“Words are things. I am convinced.
You must be careful about the words you use, or the words you allow to be used in your house.
In the Old Testament, we are told in Genesis that in the beginning was the Word. And the Word was God, and the Word was with God.
That’s in Genesis.
Words are things.
We must be careful, careful about calling people out of their names,
using racial pejoratives and sexual pejoratives and all that ignorance.
Don’t do that.
Someday we will be able to measure the power of words.
I think they are things.
I think they get on the walls,
they get in your wallpaper,
they get in your rugs,
in your upholstery,
and finally into you.”
~Maya Angelou
Katie Volk says:
Truth!!
Jessica Renshaw says:
Good point, wrong reference. (New Testament: Gospel of John chapter 1, verse 1).
But Genesis opens with a statement about the power of words, too–the words of Jesus, the Creator and living Word: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. AND GOD SAID ‘LET THERE BE LIGHT’ AND THERE WAS LIGHT.”
Grace Burdette Spisak says:
I wonder what Genesis passage Maya was referring? I am familiar with this verse in John 1:1. Did she need a proofreader?
Marylou DenBesten Greene says:
Yeah, I caught that too.
Tricia Heyer says:
Oh, good catch! Even the greats make mistakes.
Lauren Jones says:
Grace Burdette Spisak true…when that reference is suspect, can you trust the rest of the dialogue?
Lynne Baird Rumsey says:
Powerful!
Celeste McLaughlin says:
That gave me chills. Thank you.