--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: 'Imagine a person whose memory could not…" description: "\"'Imagine a person whose memory could not retain what the word 'pain' meant-so that he constantly called different things by that name-but nevertheless ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/ludwig-wittgenstein-582_different_imagine-a-person-whose-memory-could-not_826784.png" --- # 'Imagine a person whose memory could not retain what the… ![“'Imagine a person whose memory could not retain what the word 'pain' meant-so that he constantly called different things by that name-but nevertheless used the word in a way fitting in with the usual symptoms and presuppositions of pain'-in short he uses it as we all do. Here I should like to say…” quote by Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/ludwig-wittgenstein-582_different_imagine-a-person-whose-memory-could-not_826784.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/ludwig-wittgenstein-582_different_imagine-a-person-whose-memory-could-not_826784.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/ludwig-wittgenstein-582_different_imagine-a-person-whose-memory-could-not_826784.png) > “'Imagine a person whose memory could not retain what the word 'pain' meant-so that he constantly called different things by that name-but nevertheless used the word in a way fitting in with the usual symptoms and presuppositions of pain'-in short he uses it as we all do. Here I should like to say: a wheel that can be turned though nothing else moves with it, is not part of the mechanism.” [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. Language can label experiences even if the underlying feeling is absent, showing how words function beyond direct sensation. **In simple terms:** Words can describe feelings we no longer feel. Key Takeaway Recognize the limits of language in expressing pain. Themes language philosophy pain meaning Mood analytical thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - therapy sessions - philosophical counseling - creative writing - mindfulness practice Key Concepts semantic theory conceptual analysis psychology Questions to Reflect On - Can language fully capture personal suffering? - How does naming pain affect its intensity? A Different Perspective Words may oversimplify complex emotions, leading to misunderstanding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Different things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-things/) [Fitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitting/) [Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Mechanism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mechanism/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Names](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/names/) [Nevertheless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nevertheless/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Pain Meant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain-meant-233133/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Presuppositions Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presuppositions-pain-523493/) [Say Wheel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-wheel-523495/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Symptoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symptoms/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Usual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/usual/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Wheel Turned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wheel-turned-523496/) [Wheels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wheels/) [Word Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/word-pain-523494/) ## Related quotes > [A wheel that can be turned though nothing else moves with it, is not a part of the mechanism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/a-wheel-that-can-be-turned-though-nothing-else-moves-with-it-is-not-a/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [I took care of my wheel as one would look after a Rolls Royce. If it needed repairs I always brought it to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-took-care-of-my-wheel-as-one-would-look-after-a-rolls-royce-if-it/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“Weekdays revolved on a sameness wheel. They turned into themselves so steadily and inevitably that each seemed to be the original of yesterday's rough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/weekdays-revolved-on-a-sameness-wheel-they-turned-into-themselves-so/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [From the beginning of time, in childhood, I thought that pain meant I was not loved. It meant I loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-gl-ck/from-the-beginning-of-time-in-childhood-i-thought-that-pain-meant-i/) [Louise Glück](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-gl-ck/) > [My anger has meant pain to me but it has also meant survival, and before I give it up I'm going to be sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/my-anger-has-meant-pain-to-me-but-it-has-also-meant-survival-and/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [The writing's on the wall Your crimson touch is goin' nowhere I'll hang on every word you said And sink my teeth into this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-veil-brides/the-writing-s-on-the-wall-your-crimson-touch-is-goin-nowhere-i-ll/) [Black Veil Brides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-veil-brides/) > [“Yes, pain meant life. But life did not mean pain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-lyga/yes-pain-meant-life-but-life-did-not-mean-pain/) [Barry Lyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-lyga/) > [“He would pray...for everyone who knew pain, which meant everyone who wore a human face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/he-would-pray-for-everyone-who-knew-pain-which-meant-everyone-who/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they're wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/pain-is-meant-to-wake-us-up-people-try-to-hide-their-pain-but-they-re/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) > [Everyone knows pain. We are not meant to carry it forever. We were never meant to hold it so closely, so be certain in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-koyczan/everyone-knows-pain-we-are-not-meant-to-carry-it-forever-we-were/) [Shane Koyczan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-koyczan/) > [Yes, pain meant life. But the symmetric property did not apply; Life did not mean pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-lyga/yes-pain-meant-life-but-the-symmetric-property-did-not-apply-life-did/) [Barry Lyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-lyga/) > [People are afriad of themselves, of their own reality; their feelings most of all. People talk about how great love is, but that's bullshit.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-are-afriad-of-themselves-of-their-own-reality-their-feelings/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The problem, unstated until now, is how to live in a damaged body in a world where pain is meant to be gagged uncured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/the-problem-unstated-until-now-is-how-to-live-in-a-damaged-body-in-a/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [“He even learned to crave the pain. It meant he was still alive, still surviving. If he could handle the pain, control his reaction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-roberts/he-even-learned-to-crave-the-pain-it-meant-he-was-still-alive-still/) [C.J. Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-roberts/) > [People are afraid of themselves, of their own reality; their feelings most of all. People talk about how great love is, but that's bullshit.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/people-are-afraid-of-themselves-of-their-own-reality-their-feelings/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) ## 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 Different quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [I've seen a lot of people come out of Carol City, but I had this distinct vision for Carol City, just me coming out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-curry/i-ve-seen-a-lot-of-people-come-out-of-carol-city-but-i-had-this/) [Denzel Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-curry/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [Some shows just go away - and that's fine. They serve their purpose and their entertainment value, but there are shows that touch people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/some-shows-just-go-away-and-that-s-fine-they-serve-their-purpose-and/) [Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [One of the reasons that I do a lot of different kinds of pictures is because I learn a lot when I'm doing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-jason-leigh/one-of-the-reasons-that-i-do-a-lot-of-different-kinds-of-pictures-is/) [Jennifer Jason Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-jason-leigh/) > [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/) [Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [Suffering did different things to different people...Some souls became tempered, unshakable in their faith, while others became twisted and mis-shapen, throwing off all connection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-ragen/suffering-did-different-things-to-different-people-some-souls-became/) [Naomi Ragen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-ragen/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [I always aspired to do something different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayushmann-khurrana/i-always-aspired-to-do-something-different/) [Ayushmann Khurrana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayushmann-khurrana/) > [The talk shows in the States want celebrities, not authors. In France, it is different; writers are called upon to comment on everything. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-talk-shows-in-the-states-want-celebrities-not-authors-in-france/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [My favorite job is the next one. Its such a gratifying experience getting to creatively keep trying something new and push things in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-craig-smith/my-favorite-job-is-the-next-one-its-such-a-gratifying-experience/) [Roger Craig Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-craig-smith/) [Browse all 28,697 Different quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "'Imagine a person whose memory could not retain what the word 'pain' meant-so that he constantly called different things by that name-but nevertheless used the word in a way fitting in with the usual symptoms and presuppositions of pain'-in short he uses it as we all do. Here I should like to say: a wheel that can be turned though nothing else moves with it, is not part of the mechanism.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ludwig Wittgenstein" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/imagine-a-person-whose-memory-could-not-retain-what-the-word-pain/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Different" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/imagine-a-person-whose-memory-could-not-retain-what-the-word-pain/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/ludwig-wittgenstein-582_different_imagine-a-person-whose-memory-could-not_826784.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/ludwig-wittgenstein-582_different_imagine-a-person-whose-memory-could-not_826784.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/ludwig-wittgenstein-582_different_imagine-a-person-whose-memory-could-not_826784.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“'Imagine a person whose memory could not retain what the word 'pain' meant-so that he constantly called…” — 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": "'Imagine a person whose memory could...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/imagine-a-person-whose-memory-could-not-retain-what-the-word-pain/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/imagine-a-person-whose-memory-could-not-retain-what-the-word-pain/#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 } } ] } ```