Quotes About Thought

In short, philosophical theories are largely the product of the hidden hand of the cognitive unconscious.

The most important claim we have made so far is that metaphor is not just a matter of language, that is, of mere words. We shall argue that, on the contrary, human thought processes are largely metaphorical.

The entailments of this metaphorical mode of thought are quite considerable: Moral standards that change with time, or social situation, or ethnicity are a danger to the functioning of society. There is no such thing as progress in morality; what is and is not moral is fixed for all time, and any change of standards in the name of would-be moral progress is really an evil, a chipping away at our moral foundations, a tearing of our moral fabric, and so on.

The brain is not neutral; it is not a general-purpose device. It comes with a structure, and our understanding of the world is limited to what our brains can make sense of. Some of our thought is literal- framing our experience directly. But much of it is metaphoric and symbolic, structuring our experience indirectly but no less powerfully. Some of our mechanisms of understanding are the same around the world. But many are not, not even in our own country and culture.

From the point of view of a cognitive scientist, who looks at modes of thought, there are six basic types of progressives, each with a distinct mode of thought.

Since language is used for communicating thought, our view of language must also reflect our new understanding of the nature of thought. Language is at once a surface phenomenon and a source of power. It is a means of expressing, communicating, accessing, and even shaping thought. Words are defined relative to frames and conceptual metaphors.

You can only make sense of what your brain allows.

Sometimes in the dark of night I begin to think. And I wonder if Lee started all this violence.

Sometimes we wonder whether or not our adversaries have technologies that are a little bit further down the road than we thought or that we realized.

He had a wonderful talent for packing thought close, and rendering it portable.

Don't avoid doing something wondering what its consequences may be. Give it a thought, break it down, and consider what really may happen rather than not do it at all.

I really enjoyed writing the adaptation of 'Into The Woods.' I thought it was wonderful to not be the director, frankly. I really enjoyed that aspect of it.

Heresy is another word for freedom of thought.

Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.

It is a damn poor mind indeed which can't think of at least two ways to spell any word.

Has the world ever been changed by anything save the thought and its magic vehicle the Word?

The teacher that I was for decades, and that I still am in a certain way, wondered what was meant by the word education. I was truly dumbfounded at the very thought of dealing with such an essential and extensive subject.

The faster the word sticks to the thought, the more beautiful is the effect.

When the time comes for your brain to process the information, the second word comes up faster than the first one. So when it's in your head, all of a sudden, it comes out backwards and you think of the word backwards.

Words make you think a thought. Music makes you feel a feeling. A song makes you feel a thought.

I very rarely think in words at all. A thought comes, and I may try to express it in words afterwards.

This creed of the desert seemed inexpressible in words, and indeed in thought.

An expenditure of words without income of ideas will lead to intellectual bankruptcy.

Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.