--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The problems are solved, not by giving…" description: "\"The problems are solved, not by giving new information, but by arranging what we have known since long.\" — Ludwig Wittgenstein" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/ludwig-wittgenstein-582_information_the-problems-are-solved-not-by-giving-ne_1393006.png" --- # The problems are solved, not by giving new information… ![“The problems are solved, not by giving new information, but by arranging what we have known since long.” quote by Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/ludwig-wittgenstein-582_information_the-problems-are-solved-not-by-giving-ne_1393006.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/ludwig-wittgenstein-582_information_the-problems-are-solved-not-by-giving-ne_1393006.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/ludwig-wittgenstein-582_information_the-problems-are-solved-not-by-giving-ne_1393006.png) > “The problems are solved, not by giving new information, but by arranging what we have known since long.” [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. Understanding existing knowledge and reorganizing it solves problems more effectively than new data. **In simple terms:** Rearrange what you know to solve issues. Key Takeaway Focus on structuring current information. Themes knowledge problem solving organization Mood reflective analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - research - business strategy - personal decision making Key Concepts epistemology cognitive restructuring Questions to Reflect On - How can you reorganize what you already know to address a current challenge? - What barriers prevent effective restructuring of existing knowledge? A Different Perspective New information can still be valuable; reorganization may be limited by existing frameworks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arranging Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arranging-known-594843/) [Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) [Information Arranging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information-arranging-594842/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [New information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-information/) [Problem solving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-solving/) [Problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problems/) [Problems Solved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problems-solved/) [Solved Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solved-giving-594844/) ## Related quotes > [The problems are solved, not by giving new information, but by arranging what we have always known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/the-problems-are-solved-not-by-giving-new-information-but-by-2/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [There are no solved problems; there are only problems that are more or less solved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-poincare/there-are-no-solved-problems-there-are-only-problems-that-are-more-or/) [Henri Poincare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-poincare/) > [“Where one did not suffer with day to day problems because they were solved before hand in ones imagination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/where-one-did-not-suffer-with-day-to-day-problems-because-they-were/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [Problems are solved only when we devote a great deal of attention to them and in a creative way...to have a good life, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/problems-are-solved-only-when-we-devote-a-great-deal-of-attention-to/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [Our most important problems cannot be solved; they must be outgrown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/our-most-important-problems-cannot-be-solved-they-must-be-outgrown/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Problems cannot all be solved, for, as they are solved, new aspects are continually revealed: the historian opens the way, he does not close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-m-powicke/problems-cannot-all-be-solved-for-as-they-are-solved-new-aspects-are/) [F. M. Powicke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-m-powicke/) > [Enlightenment is not the process of learning 'new' information. It is the process of 'reminding' ourselves that the answers are already 'within our consciousness'.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-allen/enlightenment-is-not-the-process-of-learning-new-information-it-is/) [Eric Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-allen/) > [All great leaders constantly seek new information and new ways of thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/all-great-leaders-constantly-seek-new-information-and-new-ways-of/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [“If he ever changes his stance on something, it's because he's received new information.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-graham/if-he-ever-changes-his-stance-on-something-it-s-because-he-s-received/) [Heather Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-graham/) > [We debase the richness of both nature and our own minds if we view the great pageant of our intellectual history as a compendium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/we-debase-the-richness-of-both-nature-and-our-own-minds-if-we-view/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [I spend a lot of time going over old conversation summaries. A lot of the old ones are about ideas that ended in failure,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-boyden/i-spend-a-lot-of-time-going-over-old-conversation-summaries-a-lot-of/) [Edward Boyden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-boyden/) > [There has never been a master plan. Anyone who wanted to do it, we fired because it takes on a life of its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/there-has-never-been-a-master-plan-anyone-who-wanted-to-do-it-we/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [Abundance, like everything else in the universe, is simply a specific arrangement of energy and information. With our intention, we can change the energy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/abundance-like-everything-else-in-the-universe-is-simply-a-specific/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“they favor new information over old, even if the older information is more valuable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-keller/they-favor-new-information-over-old-even-if-the-older-information-is/) [Gary Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-keller/) > [Larousse is an invaluable tool for any cook. I've used this great resource all throughout my cooking career, and of course I look forward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keller/larousse-is-an-invaluable-tool-for-any-cook-i-ve-used-this-great/) [Thomas Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keller/) ## 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. 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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 Information quotes > [Intel has a very complete process that I go through any time I want to sell that ensures I have no insider information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-krzanich/intel-has-a-very-complete-process-that-i-go-through-any-time-i-want/) [Brian Krzanich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-krzanich/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“We know that children with autism like order, that they are often very visual and that they can be quite literal. They deserve beautiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adele-devine/we-know-that-children-with-autism-like-order-that-they-are-often-very/) [Adele Devine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adele-devine/) > [I'm not going to be part of looking at information only partially. I'm not going to be part of just coming to quick conclusions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-cleland/i-m-not-going-to-be-part-of-looking-at-information-only-partially-i-m/) [Max Cleland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-cleland/) > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [I didn't expect to be so comfortable handing my child off to a nanny without getting any of her information. As soon as she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-wong/i-didn-t-expect-to-be-so-comfortable-handing-my-child-off-to-a-nanny/) [Ali Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-wong/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Information is money, but data is squat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-llama-butler/information-is-money-but-data-is-squat/) [Angela Llama-Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-llama-butler/) > [In essence, I see the value of journalism as resting in a twofold mission: informing the public of accurate and vital information, and its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/in-essence-i-see-the-value-of-journalism-as-resting-in-a-twofold/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [There's nothing more special than intellect and labour that makes painting work. There's no magic there; it's information, and it's work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/there-s-nothing-more-special-than-intellect-and-labour-that-makes/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) > [That's what makes a human a human, if we store information outside our bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/that-s-what-makes-a-human-a-human-if-we-store-information-outside-our/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [My hope is that if people have the knowledge, and if they actually see where their food comes from and have access to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/my-hope-is-that-if-people-have-the-knowledge-and-if-they-actually-see/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [The mere imparting of information is not education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-g-woodson/the-mere-imparting-of-information-is-not-education/) [Carter G. Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-g-woodson/) [Browse all 6,395 Information quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The problems are solved, not by giving new information, but by arranging what we have known since long.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ludwig Wittgenstein" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/the-problems-are-solved-not-by-giving-new-information-but-by/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Information" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/the-problems-are-solved-not-by-giving-new-information-but-by/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/ludwig-wittgenstein-582_information_the-problems-are-solved-not-by-giving-ne_1393006.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/ludwig-wittgenstein-582_information_the-problems-are-solved-not-by-giving-ne_1393006.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/ludwig-wittgenstein-582_information_the-problems-are-solved-not-by-giving-ne_1393006.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The problems are solved, not by giving new information, but by arranging what we have known since long.” — 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": "The problems are solved, not by...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/the-problems-are-solved-not-by-giving-new-information-but-by/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/the-problems-are-solved-not-by-giving-new-information-but-by/#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 } } ] } ```