Errol Morris Quotes

Using vague, slippery or just meaningless language is not the same as lying: it's not intended to deceive so much as to preserve options, buy time, distance oneself from others, or just to sound like you're saying something instead of nothing.

I would engage in a sort of syntax destruction that would sound like I was answering the question but actually was not.

The tongue of man is a twisty thing, there are plenty of words there of every kind.

Lord Polonius: What do you read, my lord? Hamlet: Words, words, words. Lord Polonius: What is the matter, my lord? Hamlet: Between who? Lord Polonius: I mean, the matter that you read, my lord.

When we use terms we get confused, yet we have no other way.

I still understand a few words in life, but I no longer think they make a sentence.

Writing is learning to say nothing, more cleverly each day.

Sometimes I think it's possible to mistake desire for clarity and talking in a no-nonsense way for aggression.

Something's that written out is okay, but it's not always a clear indication of what a person means.

In labouring to be concise, I become obscure.

I'm sorry I can't speak very coherently.

If you can't convince them, confuse them.

It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood.

I can talk a lot and not reveal anything; I would make a great politician.

I love language, and I love the failure of language.

People often complain that music is too ambiguous, that what they should think when they hear it is so unclear, whereas everyone understands words. With me, it is exactly the opposite, and not only with regard to an entire speech but also with individual words.

Frank and explicit – that is the right line to take when you want to conceal your own mind and to confuse the minds of others.

I spend a substantial amount of my time endeavoring to fend off questions, and worry terribly that I might end up being too clear.

We find few disputes, that are not founded on some ambiguity in the expression [thereof].

Words are slippery and thoughts are vicious.

Since I’ve become a central banker, I’ve learned to mumble with great incoherence. If I seem unduly clear to you, you must have misunderstood what I said.

If that comes up, I'll just confuse them.

Whenever a poet or preacher, chief or wizard spouts gibberish, the human race spends centuries deciphering the message.

We are never half so interesting when we have learned that language is given us to enable us to conceal our thoughts.

Noise is an easy thing to hide behind. If you make a lot of noise and shout behind that, nobody can tell what you're singing.