Daily Inspiration Quote by David Mamet

It's only words, unless they're true. (Page 71 (per Grove Press 1988 edition; line occurs in the play’s final scene)). Primary-source identification: this line is dialogue spoken by the character FOX in David Mamet’s play "Speed-the-Plow." A Grove Atlantic (publisher) listing confirms a Grove paperback publication date of September 1, 1988 and ISBN-13 978-0-8021-3046-4. ([groveatlantic.com](https://groveatlantic.com/book/speed-the-plow/?utm_source=openai)) Secondary-but-specific corroboration: multiple theater reviews quote the line as occurring in "Speed-the-Plow" (e.g., Washington Post 2007; SF Gate 2008). ([washingtonpost.com](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/style/2007/10/23/speedtheplow-in-a-lower-gear/cb49de99-e1c6-471c-8239-f0b00a8613ea/?utm_source=openai)) A quote aggregator (AZQuotes) attributes the line to "Speed-the-plow: A Play" and specifies p.71 (Grove Press, 1988), but it’s not itself a primary source; I’m using it only to supply the commonly-cited page number while keeping the underlying work as Mamet’s original. ([azquotes.com](https://www.azquotes.com/quote/185093?utm_source=openai)) Important wording note: the version circulating online often uses ellipses and contraction ("It's only words... unless they're true"); the line in the play is typically printed without ellipses and as "It's only words, unless they're true." ([scribd.com](https://www.scribd.com/document/480713404/Mamet-David-Speed-the-Plow)) About “FIRST published or spoken”: the play premiered on Broadway May 3, 1988 (which would be the earliest known public performance), and the Grove paperback publication date is September 1, 1988. ([scribd.com](https://www.scribd.com/document/480713404/Mamet-David-Speed-the-Plow)) I did not locate, within the accessible primary materials surfaced in this search, an earlier (pre-1988) Mamet publication containing this exact sentence.