Words Form Worlds

It’s my firm belief that words form worlds and stories shape society. So the stories we tell ourselves—and others, have the potential to reform our experience of the world in which we live and breathe. This means we each have a responsibility to consider our words, to choose them wisely and to ensure that we do all we can to steward the narrative of our story.

‘Do not let us speak of darker days, rather let us speak of sterner days. These are not dark days, these are great days—the greatest days our country has ever lived; and we must all thank God that we have been allowed, each of us according to our stations to play a part in making these days memorable in the history of our race.’

                                              Winston Churchill

Whatever you think of this man, his leadership and choices—he had a learned way with words. This quote comes from an address to Harrow School in October of 1941. The school had written a new verse for their school song as a tribute to Churchill, but they’re lyrics didn’t sit right with him. And so he addressed it.

Through his word choice he spoke in to the very heart of his nation and he sent out a call to defiance and inner resolve. He reminded them that even though the days might have felt dark, the people of Great Britain had the capacity to overcome. And that speech has a legacy, it lives on and inspires today.

That’s the power of words.
They can define a movement.
They can shift a culture.
They can shape a society.

They can invoke a better world.