By words the mind is winged.

The line expresses a classical Greek confidence in language as a vehicle of thought: words do not merely report ideas, they propel them. To say the mind is “winged” by words suggests that speech, poetry, and rhetoric give thought speed, reach, and elevation—allowing it to travel beyond immediate experience and to persuade or inspire others. In a culture where public speaking, drama, and debate were central civic arts, the image also implies that verbal skill can amplify intellectual power. The aphoristic phrasing makes it easy to detach from its dramatic setting and use as a general maxim about education, eloquence, and the imaginative lift provided by literature.