Austin, John Langshaw

"The unity of language consists not in one substance but in family resemblances."

"To become a philosopher is to learn to see the world anew through language."

"Certainty is not the goal of philosophy; understanding is."

"The form of the proposition is not the only form of proposition."

"We are trapped by our conceptual schemes; philosophy helps us escape."

"Names do not stand for objects in any simple or direct way."

"The investigation of language is the investigation of human nature."

"One picture holds us captive, and we cannot get outside it."

"Philosophy is not a doctrine but an activity."

"The only way out of the labyrinth is through a complete understanding of use."

"Every sentence has a sense that can be understood."

"The essence of language is shown in its use, not in its structure."

"We must cure ourselves of the desire for explanations; we need understanding."

"A name is a tool with a specific function in the language game."

"The meaning of a picture is its use in the language game of life."

"How strange that the same word can mean so many different things."

"The philosopher must be willing to be radically uncertain."

"Language is not a mirror of reality; it is a way of being in the world."

"Every philosophical problem dissolves when we clarify the use of our words."

"The limits of language establish the limits of what can be thought."

"We must descend from metaphysical heights to the ordinary uses of language."

"Understanding is not a state but an ability to use language correctly."

"The false step in philosophy is taken when we do not fully understand our own language."

"There is no single essence of language; there are only language games."

"To ask for the meaning of life is to ask a senseless question unless contextualized."

"Philosophy begins in wonder and ends in understanding through linguistic analysis."

"The beetle in the box shows us that inner states are not what matter in language."

"We deceive ourselves about language; our concepts wear a false dress."

"The logical space of possibilities is determined by the rules of our language game."

"One cannot separate the meaning of words from the context of their use."