# Quote — Tom Heehler, The Well-Spoken Thesaurus

> Words are like little gods. The pronoun "him" instead of "her," if used often enough, can disuade a girl from science or math. The words you use determine the density of gray matter in your brain. They affect your political leanings, influence how you see reality, determine your level of confidence and thus, define what it means to be you. That's what words do.

- Author: [Tom Heehler](https://www.leafyquotes.com/tom-heehler.md)
- Book: [The Well-Spoken Thesaurus](https://www.leafyquotes.com/tom-heehler/the-well-spoken-thesaurus.md)
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Tom_Heehler#The_Well-Spoken_Thesaurus_(2011)) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/tom-heehler/the-well-spoken-thesaurus/words-are-like

## More from this book

> Big professorial words are good to know but not necessarily use at every turn. Try not to serve vichyssois to a coal miner, and do not give Cheerios to the queen of England. Neither will be amused.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/tom-heehler/the-well-spoken-thesaurus/big-professorial-words.md)

> Fear not the tyrant; fear the tyrant's wake.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/tom-heehler/the-well-spoken-thesaurus/fear-not-the.md)

> The educated don't get that way by memorizing facts; they get that way by respecting them.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/tom-heehler/the-well-spoken-thesaurus/the-educated-dont.md)