Definitions Quote by Ludwig Wittgenstein

“Since all terms that are defined are defined by means of other terms, it is clear that human knowledge must always be content to…

— Bertrand Russell

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

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 would be good things if we did not use words to make them.

— Jean-Jacques Rousseau

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

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

I'm not comfortable with categories, and I distrust most definitions. The word 'definition' is based on the word 'finite,' which would seem to indicate…

— Artie Shaw

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

— Ernst Mayr

Definitions… are never really needed, and rarely of any use

— Karl Popper

One should not be too distracted by definitions. Ideas transcend definitions.

— Neil deGrasse Tyson

We want to do something and a definition is a means of doing it. If we want certain results then we must use certain…

— I. A. Richards

Odd that we think definitions are definitive.

— Larry Wall