Richard Mitchell
Richard Mitchell
Dr. Richard Mitchellwas a professor, first of English and later of classics, at Glassboro State College in Glassboro, New Jersey. He gained fame in the late 1970s as the founder and publisher of The Underground Grammarian, a newsletter of opinion and criticism that ran until 1992, and wrote four books expounding his views on the relationships among language, education, and ethics...
ProfessionTrumpet Player
Date of Birth13 March 1930
judging mind way
There is no other way to judge the work of a mind except through its words.
society way vegetarian
You can shoot the tiger, or stay out of his way, but you cannot pronounce him a vegetarian.
society events wonder
When we find ourselves wondering about the meaning of conditions and events, its always useful to ask, who profits?
justice asking able
We should...be able to see that our interest would be best served not by asking the state to promulgate our values but by forbidding the state to promulgate any values at all. If the state can espouse some value that we love, it can, with equal justice, espouse others we do not love.
education sex children
There is only one remedy for ignorance and thoughtlessness, and that is literacy. Millions and millions of children would today stand in no need of sex education or consumer education or anti-racism education or any of those fake educations, if they had had in the first place 'an' education.
writing brain mind
A mind can be overthrown by words; that's the point. What is happening to the brain of a person who uses the passive, who writes, 'Delay should not be allowed to take place' instead of 'Hurry'? The user of the passive verb doesn't want a universe in which responsible agents do their acts. You see? Bad language ultimately is IMMORAL.
ignorance laughing special
Educationists are entertaining. We can always find a good laugh in their prose, with its special, ludicrous combination of ignorance and pretentiousness.
journey limits reason
Education, I am convinced, must be nothing more than this: The journey toward the limits of Reason, if any there be.
mind use jargon
His jargon conceals, from him, but not from us, the deep, empty hole in his mind. He uses technological language as a substitute for technique.
teacher pain training
Here is a truth that most teachers will not tell you, even if they know it: Good training is a continual friend and a solace; it helps you now, and assures you of help in the future. Good education is a continual pain in the neck, and assures you always of more of the same.
silly thinking choices
If you cannot be the master of your language, you must be its slave. If you cannot examine your thoughts, you have no choice but to think them, however silly they may be.
important benefits language
Clear language engenders clear thought, and clear thought is the most important benefit of education.
long facts birth-control
Thought control, like birth control, is best undertaken as long as possible before the fact.
language slave masters
If you cannot be the master of your language, you must be its slave.