardness marks the use of borrowed thoughts; but as soon as we have learned what to do with them, they become our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-certain-awkwardness-marks-the-use-of-borrowed-thoughts-but-as-soon/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Is all literature eavesdropping, and all art Chinese imitation? our life a custom, and our body borrowed, like a beggar’s dinner, from a hundred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/is-all-literature-eavesdropping-and-all-art-chinese-imitation-our/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [There is no event greater in life than the appearance of new persons about our hearth, except it be the progress of the characterwhich…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/there-is-no-event-greater-in-life-than-the-appearance-of-new-persons/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [A complete man should need no auxiliaries to his personal presence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-complete-man-should-need-no-auxiliaries-to-his-personal-presence/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In 1981, I borrowed 2,000 pounds - a lot of money back then - paid 50 quid for a seat, packed my own sandwich,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brosnan/in-1981-i-borrowed-2-000-pounds-a-lot-of-money-back-then-paid-50-quid/) [Pierce Brosnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brosnan/) > [There is a word Kristos in the Greek dictionary, and this word is supposed to be borrowed from the Sanskrit word "Krishna," and Christ…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-bhaktivedanta-swami-prabhupada/there-is-a-word-kristos-in-the-greek-dictionary-and-this-word-is/) [A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-bhaktivedanta-swami-prabhupada/) > [I'm so sick of mermaid dresses, trains, borrowed bling-bling, and a pose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-leon-talley/i-m-so-sick-of-mermaid-dresses-trains-borrowed-bling-bling-and-a-pose/) [Andre Leon Talley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-leon-talley/) > [Investors, of course, can, by their own behavior make stock ownership highly risky. And many do. 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When the mind is braced by labor and invention, the page of whatever book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/there-is-then-creative-reading-as-well-as-creative-writing-when-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The order of things consents to virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-order-of-things-consents-to-virtue/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Life only avails, not the having lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/life-only-avails-not-the-having-lived/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [A child reminds us that playtime is an essential part of our daily routine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-child-reminds-us-that-playtime-is-an-essential-part-of-our-daily/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [No man can be criticised but by a greater than he. Do not, then, read the reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/no-man-can-be-criticised-but-by-a-greater-than-he-do-not-then-read/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. 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A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) [Explore all 4,802 Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## More Appearance quotes > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. 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