Words - so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.~Nathaniel Hawthorne
After yesterday's post about the Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, I thought this quote was a fitting post for today. I think writers understand, better than most, the power of the written (and spoken) word.
What words would you consider to be among the most powerful?
32 comments:
Faith, hope, charity, forgive, still, thanks...
That is a beautiful and very fitting quote.
LOVE. By far the most powerful.
Dream, create, evolve, be (other great ones.)
Great quote. :)
Love that quote. Most powerful...
love, hate, always
Great quote!
Love, dream, perseverance.
Love this. Words are so powerful to heal, to hurt, to strengthen. Most powerful words? Good question. Today, I'm going with Faith.
Love this. Words are so powerful to heal, to hurt, to strengthen. Most powerful words? Good question. Today, I'm going with Faith.
I love the collage....kind of makes me want to create one with words I love.
Maybe I'll just play on worldle...less gluey.
Lovely post, Shannon.
Shelley
I'm reminded of that old rhyme "sticks and stones may break my bones..." and always felt "but words can never hurt me" was an extremely harmful lie.
This is the version I tell my daughter: "sticks and stones may break my bones and words can pierce the soul."
The ones i warn her against:
always, never, stupid, ugly, mean
The ones I cheer her to use:
like, appreciate, thanks, good, kind, special, talented, fun, creative
Desire. Relinquish. Faith. Inspire. Forgive. Love. so so many...
I love this quote! As usual you find the best ones for the best days! ;o)
Visit My Kingdom Anytime
Love, kindness, respect, acceptance.
Let's see: Never, forever, Always. Words that are promises.
Love. Everything that matters means a measure of love.
I agree with Hawthorne. I can't say that any words are powerful on their own - it's how you combine them, and how you use them in context, that give them all their power. Great quote!
Love the quote!
I think all words can be powerful- it's just in how they're used.
Thank you for the butterfly award, BTW. I just got back yesterday and saw you'd left me that. I love mariposas!
What an absolutely true statement :)
For me the most powerful words tend to be the ones that evoke strong emotion:
anguish, venomous, forbidden
or
adoration, serendipity, kismet, compassion
Believe, faith, love, dream, give and passion :D
I think that what is a powerful word depends on the person. Each unique experience makes words mean something different.
For me, words that express emotion are the most powerful. Love. Peace. Connection. Things that unite people. Those are the words that have the most power for me.
I LOVE all the thinking behind these comments. Several of you have made some really great points, and you are all wonderfully sincere about your word choices. Thanks for making my day! :-)
Love and believe!
Sublime, Paradisaical, Divine, Lovesome. I think all words have a type of beauty its what you are trying to portray.
This post has me thinking. A few words that pop into my mind - mine, chosen, empower, love, hope, believe.
Your blog always inspires me.
There are five:
I'm sorry.
I love you.
A word that touches my heart is "freedom!" :O)
What fun - talking about WORDS! gotta love how they sit on a page, all innocent, but wow, they can make an impact.
Lots of profound, powerful words in these comments! Great stuff.
I keep a notebook with words I've heard that I love. Maybe not the most powerful, but don't forget humble words like
capitulate
doesn't that sound awesome on your tongue?
So true and I love the quote. I'll have to think about the words that stand out the most for me. :)
Great quote. Right now the word that I need most is "faith"
hope, friendship, honesty, LOVE...
and on the downside: hate, ugly, fat (yep, I think that is one powerful word)
I'm with those that have mentioned "love" and "faith" as two of the most powerful words.
Good question Shannon. They can all be used for good and bad, I think. =)
"Yes!"
(Shannon, I must know... what are Montana's 6 Writing Traits? In Oregon, we call them Content Areas. They are Content, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, and Conventions.)
The most powerful word for me is:
Love.
Most powerful words? When it comes to writing I'd say these words would make my head spin:
Multiple offers
Auction
Pre-empt
Deal
Signing
Sold
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