A word is dead when it is said. Dickinson What we habitually say in our heads, we usually end up saying with our lips, which ultimately direct our feet. The Power of Words Today, as I try to find some useful words for this column, I am thinking about the usefulness of words themselves. In the first place, both Jews and Christians believe the world itself was created by words. In the second place, without words we could have no civilized society.
Words are part of what separates humankind from animals.
Four-footed beasts don't build hospitals, schools, and churches, partly because they don't have the power of words. And, indeed, words are powerful. By words rulers are crowned or removed, nations are born or dissolved, and whole races are enslaved or set free. Words can guide us or deceive us, make us knowledgeable or ignorant, wise or foolish. Words control our emotions.