--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Still, what can thoughtful people and…" description: "\"“Still, what can thoughtful people and humanists do but struggle toward suitable words? Take me, for instance. I've been writing letters helter-skelter..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc3/saul-bellow-558_humanists_still-what-can-thoughtful-people-and-hum_698777.png" --- # Still, what can thoughtful people and humanists do but… ![“Still, what can thoughtful people and humanists do but struggle toward suitable words? Take me, for instance. I've been writing letters helter-skelter in all directions. More words. I go after reality with language. Perhaps I’d like to change it all into language, to force Madeline and Gersbach to…” quote by Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc3/saul-bellow-558_humanists_still-what-can-thoughtful-people-and-hum_698777.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc3/saul-bellow-558_humanists_still-what-can-thoughtful-people-and-hum_698777.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc3/saul-bellow-558_humanists_still-what-can-thoughtful-people-and-hum_698777.png) > ““Still, what can thoughtful people and humanists do but struggle toward suitable words? Take me, for instance. I've been writing letters helter-skelter in all directions. More words. I go after reality with language. Perhaps I’d like to change it all into language, to force Madeline and Gersbach to have a Conscience. There’s a word for you. I must be trying to keep tight the tensions without which human beings can no longer be called human. If they don’t suffer, they’ve gotten away from me. And I’ve filled the world with letters to prevent their escape. I want them in human form, and so I conjure up a whole environment and catch them in the middle. I put my whole heart into these constructions. But they are constructions.”” [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The writer wrestles with language’s power to shape reality and preserve human tension, fearing loss of suffering that defines humanity. **In simple terms:** Struggling to capture human tension in words, fearing loss of suffering defines humanity. Key Takeaway Use language to confront and preserve human tension. Themes humanism creativity existentialism art language Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - writing - philosophical essays - personal reflection Key Concepts tension authenticity human condition Questions to Reflect On - How does language shape our perception of suffering? - Can we preserve humanity through words alone? A Different Perspective Words cannot fully replace lived experience; language may distance rather than connect. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Humanists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanists/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Writing Letters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-letters/) ## Related quotes > [One of the things that I tell beginning writers is this: If you describe a landscape, or a cityscape, or a seascape, always be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/one-of-the-things-that-i-tell-beginning-writers-is-this-if-you/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [There is this tremendous body of knowledge in the world of academia where extraordinary numbers of incredibly thoughtful people have taken the time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/there-is-this-tremendous-body-of-knowledge-in-the-world-of-academia/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [Don't ever forget that a small group of thoughtful people can change the world, it's the only thing that ever has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/don-t-ever-forget-that-a-small-group-of-thoughtful-people-can-change/) [Aaron Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/) > [A small group of thoughtful people could change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/a-small-group-of-thoughtful-people-could-change-the-world/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [In recent times no problem has been more puzzling to thoughtful people than why, in a troubled world, we make such poor use of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/in-recent-times-no-problem-has-been-more-puzzling-to-thoughtful/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [“Around the world–even in some of the countries most troubled by poverty or civil war or pollution–many thoughtful people are making a deep, concerted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eknath-easwaran/around-the-world-even-in-some-of-the-countries-most-troubled-by/) [Eknath Easwaran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eknath-easwaran/) > [I've always believed that thoughtful people don't really take the tabloids seriously. They're basically a form of entertainment. I enjoy them as much as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-ve-always-believed-that-thoughtful-people-don-t-really-take-the/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [We have a lot of thoughtful people in the U.S. Senate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/we-have-a-lot-of-thoughtful-people-in-the-u-s-senate/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/a-small-group-of-thoughtful-people-could-change-the-world-indeed-it-s/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Deeply earnest and thoughtful people stand on shaky footing with the public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/deeply-earnest-and-thoughtful-people-stand-on-shaky-footing-with-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [The fact is that Americans are not a thoughtful people; they are too busy to stop and question their values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-inge/the-fact-is-that-americans-are-not-a-thoughtful-people-they-are-too/) [William Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-inge/) > [Thoughtful people of different political philosophies can disagree, but in a very agreeable manner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-ehrlich/thoughtful-people-of-different-political-philosophies-can-disagree/) [Bob Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-ehrlich/) > [“But he was thankful for the offer and dimly he was beginning to formulate in his mind the feeling that the world is made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-stratton-porter/but-he-was-thankful-for-the-offer-and-dimly-he-was-beginning-to/) [Gene Stratton-Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-stratton-porter/) > [Where can you look in your daily life and find ways to do it better, to be more thoughtful of the Earth, to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-butterfly-hill/where-can-you-look-in-your-daily-life-and-find-ways-to-do-it-better/) [Julia Butterfly Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-butterfly-hill/) > [In 19th-century France, artists were part of government. Artists are very sensitive to their time. They're very thoughtful people - it makes sense to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-peyton/in-19th-century-france-artists-were-part-of-government-artists-are/) [Elizabeth Peyton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-peyton/) ## More by Saul Bellow > [... a fellow can't predict what he will pick up in the form of influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/a-fellow-can-t-predict-what-he-will-pick-up-in-the-form-of-influence/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [If I'm out of my mind, it's all right with me, thought Moses Herzog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/if-i-m-out-of-my-mind-it-s-all-right-with-me-thought-moses-herzog/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [I have begun in old age to understand just how oddly we are all put together. We are so proud of our autonomy that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-have-begun-in-old-age-to-understand-just-how-oddly-we-are-all-put/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“On Broadway it was still bright afternoon and the gassy air was almost motionless under the leaden spokes of sunlight, and sawdust footprints lay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/on-broadway-it-was-still-bright-afternoon-and-the-gassy-air-was/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There are evils that have the ability to survive identification and go on for ever... money, for instance, or war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-are-evils-that-have-the-ability-to-survive-identification-and/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [Myself is thus and so, and will continue thus and so. And why fight it? My balance comes from instability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/myself-is-thus-and-so-and-will-continue-thus-and-so-and-why-fight-it/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“A strange heart. I myself can't account for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/a-strange-heart-i-myself-can-t-account-for-it/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [The late philosopher Morris R. Cohen of CCNY was asked by a student in the metaphysics course, Professor Cohen, how do I know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/the-late-philosopher-morris-r-cohen-of-ccny-was-asked-by-a-student-in/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“Therefore we didn't talk of genuine things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/therefore-we-didn-t-talk-of-genuine-things/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [Is our species crazy? Plenty of evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/is-our-species-crazy-plenty-of-evidence/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“But now the emphasis has shifted to making it. People have surrendered their personal moral objectives to government or schools or psychologists. It’s a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/but-now-the-emphasis-has-shifted-to-making-it-people-have-surrendered/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There's a kind of emptiness at the center of life ... nothing to form your life on, or by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-s-a-kind-of-emptiness-at-the-center-of-life-nothing-to-form/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“I don't know how it all at once came to me to talk a lot, tell jokes, kick up, and suddenly have views. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-don-t-know-how-it-all-at-once-came-to-me-to-talk-a-lot-tell-jokes/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There are times when the most practical thing is to lie down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-are-times-when-the-most-practical-thing-is-to-lie-down/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“For knowledge of death makes us wish to extend our lives at the expense of others. And this is the root of the struggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/for-knowledge-of-death-makes-us-wish-to-extend-our-lives-at-the/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) [Explore all 464 Saul Bellow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) ## More Humanists quotes > [“The same Sermon on the Mount that influenced Tolstoy to write “The Kingdom of God is Within You”, inspired me to a great extent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-same-sermon-on-the-mount-that-influenced-tolstoy-to-write-the/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“Humanists try to behave decently and honorably without any expectation of rewards or punishments in an afterlife. The creator of the Universe has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/humanists-try-to-behave-decently-and-honorably-without-any/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Well, it's an ancestral tribe. These were immigrants from north of Germany who came here about the time of the Civil War, but anyway,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/well-it-s-an-ancestral-tribe-these-were-immigrants-from-north-of/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The medieval period based its scriptural exegesis upon the Vulgate translation of the Bible. There was no authorized version of this text, despite the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alister-e-mcgrath/the-medieval-period-based-its-scriptural-exegesis-upon-the-vulgate/) [Alister E. McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alister-e-mcgrath/) > [“They say, love God, for it is the greatest virtue. I say, love humans, for there is no greater virtue, no greater religion, than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/they-say-love-god-for-it-is-the-greatest-virtue-i-say-love-humans-for/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“There is only one label worth fighting for, nay, not fighting for, that is “human”.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/there-is-only-one-label-worth-fighting-for-nay-not-fighting-for-that/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“It is arguable that when Humanists, "Shook off," as people say, "the trammels of religion," and discovered things of this world as objects of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/it-is-arguable-that-when-humanists-shook-off-as-people-say-the/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“Humanists believe that God is the most important, influential literary character human beings have ever created.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-m-epstein/humanists-believe-that-god-is-the-most-important-influential-literary/) Greg M. Epstein > [“Humanists try to behave decently and honorably without any expectation of rewards or punishments in an afterlife. And, since the creator of the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/humanists-try-to-behave-decently-and-honorably-without-any-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If the Humanists wish to be champions of reason, they should consider the following: just as they would not admit mystics into their camp,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/if-the-humanists-wish-to-be-champions-of-reason-they-should-consider/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“In the days of Locke, Hume and Voltaire humanists argued that ‘God is a product of the human imagination’. Dataism now gives humanists a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/in-the-days-of-locke-hume-and-voltaire-humanists-argued-that-god-is-a/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [Every time humanists try to get a slot on 'Thought For the Day' on Radio 4, they are told it's reserved for 'the faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-hoggart/every-time-humanists-try-to-get-a-slot-on-thought-for-the-day-on/) [Simon Hoggart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-hoggart/) > [Humanists recognize that it is only when people feel free to think for themselves, using reason as their guide, that they are best capable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/humanists-recognize-that-it-is-only-when-people-feel-free-to-think/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Environmentalists and secular humanists insist that humans will destroy the planet. Corporate capitalists and many religious fundamentalists have no regard for wildlife and nature.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-schreck/environmentalists-and-secular-humanists-insist-that-humans-will/) [Zeena Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-schreck/) > [“In reality the puritans and the humanists were quite often the same people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/in-reality-the-puritans-and-the-humanists-were-quite-often-the-same/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) [Browse all 72 Humanists quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanists/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Still, what can thoughtful people and humanists do but struggle toward suitable words? Take me, for instance. I've been writing letters helter-skelter in all directions. More words. I go after reality with language. Perhaps I’d like to change it all into language, to force Madeline and Gersbach to have a Conscience. There’s a word for you. I must be trying to keep tight the tensions without which human beings can no longer be called human. If they don’t suffer, they’ve gotten away from me. And I’ve filled the world with letters to prevent their escape. I want them in human form, and so I conjure up a whole environment and catch them in the middle. I put my whole heart into these constructions. But they are constructions.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Saul Bellow" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/still-what-can-thoughtful-people-and-humanists-do-but-struggle-toward/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Humanists" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/still-what-can-thoughtful-people-and-humanists-do-but-struggle-toward/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc3/saul-bellow-558_humanists_still-what-can-thoughtful-people-and-hum_698777.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc3/saul-bellow-558_humanists_still-what-can-thoughtful-people-and-hum_698777.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc3/saul-bellow-558_humanists_still-what-can-thoughtful-people-and-hum_698777.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Still, what can thoughtful people and humanists do but struggle toward suitable words? Take me, for…” — Saul Bellow", "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": "Saul Bellow", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Still, what can thoughtful people and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/still-what-can-thoughtful-people-and-humanists-do-but-struggle-toward/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/still-what-can-thoughtful-people-and-humanists-do-but-struggle-toward/#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 } } ] } ```