Composition Quote by Jacques Derrida
“A text is not a text unless it hides from the first comer, from the first glance, the law of its composition and the rules of its game. A text remains, moreover, forever imperceptible. Its laws and rules are not, however, harbored in the inaccessibility of a secret; it is simply that they can never be booked, in the present, into anything that could rigorously be called a perception.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Of Grammatology, 1967
He argues that texts are inherently hidden, never fully accessible to perception, making true understanding impossible.
In simple terms: Texts are always partially concealed.
Key Takeaway
Accept the limits of interpretation.
Themes
language
interpretation
philosophy
Mood
analytical
skeptical
Type
theoretical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- literary analysis
- critical theory
- education
- media criticism
Key Concepts
deconstruction
semiotics
epistemology
Questions to Reflect On
- What does hidden meaning mean for communication?
- Can we ever truly know a text's intention?
A Different Perspective
Some may claim texts can be fully decoded with enough effort.
![“We have a text before us, an ancient text, a living text, and we try to enter it, not only to decipher it, but to penetrate it, to become part of it, similar to the way every student becomes part of a teacher's texture. That's how I see our [with Frank Moore Cross] two differing approaches.” quote by Hershel Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3db/hershel-shanks-25800_ancient_we-have-a-text-before-us-an-ancient-text_2833144.jpg)
