---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Some people are born with the first word…"
description: "\"Some people are born with the first word of a language resting on their tongue though it may take some time before they can taste it.\" — Shannon Hale"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/shannon-hale-827_born_some-people-are-born-with-the-first-word_735438.png"
---

#  Some people are born with the first word of a language…

![“Some people are born with the first word of a language resting on their tongue though it may take some time before they can taste it.” quote by Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/shannon-hale-827_born_some-people-are-born-with-the-first-word_735438.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/shannon-hale-827_born_some-people-are-born-with-the-first-word_735438.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/shannon-hale-827_born_some-people-are-born-with-the-first-word_735438.png)

> “Some people are born with the first word of a language resting on their tongue though it may take some time before they can taste it.”

[Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/)

## About This Quote

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

Language acquisition is innate, but true mastery requires time and experience beyond the first word.

**In simple terms:** First words are natural; mastery takes practice.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate patience in learning skills.

Themes

learning language growth

Mood

inspirational thoughtful

Type

educational philosophical

When to use this quote

- early childhood education
- language classes
- self‑directed learning
- skill workshops

Key Concepts

cognitive development innate ability skill acquisition

Questions to Reflect On

- What skills feel innate to you?
- How do you balance natural talent with deliberate practice?

A Different Perspective

Innate talent may be overestimated; effort remains essential.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [Its important to know stories. I felt the earth shift to make a place for you when you were born, and I came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/its-important-to-know-stories-i-felt-the-earth-shift-to-make-a-place/)

[Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/)

> [The best time for you to hold your tongue is the time you feel you must say something or bust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/the-best-time-for-you-to-hold-your-tongue-is-the-time-you-feel-you/)

[Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/)

> [“One could tolerate an acid tongue for a time when the owner of it was so very pretty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-anne-long/one-could-tolerate-an-acid-tongue-for-a-time-when-the-owner-of-it-was/)

[Julie Anne Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-anne-long/)

> [The vice-president's tongue is several time zones ahead of his brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-buckley/the-vice-president-s-tongue-is-several-time-zones-ahead-of-his-brain/)

[Christopher Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-buckley/)

> [What a joy to know where one is, and where one will stay, without being there. Nothing to do but stretch out comfortably on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/what-a-joy-to-know-where-one-is-and-where-one-will-stay-without-being/)

[Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/)

> [It seems odd to think of tasting without any perceptive experience, but you are doing it right now. Humans have taste receptor cells in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/it-seems-odd-to-think-of-tasting-without-any-perceptive-experience/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

> [Everything we think we know is really only perceived by our senses,' he explains patiently. 'The sounds we hear are just waves in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-mass/everything-we-think-we-know-is-really-only-perceived-by-our-senses-he/)

[Wendy Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-mass/)

> [I liked the taste of beer, its live, white lather, its brass-bright depths, the sudden world through the wet-brown walls of the glass, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-thomas/i-liked-the-taste-of-beer-its-live-white-lather-its-brass-bright/)

[Dylan Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-thomas/)

> [“Make sure he's worth it. She had thought it so many times it had become a part of her. Like her tongue filling her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccarty/make-sure-he-s-worth-it-she-had-thought-it-so-many-times-it-had/)

Colleen McCarty

> [Humor is consistent with pathos, whilst wit is not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/humor-is-consistent-with-pathos-whilst-wit-is-not/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [In the name of Jerusalem. If I forget the extermination of the Jews, may my right hand wither, may my tongue stick to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menachem-begin/in-the-name-of-jerusalem-if-i-forget-the-extermination-of-the-jews/)

[Menachem Begin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menachem-begin/)

> [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/)

[Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/)

> [On July 26, 1916, I announced to all my friends in America that from now on I resolved to write no more poems in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hu-shih/on-july-26-1916-i-announced-to-all-my-friends-in-america-that-from/)

[Hu Shih](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hu-shih/)

> [“He grabbed a pancake off the nearest plate, tore a bite-sized piece off, and held it in front of her lips. Her nostrils flared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eden-summers/he-grabbed-a-pancake-off-the-nearest-plate-tore-a-bite-sized-piece/)

[Eden Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eden-summers/)

> [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/)

[Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/)

## More by Shannon Hale

> [“Well, write me into the list of Those Who Don’t Mind a Bit,” said Cupid, eyeing his perfectly toned arms and chest. “My, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/well-write-me-into-the-list-of-those-who-don-t-mind-a-bit-said-cupid/)

[Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/)

> [“Sometimes instinct isn't fancy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/sometimes-instinct-isn-t-fancy/)

[Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/)

> [Enna leaned back her head and laughed at the sky. 'Of course he wasn't! Who could kill Razo?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/enna-leaned-back-her-head-and-laughed-at-the-sky-of-course-he-wasn-t/)

[Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/)

> [“Um… I guess that’s that,” said Cerise. “That?” said Maddie. “That is never that. This is that. Or else that is this. And this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/um-i-guess-that-s-that-said-cerise-that-said-maddie-that-is-never/)

[Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/)

> [The book smelled dusty and old but also carried a sweet tang, a hint of something inviting. She opened to the first page and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/the-book-smelled-dusty-and-old-but-also-carried-a-sweet-tang-a-hint/)

[Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/)

> [Geric," she called. He turned back around. "What kind of flowers were they?" "I don't rightly know," he said. He made faltering gestures with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/geric-she-called-he-turned-back-around-what-kind-of-flowers-were-they/)

[Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/)

> [How I keep trying to force our story into a fairy tale, but from the beginning, it's been more like a nursery rhyme." "Bizarre…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/how-i-keep-trying-to-force-our-story-into-a-fairy-tale-but-from-the/)

[Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/)

> [“He wildly combed his hair with his fingers. “I can’t bear to be out there with you right now, all those indifferent people watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/he-wildly-combed-his-hair-with-his-fingers-i-can-t-bear-to-be-out/)

[Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/)

> [But, how do you know if an ending is truly good for the characters unless you've traveled with them through every page?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/but-how-do-you-know-if-an-ending-is-truly-good-for-the-characters/)

[Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/)

> [“Sometimes it seems my identity’s a matter of opinion”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/sometimes-it-seems-my-identity-s-a-matter-of-opinion/)

[Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/)

> [The snow was too light to stay, the ground too warm to keep it. And the strange spring snow fell only in that golden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/the-snow-was-too-light-to-stay-the-ground-too-warm-to-keep-it-and-the/)

[Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/)

> [Even the jerks earn some of our affection. We can be glad they're gone and yet still mourn the good parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/even-the-jerks-earn-some-of-our-affection-we-can-be-glad-they-re-gone/)

[Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/)

> [Smell is the voice of the soul...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/smell-is-the-voice-of-the-soul/)

[Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/)

> [“It was my jewelry!” Briar shouted after his father because he’d forgotten to ask what was stolen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/it-was-my-jewelry-briar-shouted-after-his-father-because-he-d/)

[Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/)

> [Oh, but I like my geese. Like cats, they can't be told what to do, and like dogs, they're loyal, and like people, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/oh-but-i-like-my-geese-like-cats-they-can-t-be-told-what-to-do-and/)

[Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/)

[Explore all 358 Shannon Hale quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/)

## More Born quotes

> [My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/my-mother-says-i-didn-t-open-my-eyes-for-eight-days-after-i-was-born/)

[Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/)

> [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/)

[Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/)

> [The real world out there isn't nearly as nice as some people prefer it to be, so don't swallow everything your high-born teachers tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-world-out-there-isn-t-nearly-as-nice-as-some-people-prefer/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Anybody looking for a quiet life has picked the wrong century to born in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anybody-looking-for-a-quiet-life-has-picked-the-wrong-century-to-born/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [I know that in the rap game you've got a lot of people, that come from poverty, was born in poverty and if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-connor/i-know-that-in-the-rap-game-you-ve-got-a-lot-of-people-that-come-from/)

[Jon Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-connor/)

> [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/)

[Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/)

> [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/)

[Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [I'm not against gay people. I have a relative who is also gay. We can't help it if they were born that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-pacquiao/i-m-not-against-gay-people-i-have-a-relative-who-is-also-gay-we-can-t/)

[Manny Pacquiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-pacquiao/)

> [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [For the glory born of Goodness Never dies, And its flag is not half-masted In the skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/for-the-glory-born-of-goodness-never-dies-and-its-flag-is-not-half/)

[Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/)

> [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/)

[Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/)

> [If you can believe it, Hollywood wanted to change my birthdate. I was born after Valentine's Day, so they wanted to change it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-romero/if-you-can-believe-it-hollywood-wanted-to-change-my-birthdate-i-was/)

[Cesar Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-romero/)

Browse all 11,606 Born quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Some people are born with the first word of a language resting on their tongue though it may take some time before they can taste it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Shannon Hale"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/some-people-are-born-with-the-first-word-of-a-language-resting-on/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Born"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/some-people-are-born-with-the-first-word-of-a-language-resting-on/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/shannon-hale-827_born_some-people-are-born-with-the-first-word_735438.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/shannon-hale-827_born_some-people-are-born-with-the-first-word_735438.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/shannon-hale-827_born_some-people-are-born-with-the-first-word_735438.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Some people are born with the first word of a language resting on their tongue though it may take some time…” — Shannon Hale",
                "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": "Shannon Hale",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Some people are born with the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/some-people-are-born-with-the-first-word-of-a-language-resting-on/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/some-people-are-born-with-the-first-word-of-a-language-resting-on/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
