Source identified
Read & copy the quotation
“Words should serve the fact, and not substitute themselves for it”
- Source
- The Simple Life
- Date
- 1901
- English wording
- Mary Louise Hendee — Translator · from French
Meaning of “Words should serve the fact, and not substitute…”
Language is assigned a supporting role: words should clarify reality instead of becoming an impressive verbal screen that displaces the thing being discussed.
Where does it come from?
The Simple Life, Chapter IV, “Simplicity of Speech,” Mary Louise Hendee translation, Project Gutenberg #23092; Wagner criticizes language that replaces fact with display.
