race/rās noun (sense 1) a contest of speed Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races after the other. Walter Elliott, 1842-1928   plural, a series of speed-based contests, usually of horses It were not best that we should all thing alike; it is difference of opinion that makes horse races. Mark Twain, 1835-1910   any competition Human history becomes more... Read More

re-spect / rəˈspekt   noun   a detail or point In some respects, progressing through life is like running a marathon. Joseph B. Wirthlin, 1917-2008   reference or relation With respect to the words “general welfare,” I have always regarded them as qualified by the detail of powers connected with them. James Madison, 1751-1836   high regard; esteem The final test of a gentleman... Read More

ex-qui-site / ek’skwizət   adjective   marked by flawless, beautiful and/or delicate craftsmanship or execution We should learn from the snail; it has devised a home that is both exquisite and functional. Frank Lloyd Wright, 1967-1959   marked by subtle understanding or keen sensitivity I would say the hallmarks of Italian style are a poetical connection to nature and to materiality, materials, and exquisite... Read More

plain / plan   adjective   unadorned Stained glass, engraved glass, frosted glass; give me plain glass. John Fowles, 1926-1643   free of extraneous matter; pure If you have love, even plain cold water is sweet. Jung Chang, 1952-   clear to the eye or ear As I understand it, laws, commands, rules and edicts are for those who have not the light which... Read More

clar-i-ty / ˈklerədē   noun   clearness or lucidity of understanding In service, there is clarity and compassion. Mary Anne Radmacher, ?-   the state or quality of being clear or transparent to the eye It is a light of such penetrating clarity that even a simple object lying by chance in such a light takes on an inner glow, almost a voluptuousness. Irving... Read More

grace / ɡrās noun   beauty or elegance of form, motion, etc. Grace is the beauty of form under the influence of freedom. Friedrich Schiller, 1759-1805   an attractive quality I please myself with the graces of winter scenery, and believe that we are as much touched by it as by the genial influences of summer. Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882   favor; approval Words... Read More

pan-ic / panik   noun a sudden fear or anxiety which can lead to irrational thought or behavior Fear cannot be banished, but it can be calm and without panic; it can be mitigated by reason and evaluation. Vannevar Bush, 1890-1974   an instance or outbreak of sudden fear or anxiety The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in... Read More

wo-man / wo͝omən, plural wo-men / ˈwimən noun 1.      an adult human female Next to God we are indebted to women, first for life itself, and then for making it worth living. Mary McLeod Bethune, 1875-1955 2.      a female that belongs to a particular group based on birth, occupation or membership, i.e., council ‘ Yes, I did feel a special responsibility to be the first American woman in space. Sally Ride,... Read More

sto-ry / stôrē   noun sense 1 an account of events; an anecdote Behind every smile, there’s a story of a personal struggle. Adrienne C. Moore, 1980-   a fictitious tale shorter than a novel If you can’t sit in a café quietly and be ignored, how can you observe human nature and write a story? Evangeline Lilly, 1979-   a news piece, whether... Read More

ash / aSH   noun   any of a genus of trees of the olive family which has gray branches, thin furrowed bark, and pinnate leaves Of all the trees that grow so fair Old England to adorn, Greater are none beneath the Sun Than Oak, and Ash and Thorn. from ‘A Tree Song’ by Rudyard Kipling, 1865-1936   the powdery residue left when... Read More