Roget's Thesaurus is, in my view, a Bad Book. It is a tool for the lexically lazy. It contributes to linguistic and grammatical mediocrity. And all copies of the sleekly handsome anniversary edition should bear a Government Health Warning to that effect. ... For what is so true, as to be almost axiomatic about this wonderful language of ours, is that almost no word means exactly the same as any other. There are very, very few words that are real synonyms.
—Simon Winchester, English author, Daily Mail, July 5, 2002

Posted on November 11, 2003 at 11:52 AM

Simon Winchester quotations | Permalink | Comments

English is a language that simply cannot be fixed, nor can its use ever be absolutely laid down. It changes constantly; it grows with an almost exponential joy. It evolves eternally; its words alter their senses and their meanings subtly, slowly, or speedily according to fashion and need.
—Simon Winchester, English author, The Meaning of Everything, 2003

Posted on October 7, 2003 at 7:21 AM

Simon Winchester quotations | Permalink | Comments

Our language is a rich one, indeed, the richest in creation, and a privilege to know. It is ever-changing, ever-expanding, with the current lexicon like an ever-rolling conveyor belt, moving words from invention to burial with languorous certitude.
—Simon Winchester, English author, Foreword to Erin McKean, Weird and Wonderful Words, 2002