Words
Index Entry
Words:
"... I decided that the way I had acquired bad rules and conflicting thoughts was through words-- when somebody told me these things. Therefore I became very suspicious of words. I said, 'Words seem to be one of the most extraordinary tool acquisitions of men; I don't think men were born with words, but rather from what I have learned in education and of the educational system I suspect that men have evolved words... They are obviously tools and I'm enough of a mechanic to know that you can use tools in the wrong way...' It was very tough on my wife, but I decided I was going to hold a moratorium on speech for myself... I thought I would see if by doing that I could force myself back to the point where I would really understand what it was I was thinking and be sure that when I made a sound that I really meant to make that sound-- that it wasn't something I was parroting and that was just coming off my tongue."
Citations
- RBF quoted in Times Literary Supplement review 19 Mar'70, from LATER INFLUENCES ON MY WORK, p.47, Jun'58.
