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Self-Discovery
Words That Shape Us
Life’s Most Underrated Pleasure
Speech is a gift that brings our thoughts to life, connecting, defining, and shaping us. More than just communication, it’s one of life’s greatest, most underrated pleasures. Let’s appreciate the profound power of our voice.
Thinking and talking
“Words play an enormous part in our lives and are therefore deserving of the closest study.” — Aldous Huxley
Among a child’s most celebrated milestones are their first steps and first words. These moments can feel miraculous to parents, even though they’re a natural part of development. Speech is so important because it is tied directly to a child’s capacity to learn, grow, and engage with the world.
Our ability to speak and think can continue to develop well into later life, unlike our physical agility, which can diminish as we age. Athletes may slow down in their forties, but their ability to learn and speak can continue to grow for decades beyond. Robert Louis Stevenson captured this beautifully:
“Talk is by far the most accessible of pleasures. It costs nothing in money, it is all profit, it completes our education, founds and fosters our friendships, and can be enjoyed at any age and in almost any state of health.”