--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Shakespeare's taught me that there are…" description: "\"Shakespeare's taught me that there are more words in the English language than I have got in my head.\" — Zoe Wanamaker" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/328/zoe-wanamaker-34685_english-language_shakespeare-s-taught-me-that-there-are-m_1628822.jpg" --- # Shakespeare's taught me that there are more words in the… ![“Shakespeare's taught me that there are more words in the English language than I have got in my head.” quote by Zoe Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/328/zoe-wanamaker-34685_english-language_shakespeare-s-taught-me-that-there-are-m_1628822.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/328/zoe-wanamaker-34685_english-language_shakespeare-s-taught-me-that-there-are-m_1628822.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/328/zoe-wanamaker-34685_english-language_shakespeare-s-taught-me-that-there-are-m_1628822.jpg) > “Shakespeare's taught me that there are more words in the English language than I have got in my head.” [Zoe Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-wanamaker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights the vastness of English vocabulary compared to an individual's limited recall. **In simple terms:** English has many more words than we can remember. Key Takeaway Accept that you can't know everything. Themes humility language learning Mood reflective humorous Type observational humorous When to use this quote - studying languages - writing - public speaking - teaching Key Concepts vocabulary cognitive limits Questions to Reflect On - How do you expand your vocabulary? - What strategies help you recall words? A Different Perspective It may underestimate the ability to learn new words quickly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [English language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-language/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) ## Related quotes > [Shakespeare taught me everything I know about love. Its vibrancy. How afterwards your life seems darker. And everything I know about power, too -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paterson-joseph/shakespeare-taught-me-everything-i-know-about-love-its-vibrancy-how/) [Paterson Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paterson-joseph/) > [“Truth was, life had taught me that words were better spoken when they meant something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-k-ryals/truth-was-life-had-taught-me-that-words-were-better-spoken-when-they/) [R.K. Ryals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-k-ryals/) > [“Ars Poetica I taught my words to love, I showed them my heart and would not give up until their syllables did not start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nichita-st-nescu/ars-poetica-i-taught-my-words-to-love-i-showed-them-my-heart-and/) [Nichita Stănescu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nichita-st-nescu/) > [“The Word of God is Spirit-taught words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-word-of-god-is-spirit-taught-words/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“The Holy Scripture is Spirit-taught words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-holy-scripture-is-spirit-taught-words/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [How do I speak Spanish? Not too well. Paz taught me a few words that, if people weren't nice to me, I could tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-sandler/how-do-i-speak-spanish-not-too-well-paz-taught-me-a-few-words-that-if/) [Adam Sandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-sandler/) > [“It’s my earliest memory: arranging my brother’s marbles into words. It is summer, and I am beneath the oak that stands in the back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/it-s-my-earliest-memory-arranging-my-brother-s-marbles-into-words-it/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [And stop talking in that puffed-up way they taught you. Words aren't brains, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/and-stop-talking-in-that-puffed-up-way-they-taught-you-words-aren-t/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“His manager taught him that words change with time, by single letters or more, sometimes their whole roots switching—a “y” to an “e” in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/his-manager-taught-him-that-words-change-with-time-by-single-letters/) [China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/) > [We are taught words, not ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/we-are-taught-words-not-ideas/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [My dad has always taught me these words: care and share.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiger-woods/my-dad-has-always-taught-me-these-words-care-and-share/) [Tiger Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiger-woods/) > [Shakespeare, who is probably the greatest writer and poet of the English language, lived in a time that was politically very conservative and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-cox/shakespeare-who-is-probably-the-greatest-writer-and-poet-of-the/) [Alex Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-cox/) > [“was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/was-an-english-poet-and-playwright-widely-regarded-as-the-greatest/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Shakespeare's always been sitting on my back, since I began reading. And, certainly, as a writer, he's who I hear all the time. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/shakespeare-s-always-been-sitting-on-my-back-since-i-began-reading/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [These men of many nations must be taught American ways, the English language, and the right way to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/these-men-of-many-nations-must-be-taught-american-ways-the-english/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) ## More by Zoe Wanamaker > [My father's death from prostate cancer in 1993 was tragic. He never complained about pain. He was a fighter. By the time he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-wanamaker/my-father-s-death-from-prostate-cancer-in-1993-was-tragic-he-never/) [Zoe Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-wanamaker/) > [I don't have any regrets about not having had children. What's the point? It's just something else to beat yourself up over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-wanamaker/i-don-t-have-any-regrets-about-not-having-had-children-what-s-the/) [Zoe Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-wanamaker/) > [My mother was adorable, a great giggler. My father was very strong and could be quite frightening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-wanamaker/my-mother-was-adorable-a-great-giggler-my-father-was-very-strong-and/) [Zoe Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-wanamaker/) > [I don't have the confidence to be a personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-wanamaker/i-don-t-have-the-confidence-to-be-a-personality/) [Zoe Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-wanamaker/) > [I don't know any woman who is happy with her looks. I certainly wouldn't want to be friends with anyone who was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-wanamaker/i-don-t-know-any-woman-who-is-happy-with-her-looks-i-certainly-wouldn/) [Zoe Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-wanamaker/) > [I don't want to be a director, or to have responsibility for hundreds of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-wanamaker/i-don-t-want-to-be-a-director-or-to-have-responsibility-for-hundreds/) [Zoe Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-wanamaker/) > [And children? 'I don't have any regrets about not having had children. What's the point? It's just something else to beat yourself up over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-wanamaker/and-children-i-don-t-have-any-regrets-about-not-having-had-children/) [Zoe Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-wanamaker/) > [I have lots of passions - gardens, art, music and reading. I have eclectic taste and read a huge variety of books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-wanamaker/i-have-lots-of-passions-gardens-art-music-and-reading-i-have-eclectic/) [Zoe Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-wanamaker/) > [I absolutely hate clothes shopping, though I love clothes. It's my idea of heaven to be handed things to wear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-wanamaker/i-absolutely-hate-clothes-shopping-though-i-love-clothes-it-s-my-idea/) [Zoe Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-wanamaker/) > [I'm constantly intimidated by Shakespeare's work. Trying to decipher what he's saying and holding on to that thought - not just as an actor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-wanamaker/i-m-constantly-intimidated-by-shakespeare-s-work-trying-to-decipher/) [Zoe Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-wanamaker/) > [As You Like It' was the first Shakespeare production I ever did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-wanamaker/as-you-like-it-was-the-first-shakespeare-production-i-ever-did/) [Zoe Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-wanamaker/) > [Shakespeare showed me that once I understand the rules, I can break them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-wanamaker/shakespeare-showed-me-that-once-i-understand-the-rules-i-can-break/) [Zoe Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-wanamaker/) > [I dont have the confidence to be a personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-wanamaker/i-dont-have-the-confidence-to-be-a-personality/) [Zoe Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-wanamaker/) [Explore all 14 Zoe Wanamaker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-wanamaker/) ## More English language quotes > [“Fine’s a funny word, don’t you think? I don’t think there’s another like it in the English language that says so much while actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/fine-s-a-funny-word-don-t-you-think-i-don-t-think-there-s-another/) [Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/) > [The language we share is at the core of our identity as citizens, and our ticket to full participation in American political life. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/the-language-we-share-is-at-the-core-of-our-identity-as-citizens-and/) [S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/) > [“The first phase of modernism, which so far as the English language goes we associate with Pound and Yeats, Wyndham Lewis and Eliot and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-kermode/the-first-phase-of-modernism-which-so-far-as-the-english-language/) [Frank Kermode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-kermode/) > [These men of many nations must be taught American ways, the English language, and the right way to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/these-men-of-many-nations-must-be-taught-american-ways-the-english/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [“Nevertheless . . was a word, certainly, but much more than a word, it was a concept. "Nevertheless" was what you said when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brunonia-barry/nevertheless-was-a-word-certainly-but-much-more-than-a-word-it-was-a/) [Brunonia Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brunonia-barry/) > [My motto is "Unite now, today if you can; fight if you must. But in every case avoid British intervention."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/my-motto-is-unite-now-today-if-you-can-fight-if-you-must-but-in-every/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“Hear me now or regret it later: Everything you write must be read aloud. Once all the context items are in place, this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiro-adachi/hear-me-now-or-regret-it-later-everything-you-write-must-be-read/) Jiro Adachi > [It was Ronald Reagan who used to say that the 10 most frightening words in the English language are, "I'm from the federal government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/it-was-ronald-reagan-who-used-to-say-that-the-10-most-frightening/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [A pronoun, too, will aptly reflect the number of its antecedent: "they" does not refer to one person, no matter how many personalities she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-elizabeth-gordon/a-pronoun-too-will-aptly-reflect-the-number-of-its-antecedent-they/) [Karen Elizabeth Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-elizabeth-gordon/) > [The collectors of revenue and the policeman are the only symbols by which millions in India's villages know British rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-collectors-of-revenue-and-the-policeman-are-the-only-symbols-by/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“Nothing was worse than a bovine with a 150 IQ trying to wrap its stunned mollusk tongue around the finely tuned syllables of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-anderson/nothing-was-worse-than-a-bovine-with-a-150-iq-trying-to-wrap-its/) Gary Anderson > [English literature is a glorious inheritance which is open to all - there are no barriers, no coupons, and no restrictions. In the English…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/english-literature-is-a-glorious-inheritance-which-is-open-to-all/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [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/) > [“ 'Hubba-Hubba' never slips out," Zeke said. "You selected those words with deliberate intent, and I question your commitment to the respectable use of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-beth-durst/hubba-hubba-never-slips-out-zeke-said-you-selected-those-words-with/) [Sarah Beth Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-beth-durst/) > [Soundbite and slogan, strapline and headline, at every turn we meet hyperbole. The soaring inflation of the English language is more urgently in need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-nunn/soundbite-and-slogan-strapline-and-headline-at-every-turn-we-meet/) [Trevor Nunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-nunn/) [Browse all 686 English language quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-language/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Shakespeare's taught me that there are more words in the English language than I have got in my head.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Zoe Wanamaker" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-wanamaker/shakespeare-s-taught-me-that-there-are-more-words-in-the-english/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "English language" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-wanamaker/shakespeare-s-taught-me-that-there-are-more-words-in-the-english/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/328/zoe-wanamaker-34685_english-language_shakespeare-s-taught-me-that-there-are-m_1628822.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/328/zoe-wanamaker-34685_english-language_shakespeare-s-taught-me-that-there-are-m_1628822.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/328/zoe-wanamaker-34685_english-language_shakespeare-s-taught-me-that-there-are-m_1628822.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Shakespeare's taught me that there are more words in the English language than I have got in my head.” — Zoe Wanamaker", "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": "Zoe Wanamaker", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-wanamaker/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Shakespeare's taught me that there are...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-wanamaker/shakespeare-s-taught-me-that-there-are-more-words-in-the-english/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-wanamaker/shakespeare-s-taught-me-that-there-are-more-words-in-the-english/#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 } } ] } ```