--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Words are both better and worse than…" description: "\"Words are both better and worse than thoughts, they express them, and add to them; they give them power for good or evil; they start them on an endless..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5a/tryon-edwards-4992_add_words-are-both-better-and-worse-than-tho_3201180.jpg" --- # Words are both better and worse than thoughts, they… ![“Words are both better and worse than thoughts, they express them, and add to them; they give them power for good or evil; they start them on an endless flight, for instruction and comfort and blessing, or for injury and sorrow and ruin.” quote by Tryon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5a/tryon-edwards-4992_add_words-are-both-better-and-worse-than-tho_3201180.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5a/tryon-edwards-4992_add_words-are-both-better-and-worse-than-tho_3201180.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5a/tryon-edwards-4992_add_words-are-both-better-and-worse-than-tho_3201180.jpg) > “Words are both better and worse than thoughts, they express them, and add to them; they give them power for good or evil; they start them on an endless flight, for instruction and comfort and blessing, or for injury and sorrow and ruin.” [Tryon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tryon-edwards/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Words can amplify thoughts, turning them into forces for good or evil, shaping outcomes beyond the mind. **In simple terms:** Words magnify thoughts, for them good or bad. Key Takeaway Choose words that build, not destroy. Themes communication influence ethics Mood reflective cautious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - public speaking - writing - personal relationships - leadership Key Concepts power of language intentionality Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure your words align with your values? - When have words changed a situation for better or worse? A Different Perspective Words can be misinterpreted, causing unintended harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Add](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/add/) [Blessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blessing/) [Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfort/) [Endless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endless/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Flight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flight/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Injury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/injury/) [Instruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instruction/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Ruins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruins/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/) [Thoughts Express](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts-express-4621920/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) [Words Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-better-459916/) [Worse Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worse-thoughts-5944254/) ## Related quotes > [My thoughts will express what's in my soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-cannonier/my-thoughts-will-express-what-s-in-my-soul/) [Jared Cannonier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-cannonier/) > [The thoughts I express, whether clearly or ambiguously, are my own and they are my individual responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/the-thoughts-i-express-whether-clearly-or-ambiguously-are-my-own-and/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [Jst try to understand my feelings for You,every second I'm thinking about You...smthin that I cannot leave,if only I could make You see...that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/jst-try-to-understand-my-feelings-for-you-every-second-i-m-thinking/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [SPEAK ONLY WHEN U FEEL THAT UR WORDS IS BETTER THAN UR SILENCE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/airagirl-here/speak-only-when-u-feel-that-ur-words-is-better-than-ur-silence/) [Airagirl Here](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/airagirl-here/) > [“Words are better than weapons, wisdom is better than war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/words-are-better-than-weapons-wisdom-is-better-than-war/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Words are much better at relating emotions and thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/words-are-much-better-at-relating-emotions-and-thoughts/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“The words "when you're better" hung between us like smoke from a snuffed candle - what if she wasn't going to get better ?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-hawkins/the-words-when-you-re-better-hung-between-us-like-smoke-from-a/) [Danielle Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-hawkins/) > [“We don’t want any—” he began, and ought to have chosen his words better, because they were his epitaph. It”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/we-don-t-want-any-he-began-and-ought-to-have-chosen-his-words-better/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [There are only four words that so much better than I love you, and those words are Im here for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-only-four-words-that-so-much-better-than-i-love-you-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The fewer the words, the better the prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/the-fewer-the-words-the-better-the-prayer/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [SPEAK only when you feel your words are better than the SILENCE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/speak-only-when-you-feel-your-words-are-better-than-the-silence/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don’t want just words. If that’s all you have for me, you’d better go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-don-t-want-just-words-if-that-s-all-you-have-for-me-you-d-better-go/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [Brief let me be. The fewer words the better prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/brief-let-me-be-the-fewer-words-the-better-prayer/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [Sometimes words are better left unsaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-chable/sometimes-words-are-better-left-unsaid/) [Ana Chable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-chable/) > [Good words are better than bad strokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/good-words-are-better-than-bad-strokes/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## More by Tryon Edwards > [Science has sometimes been said to be opposed to faith, and inconsistent with it. But all science, in fact, rests on a basis of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/science-has-sometimes-been-said-to-be-opposed-to-faith-and/) [Tryon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tryon-edwards/) > [Credulity is belief in slight evidence, with no evidence, or against evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/credulity-is-belief-in-slight-evidence-with-no-evidence-or-against/) [Tryon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tryon-edwards/) > [Mystery is another name for our ignorance; if we were omniscient, all would be perfectly plain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/mystery-is-another-name-for-our-ignorance-if-we-were-omniscient-all/) [Tryon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tryon-edwards/) > [Every parting is a form of death, as every reunion is a type of heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/every-parting-is-a-form-of-death-as-every-reunion-is-a-type-of-heaven/) [Tryon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tryon-edwards/) > [Anxiety is the poison of human life; the parent of many sins and of more miseries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/anxiety-is-the-poison-of-human-life-the-parent-of-many-sins-and-of/) [Tryon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tryon-edwards/) > [The first step to improvement, whether mental, moral, or religious, is to know ourselves - our weakness, errors, deficiencies, and sins, that, by divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/the-first-step-to-improvement-whether-mental-moral-or-religious-is-to/) [Tryon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tryon-edwards/) > [The leaves do not change color from the blighting touch of the frost, but from the process of natural decay. They fall when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/the-leaves-do-not-change-color-from-the-blighting-touch-of-the-frost/) [Tryon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tryon-edwards/) > [Indolence is the dry rot of even a good mind and a good character; the practical uselessness of both. It is the waste of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/indolence-is-the-dry-rot-of-even-a-good-mind-and-a-good-character-the/) [Tryon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tryon-edwards/) > [To rule one's anger is well; to prevent it is still better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/to-rule-one-s-anger-is-well-to-prevent-it-is-still-better/) [Tryon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tryon-edwards/) > [Mystery is but another name for ignorance; if we were omniscient, all would be perfectly plain!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/mystery-is-but-another-name-for-ignorance-if-we-were-omniscient-all/) [Tryon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tryon-edwards/) > [To rejoice in another prosperity, is to give content to your own lot: to mitigate another grief, is to alleviate or dispel your own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/to-rejoice-in-another-prosperity-is-to-give-content-to-your-own-lot/) [Tryon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tryon-edwards/) > [Hell is truth seen too late - duty neglected in its season](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/hell-is-truth-seen-too-late-duty-neglected-in-its-season/) [Tryon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tryon-edwards/) > [No true civilization can be expected permanently to continue which is not based on the great principles of Christianity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/no-true-civilization-can-be-expected-permanently-to-continue-which-is/) [Tryon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tryon-edwards/) > [My books are my tools, and the greater their variety and perfection the greater the help to my literary work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/my-books-are-my-tools-and-the-greater-their-variety-and-perfection/) [Tryon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tryon-edwards/) > [Anxiety is the rust of life, destroying its brightness and weakening its power. A childlike and abiding trust in Providence is its best preventive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/anxiety-is-the-rust-of-life-destroying-its-brightness-and-weakening/) [Tryon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tryon-edwards/) [Explore all 104 Tryon Edwards quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tryon-edwards/) ## More Add quotes > [Most marriages don't add two people together. They subtract one from the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/most-marriages-don-t-add-two-people-together-they-subtract-one-from/) [Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/) > [Friendship, "the wine of life," should, like a well-stocked cellar, be continually renewed; and it is consolatory to think, that although we can seldom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-boswell/friendship-the-wine-of-life-should-like-a-well-stocked-cellar-be/) [James Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-boswell/) > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [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/) > [Writing adds up to the conscience of our times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-firrell/writing-adds-up-to-the-conscience-of-our-times/) [Martin Firrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-firrell/) > [A 'modern' man has nothing to add to modernism, if only because he has nothing to oppose it with. The well-adapted drop off the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/a-modern-man-has-nothing-to-add-to-modernism-if-only-because-he-has/) [Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/) > [Observation and theory get on best when they are mixed together, both helping one another in the pursuit of truth. It is a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-eddington/observation-and-theory-get-on-best-when-they-are-mixed-together-both/) [Arthur Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-eddington/) > [I may add that we have more than once stated our willingness to conclude nonaggression pacts with the states neighboring our own!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/i-may-add-that-we-have-more-than-once-stated-our-willingness-to/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [The American Constitution declares 'All men are born equal.' The British Socialist Party add: 'All men must be kept equal'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-american-constitution-declares-all-men-are-born-equal-the-british/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Thirty days is just about the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract a habit - like watching the news…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cutts/thirty-days-is-just-about-the-right-amount-of-time-to-add-a-new-habit/) [Matt Cutts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cutts/) > [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) > [The Greeks said grandly in their tragic phrase, 'Let no one be called happy till his death;' to which I would add, 'Let no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/the-greeks-said-grandly-in-their-tragic-phrase-let-no-one-be-called/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [Mostly we just add to the piles of rainbow glass that's been blown off the exteriors of the cany-colored buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/mostly-we-just-add-to-the-piles-of-rainbow-glass-that-s-been-blown/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Global is a unifying bond for people. Once they get outside their own heads and their own communities and see themselves in a broader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-calvin/global-is-a-unifying-bond-for-people-once-they-get-outside-their-own/) [Kathy Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-calvin/) [Browse all 2,710 Add quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/add/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Words are both better and worse than thoughts, they express them, and add to them; they give them power for good or evil; they start them on an endless flight, for instruction and comfort and blessing, or for injury and sorrow and ruin.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tryon Edwards" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/words-are-both-better-and-worse-than-thoughts-they-express-them-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Add" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/words-are-both-better-and-worse-than-thoughts-they-express-them-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5a/tryon-edwards-4992_add_words-are-both-better-and-worse-than-tho_3201180.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5a/tryon-edwards-4992_add_words-are-both-better-and-worse-than-tho_3201180.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5a/tryon-edwards-4992_add_words-are-both-better-and-worse-than-tho_3201180.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Words are both better and worse than thoughts, they express them, and add to them; they give them power for…” — Tryon Edwards", "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": "Tryon Edwards", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tryon-edwards/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Words are both better and worse...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/words-are-both-better-and-worse-than-thoughts-they-express-them-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/words-are-both-better-and-worse-than-thoughts-they-express-them-and/#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 } } ] } ```