If we spoke a different language, we would perceive a somewhat different world.
Ludwig WittgensteinRead
I'm doing philosophy like an old woman, first I'm looking for my pencil, then I'm looking for my glasses, then I'm looking for my pencil again.
Interpretation
Philosophy can often feel confusing and disorganized, akin to searching for misplaced items.
In this quote, Ludwig Wittgenstein humorously illustrates the often chaotic nature of philosophical inquiry. He compares the process of doing philosophy to the relatable experience of an elderly person searching for their belongings, implying that the pursuit of understanding is frequently marked by confusion and a lack of clarity, much like misplacing and re-locating everyday objects.
In practice
During a philosophy lecture to encourage students, one might say, 'Remember Wittgenstein's humorous take on the process of inquiry.'
If we spoke a different language, we would perceive a somewhat different world.
One cannot guess how a word functions. One has to look at its use and learn from that. But the difficulty is to remove the prejudice which stands in the way of doing this. It is not a stupid prejudice.
No one likes having offended another person; hence everyone feels so much better if the other person doesn't show he's been offended. Nobody likes being confronted by a wounded spaniel. Remember that. It is much easier patiently - and tolerantly - to avoid the person you have injured than to approach him as a friend. You need courage for that.
It's impossible for me to say one word about all that music has meant to me in my life. How, then, can I hope to be understood?
Nothing is so difficult as not deceiving oneself.
My day passes between logic, whistling, going for walks, and being depressed. I wish to God that I were more intelligent and everything would finally become clear to me - or else that I needn't live much longer.
Now if the religious skeptic is right, we can know nothing about God. And if we can know nothing about God, how can we know God so well that we can know that he cannot be known? How can we know that God cannot and did not reveal himself—and perhaps even through human reason?
When men yield up the privilege of thinking, the last shadow of liberty quits the horizon.
The fact is, that what de Sade was trying to bring to the surface of the conscious mind was precisely the thing that revolted that mind . . . From the very first he set before the consciousness things which it could not tolerate.
Let thy hope of heaven master thy fear of death.
I'm not sure anything makes you an outright good person or bad person - that we're all capable of doing good or bad things. And if you want to know how much good you can do, and how much hurt you can do, just ask somebody you love.
How could I share with you how I felt when two towers that I loved, two pieces of steel and glass and concrete fell down, when actually they took with them thousands of human lives? That is the actual tragedy. But those towers were almost human for me. I was in love with them, and that's why I married them with a tight rope.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.