Henry Miller Quotes

Even so, sometimes I wish I did have a little bit more flair in my language.

Drawing on my fine command of the English language, I said nothing.

To handle a language skillfully is to practice a kind of evocative sorcery.

I've always been very wordy; I've got a great vocabulary.

He sure put things into words good.

A scientist sounds like a scientist because the things that come out of their mouth don't stumble, that's all. If they [said], "And the, um, a microwave, uh," you know, then you don't sound right, but if you can just get it out without stumbling then you're going to sound fine.

The tongue is the only tool that gets sharper with use.

Your English style will no doubt put all the other gentlemen to bed. I speak figuratively, of course.

To make the bloody thing talk the way I do when I'm on a verbal roll, in my idioms and rhythms.

I'm not very articulate.

Being articulate, my parents could make anything sound reasonable.

He who is educated and eloquent must not measure his saintliness merely by his fluency.

He draweth out the thread of his verbosity finer than the staple of his argument.

I'm not very articulate. I don't have that skill.

Contrary to the negative stereotype that folks who swear have poor vocabularies, a fluency in taboo language correlates with overall verbal fluency. The more words you know, the more you know... and the more colorfully you can express yourself, with nuance, metaphor, and emotion.

My brother's really well-spoken.

My vocabulary is vast and expert, and I don't think I overuse any word.

a fair degree of literacy of speech ... is increasingly rare in politicians and not necessarily regarded as an asset.

Eloquence is the child of knowledge.

They are eloquent who can speak low things acutely, and of great things with dignity, and of moderate things with temper.

Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounc'd it to you, trippingly on the tongue.

The ability to speak well is the shortcut to distinction.

It's not 'natural' to speak well, eloquently, in an interesting, articulate way. People living in groups, families, communes say little - have few verbal means. Eloquence - thinking in words - is a byproduct of solitude, deracination, a heightened painful individuality. In groups, it's more natural to sing, to dance, to pray: given, rather than invented (individual) speech.

The common fluency of speech in many men, and most women, is owing to a scarcity of matter and a scarcity of words; for whosoever is a master of language, and hath a mind full of ideas, will be apt, in speaking, to hesitate upon the choice of both.

The things keeping you back-these embarrassing, boring, stupid obstacles-are the heart of what it is to be human. They’re the whole reason for making and needing art. So you might as well go ahead and begin in whatever way you can right now.