---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To say this, however, is not to claim…"
description: "\"“To say this, however, is not to claim that it was the object of theoretical study.”\" — Aristotle"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb7/aristotle-78_education_to-say-this-however-is-not-to-claim-that_2154884.png"
---

#  To say this, however, is not to claim that it was the…

![“To say this, however, is not to claim that it was the object of theoretical study.” quote by Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb7/aristotle-78_education_to-say-this-however-is-not-to-claim-that_2154884.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb7/aristotle-78_education_to-say-this-however-is-not-to-claim-that_2154884.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb7/aristotle-78_education_to-say-this-however-is-not-to-claim-that_2154884.png)

> ““To say this, however, is not to claim that it was the object of theoretical study.””

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He clarifies that mentioning something does not mean it was the focus of theoretical investigation.

**In simple terms:** Mentioning isn’t the same as studying it.

Key Takeaway

Distinguish between reference and scholarly focus.

Themes

philosophy methodology clarification

Mood

analytical critical

Type

philosophical explanatory

When to use this quote

- academic writing
- lecture notes
- philosophical debates

Key Concepts

Epistemology semantic precision

Questions to Reflect On

- When does a casual mention become a claim of study?
- How should scholars treat off‑hand references?

A Different Perspective

He may be downplaying the relevance of the mentioned subject.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Claim Object](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/claim-object-4546252/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Object](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/object/) [Object Theoretical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/object-theoretical-4448845/) [Theoretical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theoretical/) [Theoretical Study](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theoretical-study-4546251/)

## Related quotes

> [The only object of theoretical physics is to calculate results that can be compared with experiment... it is quite unnecessary that any satisfactory description…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dirac/the-only-object-of-theoretical-physics-is-to-calculate-results-that/)

[Paul Dirac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dirac/)

> [The life of theoretical philosophy is the best and happiest a man can lead. Few men are capable of it and then only intermittently.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-life-of-theoretical-philosophy-is-the-best-and-happiest-a-man-can/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [To learn is a natural pleasure, not confined to philosophers, but common to all men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/to-learn-is-a-natural-pleasure-not-confined-to-philosophers-but/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [The object is that which is objected against me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julien-torma/the-object-is-that-which-is-objected-against-me/)

[Julien Torma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julien-torma/)

> [Our envy always outlives the felicity of its object.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/our-envy-always-outlives-the-felicity-of-its-object/)

[Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/)

> [Can there be a love which does not make demands on its object?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/can-there-be-a-love-which-does-not-make-demands-on-its-object/)

[Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/)

> [An object should be judged by whether it has a form consistent with its use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-munari/an-object-should-be-judged-by-whether-it-has-a-form-consistent-with/)

[Bruno Munari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-munari/)

> [“The assumption that the problem of love is the problem of an object , not the problem of a faculty . People think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-assumption-that-the-problem-of-love-is-the-problem-of-an-object/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [To beautify life is to give it an object.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-marti/to-beautify-life-is-to-give-it-an-object/)

[Jose Marti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-marti/)

> [I would say that the whole way that I have approached the body is as a space, not a thing - not an object…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/i-would-say-that-the-whole-way-that-i-have-approached-the-body-is-as/)

[Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/)

> [PROPERTY, n. Any material thing, having no particular value, that may be held by A against the cupidity of B. Whatever gratifies the passion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/property-n-any-material-thing-having-no-particular-value-that-may-be/)

[Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/)

> [Make something, a kind of object, which as it changes or falls apart (dies as it were) or increases in its parts (grows as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/make-something-a-kind-of-object-which-as-it-changes-or-falls-apart/)

[Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/)

> [America is not static. America is striving. And sometimes, America requires critique. Jingoism is an avoidance of realism. You can simultaneously love and be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-blow/america-is-not-static-america-is-striving-and-sometimes-america/)

[Charles M. Blow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-blow/)

> [The Text is not a definitive object.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/the-text-is-not-a-definitive-object/)

[Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/)

> [The whole nuclear-arms-control and non-proliferation policy of the nuclear powers is a fraud: The Americans could not prevent the Soviets from replicating their weaponry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-black/the-whole-nuclear-arms-control-and-non-proliferation-policy-of-the/)

[Conrad Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-black/)

## More by Aristotle

> [The knowledge of the soul admittedly contributes greatly to the advance of truth in general, and, above all, to our understanding of Nature, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-knowledge-of-the-soul-admittedly-contributes-greatly-to-the/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [Young men have strong passions and tend to gratify them indiscriminately. Of the bodily desires, it is the sexual by which they are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/young-men-have-strong-passions-and-tend-to-gratify-them/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [The body is at its best between the ages of thirty and thirty-five; the mind is at its best about the age of forty-nine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-body-is-at-its-best-between-the-ages-of-thirty-and-thirty-five/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [The ensouled is distinguished from the unsouled by its being alive. Now since being alive is spoken of in many ways, even if only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-ensouled-is-distinguished-from-the-unsouled-by-its-being-alive/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [Although it may be difficult in theory to know what is just and equal, the practical difficulty of inducing those to forbear who can,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/although-it-may-be-difficult-in-theory-to-know-what-is-just-and-equal/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [The true forms of government, therefore, are those in which the one, or the few, or the many, govern with a view to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-true-forms-of-government-therefore-are-those-in-which-the-one-or/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [All men by nature desire to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/all-men-by-nature-desire-to-know/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [All persons ought to endeavor to follow what is right, and not what is established.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/all-persons-ought-to-endeavor-to-follow-what-is-right-and-not-what-is/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Give a man a poisoned fish, you feed him for the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/give-a-man-a-fish-you-feed-him-for-a-day-give-a-man-a-poisoned-fish/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [The man who confers a favour would rather not be repaid in the same coin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-man-who-confers-a-favour-would-rather-not-be-repaid-in-the-same/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [The mother of revolution and crime is poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-mother-of-revolution-and-crime-is-poverty/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [Obstinate people can be divided into the opinionated, the ignorant, and the boorish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/obstinate-people-can-be-divided-into-the-opinionated-the-ignorant-and/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [Happiness does not consist in pastimes and amusements but in virtuous activities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/happiness-does-not-consist-in-pastimes-and-amusements-but-in-virtuous/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [To learn is a natural pleasure, not confined to philosophers, but common to all men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/to-learn-is-a-natural-pleasure-not-confined-to-philosophers-but/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [Every virtue is a mean between two extremes, each of which is a vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/every-virtue-is-a-mean-between-two-extremes-each-of-which-is-a-vice/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

[Explore all 1,545 Aristotle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

## More Education quotes

> [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/)

[Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/)

> [“In school you are taught to obey and not to think straight for your own good. Otherwise the world would be full of millionaires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/in-school-you-are-taught-to-obey-and-not-to-think-straight-for-your/)

[Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/)

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/)

[Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/)

> [“What's the best thing about being in college? Good teachers. They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-s-the-best-thing-about-being-in-college-good-teachers-they/)

[Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/)

> [“If one has not a head of steel it will burst; if he has not within it a brain of liquid quicksilver, he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ioannes-amos-commenius/if-one-has-not-a-head-of-steel-it-will-burst-if-he-has-not-within-it/)

[Ioannes Amos Commenius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ioannes-amos-commenius/)

> [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/)

[H.D. (Hilda Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-d-hilda-doolittle/)

> [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/)

[Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/)

> [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [“I only began to enjoy studying after I got through the educational system and became a so-called member of society. If something interested me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-only-began-to-enjoy-studying-after-i-got-through-the-educational/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/)

[Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/)

> [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

[Browse all 37,666 Education quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“To say this, however, is not to claim that it was the object of theoretical study.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Aristotle"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/to-say-this-however-is-not-to-claim-that-it-was-the-object-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Education"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/to-say-this-however-is-not-to-claim-that-it-was-the-object-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb7/aristotle-78_education_to-say-this-however-is-not-to-claim-that_2154884.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb7/aristotle-78_education_to-say-this-however-is-not-to-claim-that_2154884.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb7/aristotle-78_education_to-say-this-however-is-not-to-claim-that_2154884.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“To say this, however, is not to claim that it was the object of theoretical study.” — Aristotle",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Aristotle",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“To say this, however, is not...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/to-say-this-however-is-not-to-claim-that-it-was-the-object-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/to-say-this-however-is-not-to-claim-that-it-was-the-object-of/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
