It is hard to know what you are talking about in mathematics, yet no one questions the validity of what you say. There is no other realm of discourse half so queer.
One should aim not at being possible to understand, but at being impossible to misunderstand.
The right word is always a power, and communicates its definiteness to our action.
If I'm writing, I'll say something metaphorical or approximate, whereas scientists are very precise.
Being a 911 operator means balancing seemingly contradictory skills. On one hand, operators have to be fanatically precise and well-organized. On the other, they must be able to establish rapport with panicky callers.
Maybe [I care about language] because I'm an editor, maybe because I'm picky, but it's all we got, don't shrink it. Don't dumb it out, make it little.
I love a sense of humor, I love intelligence, I love specificity, I love surprises. I'm inspired to get out of bed in the morning and fill my day with good things.
How much better might human communication be if words were as precious as diamonds? If each of us were allotted only 100 words per day?
Demons were like genies or philosophy professors - if you didn't word things exactly right, they delighted in giving you absolutely accurate and completely misleading answers.
In the commerce of language use only coin of gold and silver.
I'm not familiar precisely with what I said, but I'll stand by what I said, whatever it was.
Proverbs, words, and grammar inflections convey the public sense with more purity and precision, than the wisest individual.
My vocabulary is vast and expert, and I don't think I overuse any word.
What isn’t clear, isn’t French.
