26 Wittgenstein Quotes

One of the most difficult of the philosopher's tasks is to find out where the shoe pinches. (p. 60)

A tautology's truth is certain, a proposition's possible, a contradiction's impossible. (Certain, possible, impossible: here we have the first indication of the scale that we need in the theory of probability.) (4.464)

Propositions are truth-functions of elementary propositions. (An elementary proposition is a truth-function of itself.) (5)

There are, indeed, things that cannot be put into words. They make themselves manifest. They are what is mystical. (6.522)

A proposition is completely logically analyzed if its grammar is made clear in no matter what idiom. Part I(1)

For remember that in general we don't use language according to strict rules - it hasn't been taught us by means of strict rules, either. (p. 25)

Philosophers are often like little children, who first scribble random lines on a piece of paper with their pencils, and now ask an adult 'What is that?' (p.193)

'Everything is already there in....' How does it come about that [an] arrow points ? Doesn't it seem to carry in it something besides itself? - 'No, not the dead line on paper; only the psychical thing, the meaning, can do that.' - That is both true and false. The arrow points only in the application that a living being makes of it. (454)

Does man think because he has found that thinking pays? Does he bring his children up because he has found it pays? (467)

Philosophers often behave like little children who scribble some marks on a piece of paper at random and then ask the grown-up 'What's that?' - It happened like this: the grown-up had drawn pictures for the child several times and said 'this is a man,' 'this is a house,' etc. And then the child makes some marks too and asks: what's this then? (p. 17e)

Don't for heaven's sake, be afraid of talking nonsense! But you must pay attention to your nonsense. (p. 56e)

It's only by thinking even more crazily than philosophers do that you can solve their problems. (p. 75e)

Frazer's account of the magical and religious views of mankind is unsatisfactory; it makes these views look like errors. (p. 119)

His explanations of primitive practices are much cruder than the meaning of these practices themselves. (p. 131)

I am sitting with a philosopher in the garden; he says again and again 'I know that that's a tree', pointing to a tree that is near us. Someone else arrives and hears this, and I tell them: 'This fellow isn't insane. We are only doing philosophy.' (p. 578)

If there were a verb meaning 'to believe falsely,' it would not have any significant first person, present indicative.

In order to be able to set a limit to thought, we should have to find both sides of the limit thinkable (i.e. we should have to be able to think what cannot be thought). (preface, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus)

Philosophy is like trying to open a safe with a combination lock: each little adjustment of the dials seems to achieve nothing, only when everything is in place does the door open.

What we are destroying is nothing but houses of cards and we are clearing up the ground of language on which they stood. #118