Quotes About Definition

When I feel inclined to read poetry I take down my dictionary. The poetry of words is quite as beautiful as that of sentences. The author may arrange the gems effectively but their shape and lustre have been given by the attrition of ages.

The presidency does not yield to definition. Like the glory of a morning sunrise, it can be experienced - it can not be told.

'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less.' 'The question is,' said Alice, 'whether you can make words mean so many different things.' 'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master - that's all.'

When I feel inclined to read poetry, I take down my dictionary. The poetry of words is quite as beautiful as the poetry of sentences.

I am not learning definitions as established in even the latest dictionaries. I am not a dictionary-maker. I am a person a dictionary-maker has to contend with. I am a living evidence in the development of language.

People speak of the heart, Lieutenant, but it's the brain that holds all the magic and mystery of the human species. It elevates us, separates us, defines us as individuals. And the secrets of it—well, it's doubtful we'll ever know them all.

I'm not stupid." No, Eve thought, you redefine the word.

Technically he is old enough to be her father; but then, technically one can be a father at twelve.

His abdomen was ribbed as if he were smuggling paint rollers under his skin.

Like pornography, postmodernism is hard to define but easy to spot.

To set up as a standard of public morality a notion which can neither be defined nor conceived is to open the door to every kind of tyranny.

Optimism is the ultimate definition of a leader. A leader has to look optimistically at what is ahead while not ignoring the challenges that must be overcome. Those challenges are in government, politics, world leadership, and even in community life.

If God created the family, He should be the ultimate definer of what it is, and that should be our point of reference.

The power to define the situation is the ultimate power.

Teenagers ultimately don't mind belonging to a group, because there's always the opportunity to eventually become someone new. The elderly, by definition, are running out of opportunities for reinvention.

I don't think that trauma is an illusion; there is no question in my mind that circumstances beyond our control can shape and define us. But ultimately, we make choices about letting ourselves be defined by our pasts.

I don't know how one would define an affirmative-action hire. I ultimately do not know what role race played in my hiring.

It helps immerse yourself in what you potentially want to do. Being involved, learning firsthand and observing the craft and absorbing all you can, makes it easier to define what you want. It will also ultimately make you a better Chef. Culinary school, or even a single class, is a great bet too.

Mental illness is so hard to define. It's not like an umbrella diagnosis that everyone can fall under, and even one person can have two completely contrasting experiences from it.

Arms control is by definition a rejection of disarmament.

The hallmark of an authoritarian idiot is yelling TERRORIST-LOVER! at anyone questioning the definition of Terrorist.

They don't want to feed an ISIS narrative that there is a religious war between Islam and the Christian West, plus genocide is carefully defined under international law.

Sometimes it's not enough to know what things mean, sometimes you have to know what things don't mean.

The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their proper name.