Quotes About Interpretation

Betjeman, called him sentimental, but he could hit the nail on the head when it came to describing people's feelings; and he had written there about a man coming out of a doctor's surgery, his X-ray photos tucked under his

Drawing is to art as grammar is to language: you can speak without any knowledge of grammar, but do not expect to be understood, and certainly do not expect to become a poet.

People tried to understand, and many did, but not everybody could make the imaginative leap that landed one in the position of another person, in their shoes, in their very garments, looking out on the world with their eyes, feeling what went on inside their hearts; being made to cry by the things that made them want to cry. That was easy in theory, but hard in practice. They pretended to understand, but when it came down to it, many simply did not.

An Englishman was reflecting on the different words that people use for fish. 'Isn't it strange,' he said, 'that the French say le poisson, the Spanish say el pescado, and the English call it fish—which is what it is.' 

A deaf man summoned a deaf man to be judged By a deaf Judge.

You interpret my heart, my nature, as you wish to believe it. In truth, I have no secret longing to be saved from myself.

Will I have to use a dictionary to read your book? asked Mrs. Dodypol. It depends, says I, how much you used the dictionary before you read it.

Ordinary persons, he said, smiling, found no differences between men. The artist found them all.

I did not say alas! (nobody ever does that I know of, though the word is so frequently written).

How poorly we communicate, even the most drastic messages, even to ourselves.

True, I have raped history, but it has produced some beautiful offspring.

Unfortunately in this world of ours, each person views things through a certain medium, which prevents his seeing them in the same light as others…

But, it is well known, what strikes the capricious mind of the poet is not always what affects the mass of readers.

We are surrounded by symbols and take them for granted. They had to start somewhere, though, and gained their meaning because of historical use, which is suggestive for fiction writers. Anything can be turned into a symbol.

I always thought the Bible was more of a salad thing, you know, but it isn't. It's a chocolate thing.

The parading of a sacred image through the streets is an opportunity to consult the gods as oracles. Questions can be asked or presented in writing as the procession passes by. An accidental, intentional or perceived nod or tilt of the cult image can be interpreted as a 'yes' or 'no' answer, which might decide some very important issue in one's life. 'Should I marry so and so?' 'Was I overcharged for those sandals?' or, perhaps, 'Should I go home now?

each of the best minds ends by making fairy tales

The text of the Bible means what God inspired it to mean, not "what it means to

Books, after all, do not have the same impact whenever we read them.

I always tell actors not to use their face for nothing. Don't start scribbling on the paper until you have something to write.

articulate and define what has previously remained implicit or unsaid;

Remember, always, that everything you know, and everything everyone knows, is only a model. Get your model out there where it can be viewed. Invite others to challenge your assumptions and add their own.

Everything we think we know about the world is a model. Our models do have a strong congruence with the world. Our models fall far short of representing the real world fully.

we don't talk about what we see; we see only what we can talk about