--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That's how ideas and the institutions…" description: "\"“That's how ideas and the institutions they generate come to be in the first place. It is in strings of words that we make ideas. The words, however, c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e2/richard-mitchell-18161_first-place_that-s-how-ideas-and-the-institutions-th_94979.jpg" --- # That's how ideas and the institutions they generate come… ![“That's how ideas and the institutions they generate come to be in the first place. It is in strings of words that we make ideas. The words, however, can say anything that the language permits, which, in our case, is quite a lot, so a string of words can just as easily express inanities as ideas…” quote by Richard Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e2/richard-mitchell-18161_first-place_that-s-how-ideas-and-the-institutions-th_94979.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e2/richard-mitchell-18161_first-place_that-s-how-ideas-and-the-institutions-th_94979.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e2/richard-mitchell-18161_first-place_that-s-how-ideas-and-the-institutions-th_94979.jpg) > ““That's how ideas and the institutions they generate come to be in the first place. It is in strings of words that we make ideas. The words, however, can say anything that the language permits, which, in our case, is quite a lot, so a string of words can just as easily express inanities as ideas. When inanities are expressed, we can discover them just by paying attention to the words.”” [Richard Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-mitchell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ideas arise from language; words can convey profound thoughts or trivialities, and careful attention reveals the latter. **In simple terms:** Words shape ideas, both good and bad. Key Takeaway Pay attention to language to spot nonsense. Themes language ideas critical thinking communication analysis Mood reflective inquisitive thoughtful Type philosophical observational didactic When to use this quote - literary criticism - academic writing - media literacy workshops - philosophical debates Key Concepts words ideas strings meaning attention Practical Applications - critical reading instruction - writing workshops Questions to Reflect On - How does word choice influence the strength of an argument? - What habits help you detect vacuous statements? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [First place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-place/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Paying Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paying-attention/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) ## Related quotes > [“There is indeed power in words. 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Stripped down to its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-t-o-conner/an-idea-in-your-head-is-merely-an-idle-notion-but-an-idea-written/) [Patricia T. O'Conner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-t-o-conner/) > [“One of the difficulties of thinking clearly about anything is that it is almost impossible not to form our ideas in words which have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-milne-2/one-of-the-difficulties-of-thinking-clearly-about-anything-is-that-it/) [A.A. Milne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-milne-2/) > [Sometimes ideas just come to me. Other times I have to sweat and almost bleed to make ideas come. It's a mysterious process, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/sometimes-ideas-just-come-to-me-other-times-i-have-to-sweat-and/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [Great ideas are a dime a dozen.Its the few who make their ideas real who move the world forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/great-ideas-are-a-dime-a-dozen-its-the-few-who-make-their-ideas-real/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“So the question is not, when is an idea too big? It’s how do I make all ideas smaller and achievable? You do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/so-the-question-is-not-when-is-an-idea-too-big-it-s-how-do-i-make-all/) [James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/) > [I make so many ideas, it's impossible to finish every single one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-dukes/i-make-so-many-ideas-it-s-impossible-to-finish-every-single-one/) [Frank Dukes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-dukes/) > [To make ideas effective, we must be able to fire them off. 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