Words are living, breathing entities. Words hold the power to heal or destroy, to build up or tear down. For that reason, the speaker or writer must choose with care. Dr. Maya Angelou, one of the greatest people of our century--of any century--believed that words, once spoken "get on the walls." I remember the first time I heard her say this and it had such an impact on my thinking that I recorded her actual quote in my journal:
"Words are things. You 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. Some day we’ll be able to measure the power of words. I think they are things. They get on the walls. They get in your wallpaper. They get in your rugs, in your upholstery, and your clothes, and finally into you.”
Every human being has said or written words they wish they could take back. I know I have. A harsh word spoken in the heat of the moment, a patronizing compliment uttered out of manipulation rather than sincerity, a complaint or criticism arising from one's own pathetic insecurity. These words need not be spoken because they do not make the world a better place.
If I am to be a writer, I must remember to choose my words carefully, for my words will outlive me. "They get on the walls."
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