“A word is an arbitrary label – that’s the foundation of linguistics. But many people think otherwise. They believe in word magic: that uttering a spell, incantation, curse, or prayer can change the world. Don’t snicker: Would you ever say, ‘Nothing has gone wrong yet’ without looking for wood to knock?”
~ Steven Pinker
More on getting real:
“We get real results only in proportion to the real values we give.”
~James Cash Penney
“The real war will never get in the books.”
~ Walt Whitman
“I get satisfaction out of seeing stuff that makes real change in the real world. We need a lot more of that and a lot less abstract stuff.”
~ Temple Grandin
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Real /ˈrē(ə)l/
adjective
1- actually existing as a thing or occurring in fact; not imagined or supposed. “Julius Caesar was a real person”
2- (of a substance or thing) not imitation or artificial; genuine. “the earring was presumably real gold”
adverb (informal, North American)
really; very. “my head hurts real bad”
