[Editors] Fwd: Re: talking the walk?

[Teresa Hill]

"walking the talk" is correct; it means that one is doing what one is 
saying should be done, for example, actually turning off the light when 
leaving a room in accordance with one's opinion that people should 
conserve energy. Kind of like "putting your money where your mouth is," 
but about behavior. Here at the Energy Initiative we use this phrase a 
lot. It certainly has become a cliche, and I can see how annoying it 
might be, but as shorthand for a complicated goal I think we'll keep it 
in our outreach and other materials.

Best, Terry

Eve Sullivan wrote:
> Dear Colleagues,
>
> Thank you for replying so quickly and confirming my opinion.
>
> The phrase 'walk the talk' just plain curls my teeth.  I hate it and
> hope that whoever started using the phrase will now stop.  It just
> sounds dumb, in my un-humble opinion.  We are not dumb here,
> are we?  Well, actually in some ways we are, but I will leave the
> Charm School pitch for another time.
>
> Regards and again thanks to all,
>
> Eve
>
> From: Michelle Gaseau...
> walking the walk is the phrase I know.
>
> From: Laurie Everett <leverett at MIT.EDU>
> HI Eve
> I agree.  I also this this is one of the most overused phrases of our 
> time, and it is really tiresome.
> The photo on the news site is of turnstiles at Alewife.  Those have 
> been gone for a year or two.  Makes you think the folks that chose 
> the photo don't take the T.
> Doesn't help the cause, does it?
> Laurie
>
> From: William T G Litant...
> You mean the spotlight about T passes with the photo of a New York 
> (or is it Chicago) subway? I believe the correct phrase is "talking 
> the talk and walking the walk."
> you think about it, "talking the walk" doesn't make a lot of sense, 
> unless you are Dan Quayle.
>
>   
>> From: Franklin E.W. Hadley...
>> Maybe it's because I'm over here on the edge of campus - verging on 
>> the outside world, as it were - but it certainly sounds rather 
>> strange to me.
>> Honestly, if I came upon it in an article without this sort of 
>> warning, I'd think it was an error rather than a clever play.
>> -Franklin
>>
>> From: David Chandler...
>>     
>>> "Walk the walk" is common usage, I think, but MIT has been using 
>>> the "walk the talk" slogan for at least a couple of years, and I 
>>> think it certainly works. I guess it's a sort of play on the more 
>>> conventional version.
>>> So it depends who the listener is. On campus, I think walk the talk 
>>> is well accepted. For the outside world, it might be confusing.
>>> David
>>>
>>> On Jul 31, 2008, at 9:05 AM, Eve Sullivan wrote:
>>>       
>>>> reading the spotlight on our homepage this morning http://web.mit.edu
>>>>      . . . In addition to the new commuting options, MIT is hiring a
>>>>      commuting coordinator who will develop, implement and maintain a
>>>>      top-tier commuter services program in keeping with the Institute's
>>>>      stated goal of "walking the talk" on energy and the environment. . . .
>>>> i wondered about the phrase 'walking the talk.'  i thought that the
>>>> correct phrase is 'walking the walk' ...as in 'all he does is talk the
>>>> talk: he doesn't walk the walk.'
>>>> what do you hear, say, read and/or write, esteemed colleagues?
>>>> eve sullivan
>>>>         
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