--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Words aren't very good at describing…" description: "\"Words aren't very good at describing complicated, strange visual things. You can try, and the reader will have some sort of image in their mind, but wo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/800/yann-martel-395_complicated_words-aren-t-very-good-at-describing-com_2963731.jpg" --- # Words aren't very good at describing complicated, strange… ![“Words aren't very good at describing complicated, strange visual things. You can try, and the reader will have some sort of image in their mind, but words aren't good at that.” quote by Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/800/yann-martel-395_complicated_words-aren-t-very-good-at-describing-com_2963731.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/800/yann-martel-395_complicated_words-aren-t-very-good-at-describing-com_2963731.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/800/yann-martel-395_complicated_words-aren-t-very-good-at-describing-com_2963731.jpg) > “Words aren't very good at describing complicated, strange visual things. You can try, and the reader will have some sort of image in their mind, but words aren't good at that.” [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Words struggle to convey complex visual experiences; imagination fills the gaps. **In simple terms:** Words can’t fully describe images. Key Takeaway Use vivid language and let readers imagine. Themes creativity communication imagination Mood thoughtful creative Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - teaching - writing - art critique Key Concepts limitations of language visual description Questions to Reflect On - How can you better illustrate ideas? - What sensory details help? A Different Perspective May undervalue visual media. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/image/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Visual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visual/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) ## Related quotes > [When I hear music, it’s visual; I see things,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-kravitz/when-i-hear-music-it-s-visual-i-see-things/) [Lenny Kravitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-kravitz/) > [We are visual creatures. Visual things stay put, whereas sounds fade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/we-are-visual-creatures-visual-things-stay-put-whereas-sounds-fade/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [I'm personally more struck by visual things more than musical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana-del-rey/i-m-personally-more-struck-by-visual-things-more-than-musical/) [Lana Del Rey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana-del-rey/) > [I am very much aware of the visual side of things. I do a lot of photography. I often take Polaroids of things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-christensen/i-am-very-much-aware-of-the-visual-side-of-things-i-do-a-lot-of/) [Helena Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-christensen/) > [When we were young, we knew things. We knew basic history, even as it related to fashion. Now, when something reappears, an 18 year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-we-were-young-we-knew-things-we-knew-basic-history-even-as-it/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [As a comic, you learn to use your voice because you don't have the benefit of visual things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-foxworthy/as-a-comic-you-learn-to-use-your-voice-because-you-don-t-have-the/) [Jeff Foxworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-foxworthy/) > [“You aren't those words. You aren't the shouts and names. You aren't the awful things spat at you like flavorless gum. You aren't the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salla-simukka/you-aren-t-those-words-you-aren-t-the-shouts-and-names-you-aren-t-the/) [Salla Simukka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salla-simukka/) > [“Words aren’t meant to be kept inside, you see. They are free creatures, and if locked away will unsettle the stomach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/words-aren-t-meant-to-be-kept-inside-you-see-they-are-free-creatures/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [If the words aren't adding up its probably because the truth isn't in the equation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-hernandez/if-the-words-aren-t-adding-up-its-probably-because-the-truth-isn-t-in/) [Julie Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-hernandez/) > [There are hundreds of thousands of words that aren't in any print dictionary today... because there's no space for all of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mckean/there-are-hundreds-of-thousands-of-words-that-aren-t-in-any-print/) [Erin McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mckean/) > [Your words aren't making sense snd I was taken, but you were waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/metro-station/your-words-aren-t-making-sense-snd-i-was-taken-but-you-were-waiting/) [Metro Station](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/metro-station/) > [“Words aren’t just sounds and shapes. They’re meaning. That’s what language is: a protocol to transfer meaning...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-berry/words-aren-t-just-sounds-and-shapes-they-re-meaning-that-s-what/) Max Berry > [Words aren't made — they grow,' said Anne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/words-aren-t-made-they-grow-said-anne/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I'm good with a lot of things. Words aren't one. But if you're suggesting fucking is somehow less intimate than making love, you're dead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-hussey/i-m-good-with-a-lot-of-things-words-aren-t-one-but-if-you-re/) [C.D. Hussey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-hussey/) > [My God! The English language is a form of communication! Conversation isn't just crossfire where you shoot and get shot at! Where you've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/my-god-the-english-language-is-a-form-of-communication-conversation/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) ## More by Yann Martel > [“It’s a big ocean crossed by busy ships. I went slowly, observing much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/it-s-a-big-ocean-crossed-by-busy-ships-i-went-slowly-observing-much/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“The word isn't just the way it is. It is how we understand it, no? And in understanding something, we bring something to it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/the-word-isn-t-just-the-way-it-is-it-is-how-we-understand-it-no-and/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Remember that your days on this earth are counted and you might as well make the best of those you have left.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/remember-that-your-days-on-this-earth-are-counted-and-you-might-as/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“I must say a word about fear. It's is life's only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life. It is a clever, treacherous adversary,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-must-say-a-word-about-fear-it-s-is-life-s-only-true-opponent-only/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [I was not wounded in any part of my body, but I had never experienced such intense pain, such a ripping of the nerves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-was-not-wounded-in-any-part-of-my-body-but-i-had-never-experienced/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [High calls low and low calls high. I tell you, if you were in such dire straits as I was, you too would elevate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/high-calls-low-and-low-calls-high-i-tell-you-if-you-were-in-such-dire/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Or rather, since Christians are so fond of capital letters, a Story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/or-rather-since-christians-are-so-fond-of-capital-letters-a-story/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Progress is unstoppable. It is a drumbeat to which we must all march. Technology helps and good ideas spread - these are two laws…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/progress-is-unstoppable-it-is-a-drumbeat-to-which-we-must-all-march/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if the sustaining frame of existence were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon-themselves-to-defend-god-as/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“I never had problems with my fellow scientists. Scientists are a friendly, atheistic, hard-working, beer-drinking lot whose minds are preoccupied with sex, chess and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-never-had-problems-with-my-fellow-scientists-scientists-are-a/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“For evil in the open is but evil from within that has been let out. The main battlefield for good is not the open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/for-evil-in-the-open-is-but-evil-from-within-that-has-been-let-out/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [Books are something social - a writer speaking to a reader - so I think making the reading of a book the center of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/books-are-something-social-a-writer-speaking-to-a-reader-so-i-think/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [Nothing beats reason for keeping tigers away. But be excessively reasonable and you risk throwing out the universe with the bathwater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/nothing-beats-reason-for-keeping-tigers-away-but-be-excessively/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Uvek ima onih koji uzmu za pravo da brane Boga, kao da je Poslednja stvarnost, kao da je temeljni ram postojanja nešto slabašno i…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/uvek-ima-onih-koji-uzmu-za-pravo-da-brane-boga-kao-da-je-poslednja/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“The reason death sticks so closely to life isn't biological necessity- its envy. Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/the-reason-death-sticks-so-closely-to-life-isn-t-biological-necessity/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) [Explore all 570 Yann Martel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) ## More Complicated quotes > [Of course I like you. It's because I like you I don't wanna be with you. It's a complicated emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlin/of-course-i-like-you-it-s-because-i-like-you-i-don-t-wanna-be-with/) Marlin > [“Why the hell did he have to be so complicated? One minute he was charming, the next he withdrew behind his internal walls.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lia-davis/why-the-hell-did-he-have-to-be-so-complicated-one-minute-he-was/) [Lia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lia-davis/) > [Life is more complicated than we think, yet far simpler than anyone dares to imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-yet-far-simpler-than-anyone/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Programmers are always surrounded by complexity; we cannot avoid it… If our basic tool, the language in which we design and code our programs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/programmers-are-always-surrounded-by-complexity-we-cannot-avoid-it-if/) [Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/) > [“Just because it's complicated, just because you think you can't ever know everything about another person, it doesn't mean you can't try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-semple/just-because-it-s-complicated-just-because-you-think-you-can-t-ever/) [Maria Semple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-semple/) > [The one thing I absolutely hate about social media are the people who abuse it. Whenever I see a person who constantly posts negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazmin-garcia/the-one-thing-i-absolutely-hate-about-social-media-are-the-people-who/) [Jazmin Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazmin-garcia/) > [I think the ethics and morals of genetic engineering are very complicated. It intrigues me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-spottiswoode/i-think-the-ethics-and-morals-of-genetic-engineering-are-very/) [Roger Spottiswoode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-spottiswoode/) > [Your Starbucks order is directly proportional to how complicated your personality is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin/your-starbucks-order-is-directly-proportional-to-how-complicated-your/) [Kevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin/) > [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/) [Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/) > [I have learned so much from my dad. Perhaps the biggest thing I've learned from my dad is how to be prepared at all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-sekulow/i-have-learned-so-much-from-my-dad-perhaps-the-biggest-thing-i-ve/) [Jay Sekulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-sekulow/) > [The world is complicated and full of grays, but there's still truth there to be found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-world-is-complicated-and-full-of-grays-but-there-s-still-truth/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ The parts of the \[Civil Right\] Movement we recognize so well now were not born from a single decision, but were a complicated and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-aydin/the-parts-of-the-civil-right-movement-we-recognize-so-well-now-were/) [Andrew Aydin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-aydin/) > [Two people could build an outhouse in four hours. They're not complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-maxwell/two-people-could-build-an-outhouse-in-four-hours-they-re-not/) [Robert Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-maxwell/) Browse all 3,190 Complicated quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Words aren't very good at describing complicated, strange visual things. 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