--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pardon all runners, All speechless, alien…" description: "\"Pardon all runners, All speechless, alien winds, All mad waters. Pardon their impulses, Their wild attitudes, Their young flights, their reticence. Whe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/861/thomas-merton-231_aliens_pardon-all-runners-all-speechless-alien_2436780.jpg" --- # Pardon all runners, All speechless, alien winds, All mad… ![“Pardon all runners, All speechless, alien winds, All mad waters. Pardon their impulses, Their wild attitudes, Their young flights, their reticence. When a message has no clothes on How can it be spoken.” quote by Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/861/thomas-merton-231_aliens_pardon-all-runners-all-speechless-alien_2436780.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/861/thomas-merton-231_aliens_pardon-all-runners-all-speechless-alien_2436780.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/861/thomas-merton-231_aliens_pardon-all-runners-all-speechless-alien_2436780.jpg) > “Pardon all runners, All speechless, alien winds, All mad waters. Pardon their impulses, Their wild attitudes, Their young flights, their reticence. When a message has no clothes on How can it be spoken.” [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A poetic meditation on the difficulty of expressing deep truths when language is insufficient. **In simple terms:** Words often fail to convey profound feelings. Key Takeaway Seek non‑verbal ways to communicate depth. Themes spirituality expression language silence Mood contemplative poetic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative writing - therapy - artistic expression Key Concepts mysticism communication ineffability Questions to Reflect On - What moments have you felt speech inadequate? - How can silence convey meaning? A Different Perspective Words can also mislead or oversimplify. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aliens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aliens/) [Attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) [Clothes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clothes/) [Clothes Spoken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clothes-spoken-350335/) [Flight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flight/) [Forgiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/) [Impulse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impulse/) [Mad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mad/) [Message Clothes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/message-clothes-350331/) [Messages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messages/) [Pardon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pardon/) [Pardon Impulses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pardon-impulses-350332/) [Pardon Runners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pardon-runners-350334/) [Reticence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reticence/) [Reticence Message](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reticence-message-350333/) [Runners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/runners/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Speechless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speechless/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) ## Related quotes > [Theres that initial reticence for some athletes to take you seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-guerrero/theres-that-initial-reticence-for-some-athletes-to-take-you-seriously/) [Lisa Guerrero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-guerrero/) > [Whatever deficiencies the leaders of the American Revolution may have had, reticence, fortunately, was not one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-bailyn/whatever-deficiencies-the-leaders-of-the-american-revolution-may-have/) [Bernard Bailyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-bailyn/) > [“There are a great many opinions in this world, and a good half of them are professed by people who have never been in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/there-are-a-great-many-opinions-in-this-world-and-a-good-half-of-them/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [Racing is a great mania to which one must sacrifice everything, without reticence, without hesitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enzo-ferrari/racing-is-a-great-mania-to-which-one-must-sacrifice-everything/) [Enzo Ferrari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enzo-ferrari/) > [The name Shatner is Austrian and partly Germanic, and there's Germanic reticence and silence perhaps, but there is passion underneath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/the-name-shatner-is-austrian-and-partly-germanic-and-there-s-germanic/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [Still, there is a basic reticence about his approach that feels refreshing in today's culture of maximum exposure. Brandt did not go to great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-smee/still-there-is-a-basic-reticence-about-his-approach-that-feels/) [Sebastian Smee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-smee/) > [There is a probably natural and learned reticence with myself talking about my early life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-stephenson/there-is-a-probably-natural-and-learned-reticence-with-myself-talking/) [Pamela Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-stephenson/) > [I remember manners, that's when people are scared to make other persons mad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/i-remember-manners-that-s-when-people-are-scared-to-make-other/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [The art of flirtation is dying. A man and woman are either in love these days or just friends. In the realm of love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-mannes/the-art-of-flirtation-is-dying-a-man-and-woman-are-either-in-love/) [Marya Mannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-mannes/) > [“There are many men in London, you know, who, some from shyness, some from misanthropy, have no wish for the company of their fellows.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/there-are-many-men-in-london-you-know-who-some-from-shyness-some-from/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [As anyone who has covered the company for any length of time knows, Yahoo's record on major decision-making has been akin to a hippie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-swisher/as-anyone-who-has-covered-the-company-for-any-length-of-time-knows/) [Kara Swisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-swisher/) > [It is not a life at all. It is a reticence, in three volumes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-e-gladstone/it-is-not-a-life-at-all-it-is-a-reticence-in-three-volumes/) [William E. Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-e-gladstone/) > [A judicious reticence is hard to learn, but it is one of the great lessons of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/a-judicious-reticence-is-hard-to-learn-but-it-is-one-of-the-great/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [“You yourself are English and yet you do not seem to appreciate the quality of the English reaction to a direct question. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/you-yourself-are-english-and-yet-you-do-not-seem-to-appreciate-the/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [The right to reticence seems earned only by having nothing to hide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-johnston/the-right-to-reticence-seems-earned-only-by-having-nothing-to-hide/) [Jill Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-johnston/) ## More by Thomas Merton > [“Let no one hope to find in contemplation an escape from conflict, from anguish or from doubt. On the contrary, the deep, inexpressible certitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/let-no-one-hope-to-find-in-contemplation-an-escape-from-conflict-from/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [If nothing that can be seen can either be God or represent Him to us as He is, then to find God we must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/if-nothing-that-can-be-seen-can-either-be-god-or-represent-him-to-us/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [It is almost impossible to overestimate the value of true humility and its power in the spiritual life. For the beginning of humility is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/it-is-almost-impossible-to-overestimate-the-value-of-true-humility/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [We are not perfectly free until we live in pure hope. For when our hope is pure, it no longer trusts exclusively in human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/we-are-not-perfectly-free-until-we-live-in-pure-hope-for-when-our/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [The desire to kill is like the desire to attack another with an ingot of red -hot iron: I have to pick up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-desire-to-kill-is-like-the-desire-to-attack-another-with-an-ingot/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [To enter into the realm of contemplation one must in a certain sense die: but this death is in fact the entrance to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/to-enter-into-the-realm-of-contemplation-one-must-in-a-certain-sense/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [The mission of Christian humility in social life is not merely to edify, but to keep minds open to many alternatives. The rigidity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-mission-of-christian-humility-in-social-life-is-not-merely-to/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Peace cannot be built on exclusivism, absolutism, and intolerance. But neither can it be built on vague liberal slogans and pious programs gestated in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/peace-cannot-be-built-on-exclusivism-absolutism-and-intolerance-but/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Things that are good are good, and if one is responding to that goodness one is in contact with a truth from which one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/things-that-are-good-are-good-and-if-one-is-responding-to-that/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Love winter when the plant says nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/love-winter-when-the-plant-says-nothing/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [The logic of worldly success rests on a fallacy: the strange error that our perfection depends on the thoughts and opinions and applause of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-logic-of-worldly-success-rests-on-a-fallacy-the-strange-error/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“The wisdom of the flesh is a judgement that the ordinary ends of our natural appetites are the goods to which the whole of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-wisdom-of-the-flesh-is-a-judgement-that-the-ordinary-ends-of-our/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [I will no longer wound myself with the thoughts and questions that have surrounded me like thorns: that is a penance You do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/i-will-no-longer-wound-myself-with-the-thoughts-and-questions-that/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [If you write for God you will reach many men and bring them joy. If you write for men--you may make some money and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/if-you-write-for-god-you-will-reach-many-men-and-bring-them-joy-if/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“Contemplation means rest, suspension of activity, withdrawal into the mysterious interior solitude in which the soul is absorbed in the immense and fruitful silence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/contemplation-means-rest-suspension-of-activity-withdrawal-into-the/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) [Explore all 851 Thomas Merton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) ## More Aliens quotes > [My days – the blossom of my youth and the flower of my manhood – have been darkened by the dreariness of servitude. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-o-connell/my-days-the-blossom-of-my-youth-and-the-flower-of-my-manhood-have/) [Daniel O'Connell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-o-connell/) > [Ay-firmative,' Eve said, and tried for a smile. 'Sorry. An Aliens reference always makes me feel better at times like this. Exept I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/ay-firmative-eve-said-and-tried-for-a-smile-sorry-an-aliens-reference/) [Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/) > [You gonna take the case?" It's not a case. It's a missing person. Sort of." You're gonna have a devil of a time finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/you-gonna-take-the-case-it-s-not-a-case-it-s-a-missing-person-sort-of/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/) [Chaz Brenchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaz-brenchley/) > [Emma was a shocking driver, simultaneously sloppy and petrified, and for the first fifty miles had been absent-mindedly driving with her spectacles on top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/emma-was-a-shocking-driver-simultaneously-sloppy-and-petrified-and/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Humans suffer from self-centred notions as to the nature of life. Humans assume that alien life forms should conform to standards that match our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-perry/humans-suffer-from-self-centred-notions-as-to-the-nature-of-life/) [Steve Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-perry/) > [If you're going to immerse yourself in a project for three years, why not stake out a chunk of the world that is completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/if-you-re-going-to-immerse-yourself-in-a-project-for-three-years-why/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [I'm not a fan of any genre but am a fan of movies that are intelligent and/or funny. That goes across all genres: a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-a-fan-of-any-genre-but-am-a-fan-of-movies-that-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The respect for human rights, essential if we are to use technology wisely, is not something alien that must be grafted onto science. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/the-respect-for-human-rights-essential-if-we-are-to-use-technology/) [John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/) > [“Intellectualism is a poor master over passion”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twe-stephens/intellectualism-is-a-poor-master-over-passion/) [Twe Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twe-stephens/) > [Robin Williams was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny, a president, a professor, a bangarang Peter Pan, and everything in between. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/robin-williams-was-an-airman-a-doctor-a-genie-a-nanny-a-president-a/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Evangelicals are distraught over the state of America because they have not been taught that we're aliens here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/evangelicals-are-distraught-over-the-state-of-america-because-they/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Even the Supreme Court, back when it used to makes sense, the Supreme Court has never ruled that a baby born to illegal aliens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/even-the-supreme-court-back-when-it-used-to-makes-sense-the-supreme/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Some pundits have proposed that the aliens have come here to breed with us. Apparently, too much bike riding or something similar has rendered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/some-pundits-have-proposed-that-the-aliens-have-come-here-to-breed/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Browse all 1,329 Aliens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aliens/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Pardon all runners, All speechless, alien winds, All mad waters. Pardon their impulses, Their wild attitudes, Their young flights, their reticence. When a message has no clothes on How can it be spoken.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Merton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/pardon-all-runners-all-speechless-alien-winds-all-mad-waters-pardon/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aliens" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/pardon-all-runners-all-speechless-alien-winds-all-mad-waters-pardon/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/861/thomas-merton-231_aliens_pardon-all-runners-all-speechless-alien_2436780.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/861/thomas-merton-231_aliens_pardon-all-runners-all-speechless-alien_2436780.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/861/thomas-merton-231_aliens_pardon-all-runners-all-speechless-alien_2436780.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Pardon all runners, All speechless, alien winds, All mad waters. Pardon their impulses, Their wild…” — Thomas Merton", "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": "Thomas Merton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Pardon all runners, All speechless, alien...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/pardon-all-runners-all-speechless-alien-winds-all-mad-waters-pardon/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/pardon-all-runners-all-speechless-alien-winds-all-mad-waters-pardon/#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 } } ] } ```