The Power of Words

I talked a while ago about the origins of language, and how it fascinates me. In this post, I'm going to focus more on the power of language.

Here are some quotes I got from an iPhone app (:P) that I love:

"The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one." - Elbert Hubbard

"The degree of responsibility you take for your life determines how much change you can create in it." - Unknown

"What the mind can conceive, it can achieve." - Napoleon Hill (this is one of my personal favourites)

"When you move beyond your fear, you feel free." - Spencer Johnson

"If you're not willing to risk, you cannot grow. If you cannot grow, you cannot be your best. If you cannot be your best, you cannot be happy. If you cannot be happy, what else is there?" - Les Brown

"Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are open." - Sir James Dewar

What is it that draws people to quotes? Or, as I'm speaking for myself here, what is it that draws me to quotes? Technically, quotes are simply random words drawn together to convey a certain meaning or message, or many. The beauty of quotes, of strings of words, is in their effect.. words stimulate the mind, force us to think about ideas possibly beyond our current knowledge. These quotes inspire me; when I read them, I don't see words but what they represent. The bigger image. That's the beauty of words; they are not meant to be entirely considered and appreciated in their literal / written / physical form; they create an avenue for people to see extraordinary new images.

Words enable us to communicate. Words create change. All in all, words are a powerful weapon or tool; possibly the most powerful tool any person can have.

"I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following." Yes, I do love Ghandi.. so, so many wonderful words :)

However, this one I believe carries an important point - 'I am concerned with taking care of the present'. My mind soars straight to climate change and conservation, predictions and debates. My simple question is - we know there are problems with pollution now, we know we are losing wildlife from human destruction of the environment now, so, instead of arguing over what's true and not, why not just deal with the issues that might be causing it? It would be healthier for everyone and everything, including the economy.

Anyway... back on topic

The most meaningful and powerful quote I have read is Ghandi's "You must be the change you want to see in the world." These twelve words combine to convey an idea that attempts to encourage and inspire people to study the bigger picture; they are words that one will read and immediately be drawn to consider. This is the power of the mind - when we read something, we automatically, involuntarily think about its meaning because that's what each word is to us.

"A Small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history." - Ghandi

With that I leave you with another quote of Ghandi's to ponder;

"In matters of conscience, the law of the majority has no place."