At a certain point, what people mean when they use a word becomes its meaning.
William SafireRead
Is sloppiness in speech caused by ignorance or apathy? I don't know and I don't care.
Interpretation
Sloppiness in speech can stem from a lack of knowledge or a lack of concern, but ultimately both are unimportant.
William Safire's quote reflects a view on communication, suggesting that carelessness in how we speak might arise from either ignorance or apathy. However, he expresses indifference to the cause, implying that the impact of such sloppiness is what truly matters, highlighting the importance of clarity and intention in communication.
In practice
During a public speaking event to stress the importance of precise language.
At a certain point, what people mean when they use a word becomes its meaning.
Previously known for its six syllables of sweetness and light, reconciliation has become the political fighting word of the year.
Dangling punch lines to forgotten stories remain in the language like the smile of the Cheshire cat.
Never assume the obvious is true.
Stop worrying about the 'dumbing down' of our language by bloggers, tweeters, cableheads and MSM thumbsuckers engaged in a 'race to the bottom' of the page by little minds confined to little words.
Sometimes I know the meaning of a word but am tired of it and feel the need for an unfamiliar, especially precise or poetic term, perhaps one with a nuance that flatters my readership's exquisite sensitivity.
The strongest reason for giving woman all the opportunities for higher education, for the full development of her faculties, her forces of mind and body... is the solitude and personal responsibility of her own individual life.
We must therefore turn to the child as to the key to the fate of our future life.
The time to begin writing an article is when you have finished it to your satisfaction. By that time you begin to clearly and logically perceive what it is you really want to say.
The education of attention would be an education par excellence
Adults, who outnumber kids four or five to one, are in charge. We wield the resources, run the world, and completely thwart kids' creativity.
Oddly enough, my favorite genre is not fiction. I'm attracted by primary sources that are relevant to historical questions of interest to me, by famous old books on philosophy or theology that I want to see with my own eyes, by essays on contemporary science, by the literatures of antiquity.
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