Logo - Feel The Words

Gnarly Quotes: Offbeat Takes on Language and Life

Odd word, sharp opinions

Not every gnarly detail described here is conventionally Beautiful - several speakers embrace roughness as its own kind of honesty.

English is an outrageous tangle of those derivations and other multifarious linguistic influences, from Yiddish to Shoshone, which has grown up around a gnarly core of chewy, clangorous yawps derived from ancestors who painted themselves blue to frighten their enemies.

Quotes by Roy Blount, Jr.

We need to figure out a 'harvest system' to collect the produce that stores don't put out for customers to buy because it's not perfect looking. Frankly, the stuff left to rot in the storeroom is more beautiful to me...

Quotes by Mario Batali

There was an obvious display of blatant sexism when I couldn't get signed. They didn't say I was ugly. They didn't say that they didn't like the music. They said I was too old! At 26! So Badly Drawn Boy,...

Quotes by KT Tunstall

I draw hundreds and hundreds of pictures of sort of gnarly looking men, so I don't know what that tells you. People who look like... they're waiting for a sandwich that's never going to come. I don't know what's wrong...

Quotes by Dylan Moran

Ancestors Quotes

In documentary, mostly, people are going to say untoward things; people are going to have gnarly beliefs. People aren't perfect.

Quotes by Debra Granik

I like feet. I definitely have a fetish. I love to see a man's bare foot, but its got to be taken care of. If they're not well manicured, you've got to wonder what the rest of him is like....

Quotes by Brooke Burke

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 'gnarly' mean in the context of the English language here?
One quote describes English itself as built around a gnarly, tangled core shaped by a wide mix of linguistic influences, celebrating the messiness of the language.
Is there a quote about food waste or imperfect produce?
Yes, one speaker proposes a system to rescue produce that stores discard simply because it doesn't look perfect, calling the waste left to rot more troubling than the appearance itself.
Does anyone discuss facing discrimination in the music industry?
One artist recalls being turned away not for their music but for their age, describing it as Blatant sexism rather than any real critique of talent.
What kind of drawings does the artist describe?
One speaker describes sketching rough, weathered-looking men over and over, comparing them to people waiting endlessly for something that never arrives.
Do these quotes connect to a sense of heritage or roots?
Only loosely - readers drawn to that angle may prefer our Ancestors quotes, which focus more directly on lineage and origin.

One quote calls out Blatant sexism faced in the music business, adding a sharper edge to this otherwise playful collection.