A small brass horn, a curved red pencil and two pale seashells on a cobalt blue surface.

Original artwork, not a still

St. Augustine

It is better that the grammarians should chide us than that the people should not understand us.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

Clear communication beats correct grammar. Being scolded by language experts is a fair price if ordinary listeners actually follow what's said. The quote ranks being understood above being technically proper, and it says so with a small, cheerful preference.

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