Authority Quote by I. A. Richards

A definition is nothing else but an explication of the meaning of a word, by words whose meaning is already known. Hence it is…

— Thomas Reid

What is a good definition? For the philosopher or the scientist, it is a definition which applies to all the objects to be defined,…

— Henri Poincare

What should we gain by a definition, as it can only lead us to other undefined terms?

— Ludwig Wittgenstein

A definition may be very exact, and yet go but a very little way towards informing us of the nature of the thing defined.

— Edmund Burke

Definitions belong to the definer, not the defined.

— Toni Morrison

Definitions belong to the definers, not the defined.

— Toni Morrison

The word 'definition' has come to have a dangerously reassuring sound, owing no doubt to its frequent occurrence in logical and mathematical writings.

— Willard Van Orman Quine

Definitions are temporary verbalizations of concepts, and concepts- particularly difficult concepts- are usually revised repeatedly as our knowledge and understanding grows.

— Ernst Mayr

To define an expression is, paradoxically speaking, to explain how to get along without it. To define is to eliminate.

— Willard Van Orman Quine

A definition is the enclosing a wilderness of idea within a wall of words.

— Samuel Butler

“You know what a word means when you know how to use it, not what its definition is. That is why we can understand…

— Julian Baggini

To some extent, we are all labeled by what we're able to achieve. But more importantly, we are defined by what we attempt.

— Scott Tinley