Base words are uttered only by the base And can for such at once be understood; But noble platitudes – ah, there's a case Where the most careful scrutiny is needed To tell a voice that's genuinely good From one that's base but merely has succeeded.

W.h. Auden
About This Quote

In this quote from the poem “The Noble Platitude” by English poet and dramatist William Shakespeare, Shakespeare emphasizes the importance of using honorable language. He says that people who use base words will be understood as such, but those who produce noble platitudes will require careful scrutiny to distinguish between them and those who merely produce words that sound good but are not as honorable as they should be.

Source: Collected Poems

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