"A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged, it is the skin of a living thought and may very greatly in color and content according to the circumstances and the time in which it is used" Justice Holmes
"when I choose a word, it means just what I chose it to mean-neither more nor less" Humpty Dumpty
I have always been fond of careful use of words, to better express the exact meaning and intent. Of course, when one is in a hurry, or perhaps knows that they have just one short opportunity to speak, often they use the wrong words. Maybe that is why I like writing so much. It affords an opportunity to get it right that oral communication does not. Additionally, sometimes in the heat of the moment, we truly believe that our words at that moment accurately describe our view of something, whereas upon further reflection, I often find that what I said is not what I really think after all.
"'rerum enim vocabula immutabilia sunt, homines mutabilia" Words are unchangeable, men changeable. (quoted in Wigmore on Evidence). What difference does it make if the words are unchanged in their meaning or our understanding varies with our own intellect, experience and circumstances? The result is the same.
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