---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don't look for the meanings; look for the…"
description: "\"Don't look for the meanings; look for the use.\" — Ludwig Wittgenstein"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea7/ludwig-wittgenstein-582_inspirational_don-t-look-for-the-meanings-look-for-the_561979.png"
---

#  Don't look for the meanings; look for the use.

![“Don't look for the meanings; look for the use.” quote by Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea7/ludwig-wittgenstein-582_inspirational_don-t-look-for-the-meanings-look-for-the_561979.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea7/ludwig-wittgenstein-582_inspirational_don-t-look-for-the-meanings-look-for-the_561979.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea7/ludwig-wittgenstein-582_inspirational_don-t-look-for-the-meanings-look-for-the_561979.png)

> “Don't look for the meanings; look for the use.”

[Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/)

## About This Quote

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

Focus on practical application rather than abstract interpretation.

**In simple terms:** Use over meaning.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize usefulness in analysis.

Themes

language meaning usefulness

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

philosophical practical

When to use this quote

- education
- software design
- policy making
- everyday decisions

Key Concepts

pragmatism semantic theory

Questions to Reflect On

- When does meaning become less important than function?
- How does utility shape interpretation?

A Different Perspective

Meaning can be subjective and context‑dependent.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look/) [Look Meanings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-meanings-4656675/) [Look Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-use-4656674/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Meanings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meanings/) [Meanings Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meanings-look-4656676/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Using me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/using-me/)

## Related quotes

> [I must learn that the purpose of my life belongs to God, not me. God is using me from His great personal perspective, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/i-must-learn-that-the-purpose-of-my-life-belongs-to-god-not-me-god-is/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [It's meanings that we need to coax into our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/it-s-meanings-that-we-need-to-coax-into-our-lives/)

[Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/)

> [“Like everything that's any good, it has about twenty different meanings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/like-everything-that-s-any-good-it-has-about-twenty-different-meanings/)

[Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/)

> [“We shouldn’t ask if life has a meaning, we should ask to whom life has what kinds of meanings”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-sever/we-shouldn-t-ask-if-life-has-a-meaning-we-should-ask-to-whom-life-has/)

[S.E. SEVER](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-sever/)

> [All meanings, we know, depend on the key of interpretation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/all-meanings-we-know-depend-on-the-key-of-interpretation/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [“ Alpha can refer to the first of something," said Kai, "or the beginning of everything . It can be attributed to a particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/alpha-can-refer-to-the-first-of-something-said-kai-or-the-beginning/)

[Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/)

> [“A woman's situation, i.e those meanings derived from the total context in which she comes to maturity, disposes her to apprehend her body not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/a-woman-s-situation-i-e-those-meanings-derived-from-the-total-context/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [“But the greatest cause of verbicide is the fact that most people are obviously far more anxious to express their approval and disapproval of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/but-the-greatest-cause-of-verbicide-is-the-fact-that-most-people-are/)

[C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/)

> [“From my book, Care for the Carer, An Alzheimer's Memoir "Is there a cure?" Jane asked repeatedly. This simple sentence had several possible meanings:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-camhi/from-my-book-care-for-the-carer-an-alzheimer-s-memoir-is-there-a-cure/)

[Jeff Camhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-camhi/)

> [“Words in the head are sticky and social creatures – when you finally pull one out, you're liable to get lots of bits of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-carlson/words-in-the-head-are-sticky-and-social-creatures-when-you-finally/)

[Greg Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-carlson/)

> [I'm a product of a military dictatorship. Under a dictatorship, you cannot trust information or dispense it freely because of censorship. So Brazilians become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vik-muniz/i-m-a-product-of-a-military-dictatorship-under-a-dictatorship-you/)

[Vik Muniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vik-muniz/)

> [I'm not against asking the audience to work, but I think what you have now is a sort of gratuitous deconstruction as a result…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-miller/i-m-not-against-asking-the-audience-to-work-but-i-think-what-you-have/)

[Jonathan Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-miller/)

> [The word good has many meanings...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-word-good-has-many-meanings/)

[Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/)

> [“Tonight A friendly breeze Will agitate roots of meanings. Wonder will flap its wings. Deep in the night, an insect Will gnaw At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sohrab-sepehri/tonight-a-friendly-breeze-will-agitate-roots-of-meanings-wonder-will/)

[Sohrab Sepehri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sohrab-sepehri/)

> [Who said car names don't have meanings ? ? ? FORD: For Only Rough Drivers. HYUNDAI: Hope You Understand nothing's Driveable And Inexpensive... .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syed-ahh/who-said-car-names-don-t-have-meanings-ford-for-only-rough-drivers/)

[Syed Ahh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syed-ahh/)

## More by Ludwig Wittgenstein

> [“But some of the greatest achievements in philosophy could only be compared with taking up some books which seemed to belong together, and putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/but-some-of-the-greatest-achievements-in-philosophy-could-only-be/)

[Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/)

> [What can be shown, cannot be said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/what-can-be-shown-cannot-be-said/)

[Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/)

> [“This is connected with the conception of naming as a process that is, so to speak, occult. Naming seems to be a \_strange\_ connection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/this-is-connected-with-the-conception-of-naming-as-a-process-that-is/)

[Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/)

> [If a lion could talk, we could not understand him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/if-a-lion-could-talk-we-could-not-understand-him/)

[Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/)

> [White must be the lightest color in a picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/white-must-be-the-lightest-color-in-a-picture/)

[Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/)

> [Freud's fanciful pseudo-explanations (precisely because they are brilliant) perform a disservice. Now any ass has these pictures available to use in "explaining" symptoms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/freud-s-fanciful-pseudo-explanations-precisely-because-they-are/)

[Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/)

> [In order to be able to set a limit to thought, we should have to find both sides of the limit thinkable (i.e. we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/in-order-to-be-able-to-set-a-limit-to-thought-we-should-have-to-find/)

[Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/)

> [A teacher who can show good, or indeed astounding results while he is teaching, is still not on that account a good teacher, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/a-teacher-who-can-show-good-or-indeed-astounding-results-while-he-is/)

[Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/)

> [One often makes a remark and only later sees how true it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/one-often-makes-a-remark-and-only-later-sees-how-true-it-is/)

[Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/)

> [Where does our investigation get its importance from, since it seems only to destroy everything interesting, that is, all that is great and important?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/where-does-our-investigation-get-its-importance-from-since-it-seems/)

[Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/)

> [There is such a thing as the impression of luminosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/there-is-such-a-thing-as-the-impression-of-luminosity/)

[Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/)

> [Death is not an event in life: we do not live to experience death. If we take eternity to mean not infinite temporal duration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/death-is-not-an-event-in-life-we-do-not-live-to-experience-death-if/)

[Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/)

> [I Once wrote: "In mathematics process and result are equivalent."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/i-once-wrote-in-mathematics-process-and-result-are-equivalent/)

[Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/)

> [Philosophy aims at the logical clarification of thoughts. Philosophy is not a body of doctrine but an activity. A philosophical work consists essentially of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/philosophy-aims-at-the-logical-clarification-of-thoughts-philosophy/)

[Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/)

> [“It is clear that ethics cannot be expressed. Ethics are transcendental. (Ethics and æsthetics are one.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/it-is-clear-that-ethics-cannot-be-expressed-ethics-are-transcendental/)

[Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/)

[Explore all 454 Ludwig Wittgenstein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/)

## More Inspirational quotes

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

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

> [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/)

[H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/)

> [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/)

[Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/)

> [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

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

> [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/)

[Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/)

> [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/)

[Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/)

> [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/)

[Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/)

> [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/)

[Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/)

> [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [We never really perceive what color is physically!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/we-never-really-perceive-what-color-is-physically/)

[Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/)

> [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/)

[Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/)

> [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/)

[Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/)

[Browse all 114,561 Inspirational quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Don't look for the meanings; look for the use.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ludwig Wittgenstein"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/don-t-look-for-the-meanings-look-for-the-use/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Inspirational"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/don-t-look-for-the-meanings-look-for-the-use/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea7/ludwig-wittgenstein-582_inspirational_don-t-look-for-the-meanings-look-for-the_561979.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea7/ludwig-wittgenstein-582_inspirational_don-t-look-for-the-meanings-look-for-the_561979.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea7/ludwig-wittgenstein-582_inspirational_don-t-look-for-the-meanings-look-for-the_561979.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Don't look for the meanings; look for the use.” — Ludwig Wittgenstein",
                "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": "Ludwig Wittgenstein",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Don't look for the meanings; look...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/don-t-look-for-the-meanings-look-for-the-use/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/don-t-look-for-the-meanings-look-for-the-use/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
