If there were a verb meaning 'to believe falsely,' it would not have any significant first person, present indicative.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- You cannot truly say you believe something is false about yourself.
- In plain terms
- No one says I believe this is false in the present.
- What can you take from it?
- Notice how belief and truth work together in speech.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Can you believe you are wrong?
- How does language show belief?
Another view
People do claim to doubt themselves in some cases.
More from Ludwig Wittgenstein
If people did not sometimes do silly things, nothing intelligent would ever get done.
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Permalink to quote #116 If a person tells me he has been to the worst places I have no reason to judge him; but if he tells me it was his superior wisdom that enabled him to go there,…
Permalink to quote #113
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