--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Does it matter that people and things…" description: "\"“Does it matter that people and things Have words, Have names? If not, Why read any book? A litany of useless letters Detached from bone, muscle. Or ar..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/345/stasia-ward-kehoe-22627_books_does-it-matter-that-people-and-things-ha_656347.jpg" --- # Does it matter that people and things Have words, Have… ![“Does it matter that people and things Have words, Have names? If not, Why read any book? A litany of useless letters Detached from bone, muscle. Or are words the only things that make the muscle, bone, memory, movement, Person Real?” quote by Stasia Ward Kehoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/345/stasia-ward-kehoe-22627_books_does-it-matter-that-people-and-things-ha_656347.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/345/stasia-ward-kehoe-22627_books_does-it-matter-that-people-and-things-ha_656347.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/345/stasia-ward-kehoe-22627_books_does-it-matter-that-people-and-things-ha_656347.jpg) > ““Does it matter that people and things Have words, Have names? If not, Why read any book? A litany of useless letters Detached from bone, muscle. Or are words the only things that make the muscle, bone, memory, movement, Person Real?”” [Stasia Ward Kehoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stasia-ward-kehoe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Words shape perception and identity; without them, meaning collapses. **In simple terms:** Words give shape to thought. Key Takeaway Value precise language. Themes language identity meaning Mood thoughtful curious Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - writing - education - marketing - personal reflection Key Concepts semiotics cognition communication Questions to Reflect On - How do words influence your reality? - When do you prioritize action over description? A Different Perspective Overreliance on words can obscure action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Muscle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muscle/) [Questions-in-life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/questions-in-life/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“I’ve always believed that everything had a word to describe it, that anything could be written about, that there was nothing that couldn’t be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-k-ryals/i-ve-always-believed-that-everything-had-a-word-to-describe-it-that/) [R.K. Ryals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-k-ryals/) > [“Words are things. The words he is in possession of he cannot be deprived of. Their authority transcends his ignorance of their meaning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/words-are-things-the-words-he-is-in-possession-of-he-cannot-be/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [It used to be a common saying of Myson's that men ought not to seek for things in words, but for words in things;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes-laertius/it-used-to-be-a-common-saying-of-myson-s-that-men-ought-not-to-seek/) [Diogenes Laertius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes-laertius/) > [Those things for which we find words, are things we have already overcome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/those-things-for-which-we-find-words-are-things-we-have-already/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [We live not only in a world of thoughts, but also in a world of things. Words without experience are meaningless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/we-live-not-only-in-a-world-of-thoughts-but-also-in-a-world-of-things/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [Words, however, are things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bulwer-lytton-1st-earl-of-lytton/words-however-are-things/) [Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bulwer-lytton-1st-earl-of-lytton/) > [“The words go together. Some things are created to be together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-condie/the-words-go-together-some-things-are-created-to-be-together/) [Ally Condie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-condie/) > [“Doubts are good. Confusion is excellent. Questions are awesome. All these are attempts to expand the wisdom of mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manoj-arora/doubts-are-good-confusion-is-excellent-questions-are-awesome-all/) [Manoj Arora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manoj-arora/) > [“Even cats have questions – like “Can’t you see my bowl is empty?” or “Why don’t you turn off the \*\*\*! rain now?” From…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/even-cats-have-questions-like-can-t-you-see-my-bowl-is-empty-or-why/) [Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/) > [“I follow and cultivate my own curiosity. I think curiosity is one of the top two or three human characteristics. It's something that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-green/i-follow-and-cultivate-my-own-curiosity-i-think-curiosity-is-one-of/) [Hank Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-green/) > [“What if the actual sin was that despite the fact of knowing how cruel and unfair this world is; we still bring children to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-chami-kassis/what-if-the-actual-sin-was-that-despite-the-fact-of-knowing-how-cruel/) [Sandra Chami Kassis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-chami-kassis/) > [“It can't be that life is so senseless and horrible. But if it really has been so horrible and senseless, why must I die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/it-can-t-be-that-life-is-so-senseless-and-horrible-but-if-it-really/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“I think that's the worst part. The thought that no one will remember me when I'm gone. Sure, my parents will. Fern will. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-harmon/i-think-that-s-the-worst-part-the-thought-that-no-one-will-remember/) [Amy Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-harmon/) > [“What did he understand? Nothing. Where was he headed? Nowhere. What did he want? To know. What? A meaning. Why? A riddle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/what-did-he-understand-nothing-where-was-he-headed-nowhere-what-did/) [Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) > [“Don't let yourself get bored. Exist to question; question your existence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-cooper/don-t-let-yourself-get-bored-exist-to-question-question-your-existence/) [Doug Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-cooper/) ## More by Stasia Ward Kehoe > [“Maybe he, like me, is engaged in the kind of unspoken rebellion you don't want to perform too brightly since you're never certain anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stasia-ward-kehoe/maybe-he-like-me-is-engaged-in-the-kind-of-unspoken-rebellion-you-don/) [Stasia Ward Kehoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stasia-ward-kehoe/) > [“It is strange to hear my words Read back to me. I don't think I wrote them To have them ever leave the page.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stasia-ward-kehoe/it-is-strange-to-hear-my-words-read-back-to-me-i-don-t-think-i-wrote/) [Stasia Ward Kehoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stasia-ward-kehoe/) > [“Wish my life were inside a book So I could turn to the ending, See if it is a love story Or a gothic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stasia-ward-kehoe/wish-my-life-were-inside-a-book-so-i-could-turn-to-the-ending-see-if/) [Stasia Ward Kehoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stasia-ward-kehoe/) > [“The dusty library air is electric with secrets/ almost palpable in the thick quiet that bounces between/ Cal and those books and me”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stasia-ward-kehoe/the-dusty-library-air-is-electric-with-secrets-almost-palpable-in-the/) [Stasia Ward Kehoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stasia-ward-kehoe/) > [“I wish I could concentrate on dancing Instead of spending so much time pretending I am still in junior high But with Rem, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stasia-ward-kehoe/i-wish-i-could-concentrate-on-dancing-instead-of-spending-so-much/) [Stasia Ward Kehoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stasia-ward-kehoe/) > [“Am I lonelier now Than when my sad imagination Had him disappear? Heart torn, Loosing tiny droplets Of sorrow No tape can measure No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stasia-ward-kehoe/am-i-lonelier-now-than-when-my-sad-imagination-had-him-disappear/) [Stasia Ward Kehoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stasia-ward-kehoe/) > [“Thank God there are places with sounds that make me cry from beauty, not from pain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stasia-ward-kehoe/thank-god-there-are-places-with-sounds-that-make-me-cry-from-beauty/) [Stasia Ward Kehoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stasia-ward-kehoe/) > [“I feel his arm Lightly Over me. He takes one of my outstretched hands. Draws it beneath my stomach. "One more time..." This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stasia-ward-kehoe/i-feel-his-arm-lightly-over-me-he-takes-one-of-my-outstretched-hands/) [Stasia Ward Kehoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stasia-ward-kehoe/) > [“The tips of my overgrown bangs dip into the wet of my tears. My fingers, forehead, moisten with sweat. I fight the slipperiness, press…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stasia-ward-kehoe/the-tips-of-my-overgrown-bangs-dip-into-the-wet-of-my-tears-my/) [Stasia Ward Kehoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stasia-ward-kehoe/) > [“Do I dare ask him for what I want, As if I knew it, Could find it on some page In some chapter In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stasia-ward-kehoe/do-i-dare-ask-him-for-what-i-want-as-if-i-knew-it-could-find-it-on/) [Stasia Ward Kehoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stasia-ward-kehoe/) > [“Dare I tell them that since I came here to dance I have been giving pieces of my body away To ridiculous diets, To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stasia-ward-kehoe/dare-i-tell-them-that-since-i-came-here-to-dance-i-have-been-giving/) [Stasia Ward Kehoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stasia-ward-kehoe/) > [“Her body disappears like my voice When I look too closely in the mirror Without the pages of a notebook, a pen To save…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stasia-ward-kehoe/her-body-disappears-like-my-voice-when-i-look-too-closely-in-the/) [Stasia Ward Kehoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stasia-ward-kehoe/) > [“It seems to me that every day Is an audition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stasia-ward-kehoe/it-seems-to-me-that-every-day-is-an-audition/) [Stasia Ward Kehoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stasia-ward-kehoe/) > [“Let's give our slave a big dream. A big future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stasia-ward-kehoe/let-s-give-our-slave-a-big-dream-a-big-future/) [Stasia Ward Kehoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stasia-ward-kehoe/) > [“I am pretty sure the myth of me Is better than the reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stasia-ward-kehoe/i-am-pretty-sure-the-myth-of-me-is-better-than-the-reality/) [Stasia Ward Kehoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stasia-ward-kehoe/) [Explore all 27 Stasia Ward Kehoe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stasia-ward-kehoe/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Does it matter that people and things Have words, Have names? If not, Why read any book? A litany of useless letters Detached from bone, muscle. 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