
James, you ought to discover some day that words have an exact meaning.
Ayn Rand in Atlas Shrugged, 1957

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Related quotes
Just Words
You don't have to read these words.
That's all they are anyway...
Just words.
You don't have to connect to my feelings.
You never will.
How can you?
I'm another 'somebody' meaning nothing.
Somebody saying nothing...
Meaningful to you!
I know this.
And I knew!
Much like you...
I too,
Am just passing through here,
With nothing else to do!
And these words put together,
Are for folks like us...
Me and you.
With nothing specific on our minds.
As we both find this time,
To discover words to just browse through.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Words Sometimes Take On A Own Meaning
Words sometimes take on a own meaning
and sometimes they are sharp and painful
as if there is much more to words
as if a kind of secret knowledge hides in them
that are sometimes something moving.
Words sometimes take on a own meaning
but somehow words can at times miss things
and are sometimes dependent on feelings
as if there is much more to words
when through it all love brings a kind of bonding
and so you and I are attractive to each other.
Words sometimes take on a own meaning
and daily a bond develops between us,
while you become more considerable to me,
as if there is much more to words
you constantly live in my thoughts,
while love becomes real through words.
Words sometimes take on a own meaning
as if there is much more to words…
poem by Gert Strydom

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Lip Service
Words inspire and words destroy
Words conspire and words annoy
Words spread freedom and words detain
Words believe them in sound refrain
Words of passion in words misleading
Words without action are words without meaning
poem by P.R. Prosper

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Deeper Inner Meanings
Let us ponder
the words and phrases
poets and artists
have used
as we delve
into obvious
and deeper
inner meanings.
What is exact origin
of these so often
quoted famous
choice chosen words?
A spontaneous
eureka phrase
born instantly
in the mind
or a protracted
laboured discourse
cunningly created
a deliberate conceit.
Writers so love
their ingenious
imaginative poetic
chosen images
writing must contain
such images
as metaphor simile
personification
a comparison
which is extreme
or far-fetched
wins accolades.
However the exact
meaning as envisaged
by moods of original
penmanship are not
conceived embodied
as a clone interpretation
by readers separated
by time space cultural bias.
We the reader impose
individualistic insightful
meaning as dictated by
personal taste possibly
skilled literary criticism.
Rhetoric discourse read
might be described as
a clever trick of arbitrary
whim, written by magicians
of illusion; yet many scripts
can be traced to proven
historical events which
occurred in the artists lifetime.
Good criticism will progress
from an introductory How
into What a text means, based
upon insightful and plausible
readings, with appropriate quotes
to sustain the argument chosen.
poem by Terence George Craddock

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Some Prefer What's On The Surface
It's in the meaning that comes,
That may not suit everyone...
With a getting to be done and quick.
It's in the meaning that comes,
That may not suit everyone...
With a getting to be done,
Before they run.
Some prefer what's on the surface,
And not below it to pick.
Some prefer what's on the surface,
With no thought attached to it.
Some prefer what's on the surface,
Since it's easier to get.
Without a picking up to leave to then split.
It's in the meaning that comes,
That may not suit everyone...
With a getting to be done and quick.
It's in the meaning that comes,
That may not suit everyone...
To pick up,
To leave to then split.
And many will prefer it to sit.
With...
A caring less of meaning in it.
Or...
Discovering themselves,
A meaninglessness.
No one wishes to discover,
A meaning exists.
Or bother to uncover,
A meaninglessness.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Just A Random Poem
These words have no meaning to it
Yet we're typing it anyways
It's not about love, happiness, or sorrow
Yet it's about all those things
Love is not a game, but people still play
Happiness is all we want, but only few of us have it
Sorrow is in all of our hearts, but there is always someone out there to help us out
Like life these words have no meaning to it, yet it still does
Everyone is random in there own way, but thats okay
We see other peoples randomness, but we fail to see ours
But like everything, these words have no meaning,
Because this is Just A Random Poem
poem by Callum Tabone

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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A Desire To Know Deep Meanings
Dictionary!
My Dictionary!
Raise it high in your right hand!
We shall use it
we shall use it to explore
to seek out...
the meaning of words
the meaning behind words
the multiple hidden meaning of life.
Amen.
Because modern computer dictionaries
really blow... they do, not, contain,
varied rich poetical meanings of words...
as some of my youthful dictionaries did
stimulating imagination, thought, wonder,
stimulating a desire to know deep meanings...
poem by Terence George Craddock

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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8-3-1
The way I want you babe
Its embarrassing
I cant control myself
Its just too much for me
I cant concentrate
I dont know what to say
Except your name baby
The sweetest name
And when we kiss that kiss
Thats when it hits
With my heart and soul I say this
8 letters, 3 words, one meaning
In my heart
8 letters, 3 words, one feeling
When it starts
When you say my name
I begin to shake
I break out in a sweat
This is the best it gets
Theres nothing second rate
About this feeling babe
Its forever come what may
Its what I hope and pray yeah
And when we kiss that kiss
Thats when it hits
With my heart and soul I say this baby
8 letters, 3 words, one meaning
In my heart
8 letters, 3 words, one feeling
When it starts
8 letters, 3 words, one meaning
In my heart
8 letters, 3 words, one feeling
When it starts
Its understanding and its understood
And baby it sure feels good
8 letters, 3 words, one meaning
In my heart
8 letters, 3 words, one feeling
When it starts
And when we kiss that kiss
Thats when it hits
With my heart and soul I say this baby
8 letters, 3 words, one meaning
In my heart
8 letters, 3 words, one feeling
When it starts
song performed by by Lisa Stansfield

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Metaphor lives a secret life all around us. We utter about six metaphors a minute. Metaphorical thinking is essential to how we understand ourselves and others, how we communicate, learn, discover and invent. But metaphor is a way of thought before it is a way with words.
James Geary in Metaphorically speaking (2009)

Submitted by Dan Costinaş
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Look at all the buses now that want exact change, exact change. I figure if I give them exact change, they should take me exactly where I want to go.
quote by George C. Wallace

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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A Man Wrote Because He Had Nothing Else He Could Do
A man wrote because he had nothing else he could do-
Even when the writing lost its Meaning
He had no choice but to go on with it
Until the Meaning came back-
And in his quiet sadness and obsession
And in his pain and loneliness and rage
And in his putting all his feeling in his words
One small echo of redemption sometimes perhaps came
Which said:
Somewhere else there is a Universe with or without words
In which whatever you are or do is responded to by 'Yes'.
poem by Shalom Freedman

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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I have a problem when people say something's real or not real, or normal or abnormal. The meaning of those words for me is very personal and subjective. I've always been confused and never had a clearcut understanding of the meaning of those kinds of words.
quote by Tim Burton

Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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042011F strange words
i was talking to my friend
she came up with words
so strange to understand
i thought of people's humor
naming something funny
which is true every culture
we finally agree on lesser
bizarre meaning, acceptable
good thing about it is we didn't
argue but find ways to discover
a venue to make conversation
enjoyable and of course longer
poem by Manonton Dalan

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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I Did It
Destroy a fence over the matter,
To disasterous meaning later,
Only to wash up and live,
To force the exact give,
And rest all times to mutter!
poem by Naveed Akram

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It is not advisable, James, to venture unsolicited opinions. You should spare yourself the embarrassing discovery of their exact value to your listener.
The Poem Was Destroyed By Its Own Words
The poem was destroyed by its own words
And could not be written-
The words were not good enough
The words were not exact enough -
The poem nonetheless wanted to be
It waited in longing for other words-
Other words came
But they were not the poem either-
The poem it appeared
Was never to be -
The poem disappeared
Before it could be written
That poem forever is not
And in its place only these lines
Barely a poem at all.
poem by Shalom Freedman

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Meaning Of A Poem
THE MEANING OF A POEM
The meaning of a poem
Is written within the lines
And between them.
It is outside and around,
Under and above
Where the simple sense is.
The meaning of a poem surrounds and embeds it,
And forces it to twist and turn within and without itself,
In more directions than it itself knows.
The meaning of a poem burns-
And aches to show
Where the wound is.
Oh scars of words and simple singing melodies of light
Where is your balm of thunder and dawn, now?
poem by Shalom Freedman

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Your Mother's Words
Your mother's words are still in my mind,
Even though so many years have gone by between us;
And i can still remind her of her exact words said before me when,
I took up the contract to teach you and your siblings Core-Maths.
poem by Edward Kofi Louis

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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I Clash with Books
I clash with books, with words of enormous depth,
The meaning on the page is that of beauty.
I see fire in the whole of literature, the whole poison,
When information has a path, forming beauty.
My books are written with zeal, full of fervour,
Entirely exact, full of splendour, and rich.
This sea of bringing in has many problems
I need to crash into, into a lovely pudding.
The pudding is perfect as a sight or image,
The picture on the wall of my house.
poem by Naveed Akram

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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I remember now
I remember wanting it back
I remember all the boredom
I remember all the security
I remember holding myself back
I remember the want
I remember the denial
I remember getting it back
I discover all of the excitement
I discover all the new ways
I discover all the acceptance
I discover all of the interest
I discover all the greenest grass
I remember all of the dreams
I remember all the waiting
I remember all the uncertainty
I remember all the letting down
I remember what I ought not to have forgotten
I remember the limbo of my decisions
poem by Jack Cyclone

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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