Kimberly Hardman

“...I realized that the words most often used to define us were words that described our function in relation to others. Even the most benign words- maiden, wife, mother - told the world whether we were virgins or not. What was the male equivalent of maiden? I could not think of it. What was the male equivalent of Mrs., of whore, of common scold?... Which words would define me? Which would be used to judge or contain?”
― Pip Williams, The Dictionary of Lost Words

“Reader, I fucked him.”
― Rachel Hawkins, The Wife Upstairs

“Words define us, they explain us, and, on occasion, they serve to control or isolate us.”
― Pip Williams, The Dictionary of Lost Words

“A vulgar word, well placed and said with just enough vigour, can express far more than its polite equivalent.”
― Pip Williams, The Dictionary of Lost Words