Who said “Words ought to be a little wild for they are the assaults of thought on the unthinking.”?

Verified

John Maynard Keynes. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceNational self-sufficiency, New Statesman and Nation (15 July 1933)

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“Words ought to be a little wild for they are the assaults of thought on the unthinking.”
— John Maynard Keynes
VerifiedNational self-sufficiency, New Statesman and Nation (15 July 1933) · evidenceWords

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: National self-sufficiency, New Statesman and Nation (15 July 1933).

APA

Keynes, J. M. (n.d.). Words ought to be a little wild for they are the assaults of thought on the unthinking. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/30727-words-ought-to-be-a-little-wild-for/

MLA

Keynes, John Maynard. “Words ought to be a little wild for they are the assaults of thought on the unthinking.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/30727-words-ought-to-be-a-little-wild-for/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Keynes, John Maynard. “Words ought to be a little wild for they are the assaults of thought on the unthinking.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/30727-words-ought-to-be-a-little-wild-for/.

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“A wise man hears one word and understands two.”
— Yiddish Proverb
Original (Yiddish)

אַ קלוגער פֿאַרשטײט פֿון אײן װאָרט צװײ

A kluger farshteyt fun eyn vort tsvey.

VerifiedRecorded in Nahum Stutchkoff, דער אוצר פֿון דער ייִדישער שפּראַך (1950), p. 304 · evidenceDetails & citeWords

More quotes by Keynes

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“I do not know which makes a man more conservative -- to know nothing but the present, or nothing but the past.”
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All 20 John Maynard Keynes quotes →