Involuntary Speech

Famous quotes containing the words involuntary and/or speech:

“How often our involuntary facial motions testify to the thoughts we were keeping secret, and betray us to those around!”
—Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592)

“Grammar is a tricky, inconsistent thing. Being the backbone of speech and writing, it should, we think, be eminently logical, make perfect sense, like the human skeleton. But, of course, the skeleton is arbitrary, too. Why twelve pairs of ribs rather than eleven or thirteen? Why thirty-two teeth? It has something to do with evolution and functionalism—but only sometimes, not always. So there are aspects of grammar that make good, logical sense, and others that do not.”
—John Simon (b. 1925)