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Quote by Walter Lippmann

“Where all think alike, no one thinks very much.”

Author

Walter Lippmann was a prominent American writer and political commentator, born on September 23, 1889, and died on December 14, 1974. He was known for his profound insights into political and social issues and was one of the most influential political analysts in the United States during the 20th century. more

“My dear friend, clear your mind of cant [excessive thought]. You may talk as other people do: you may say to a man, "Sir, I am your most humble servant." You are not his most humble servant. You may say, "These are bad times; it is a melancholy thing to be reserved to such times." You don't mind the times ... You may talk in this manner; it is a mode of talking in Society; but don't think foolishly.”

Language Expression Thought Excess Moderation Cant Appropriateness

Book:The Life of Johnson, Vol 4

Source: The Life of Johnson, Vol 4

“This is one of the disadvantages of wine, it makes a man mistake words for thoughts.”

Wine Words Thought

Book:The Life of Samuel Johnson LL.D. Vol 2

Source: The Life of Samuel Johnson LL.D. Vol 2

“Isn't language loss a good thing, because fewer languages mean easier communication among the world's people? Perhaps, but it's a bad thing in other respects. Languages differ in structure and vocabulary, in how they express causation and feelings and personal responsibility, hence in how they shape our thoughts. There's no single purpose "best" language; instead, different languages are better suited for different purposes. For instance, it may not have been an accident that Plato and Aristotle wrote in Greek, while Kant wrote in German. The grammatical particles of those two languages, plus their ease in forming compound words, may have helped make them the preeminent languages of western philosophy. Another example, familiar to all of us who studied Latin, is that highly inflected languages (ones in which word endings suffice to indicate sentence structure) can use variations of word order to convey nuances impossible with English. Our English word order is severely constrained by having to serve as the main clue to sentence structure. If English becomes a world language, that won't be because English was necessarily the best language for diplomacy.”

Language Expression Thought

Book:The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal

Source: The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal