--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The text is a limited field of possible…" description: "\"The text is a limited field of possible constructions.\" — Paul Ricoeur" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0a/paul-ricoeur-16430_engineering_the-text-is-a-limited-field-of-possible_3134270.jpg" --- # The text is a limited field of possible constructions. ![“The text is a limited field of possible constructions.” quote by Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0a/paul-ricoeur-16430_engineering_the-text-is-a-limited-field-of-possible_3134270.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0a/paul-ricoeur-16430_engineering_the-text-is-a-limited-field-of-possible_3134270.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0a/paul-ricoeur-16430_engineering_the-text-is-a-limited-field-of-possible_3134270.jpg) > “The text is a limited field of possible constructions.” [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Language limits expression, shaping what can be thought and said. **In simple terms:** Language restricts thought. Key Takeaway Explore beyond conventional phrasing. Themes language thought expression Mood intellectual analytical Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - creative writing - teaching - marketing - legal drafting Key Concepts semiotics constructionism Questions to Reflect On - How does language shape your perception? - What alternatives can expand expression? A Different Perspective Rigid structures can stifle innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Constructions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constructions-533972/) [Engineering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineering/) [Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/field/) [Field Possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/field-possible-1804638/) [Limited](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limited/) [Limited Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limited-field-5556603/) [Possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possible/) [Possible Constructions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possible-constructions-5556602/) [Text](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/text/) [Text Limited](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/text-limited-5556601/) ## Related quotes > [That's my goal: to be on the field as much as possible so I can make as big of an impact as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myles-garrett/that-s-my-goal-to-be-on-the-field-as-much-as-possible-so-i-can-make/) [Myles Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myles-garrett/) > [Any time you get on the field, there's a possible chance of that happening. I think you're trying to make a play, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-mcafee/any-time-you-get-on-the-field-there-s-a-possible-chance-of-that/) [Pat McAfee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-mcafee/) > [I am on the hunt for constructions. I come into a room and find them whitely merging in a corner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/i-am-on-the-hunt-for-constructions-i-come-into-a-room-and-find-them/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [I don't like building, I'm not a carpenter, I don't like constructions particularly and things like that, but placements and the kinds of psychological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-schnabel/i-don-t-like-building-i-m-not-a-carpenter-i-don-t-like-constructions/) [Julian Schnabel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-schnabel/) > [The constructions of language, which is to say the constructions of thought, are formed within experience, not the other way around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-constructions-of-language-which-is-to-say-the-constructions-of/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“If we are to talk in the language of social constructions, then the construction of the very concepts of the social and the biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-riley/if-we-are-to-talk-in-the-language-of-social-constructions-then-the/) [Denise Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-riley/) > [Testimony should be a philosophical problem and not limited to legal or historical contexts where it refers to the account of a witness who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/testimony-should-be-a-philosophical-problem-and-not-limited-to-legal/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [What we know for sure from our work and from others' is that mice have a life span of 1,000 days, dogs have 5,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/what-we-know-for-sure-from-our-work-and-from-others-is-that-mice-have/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [“Who you are is limited only by who you think you are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/normandi-ellis/who-you-are-is-limited-only-by-who-you-think-you-are/) [Normandi Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/normandi-ellis/) > [With limited shifts, low wages, and scarce benefits, it feels almost impossible for many Americans to get their slice of the pie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-kander/with-limited-shifts-low-wages-and-scarce-benefits-it-feels-almost/) [Jason Kander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-kander/) > [Don't judge everyone else by your own limited experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/don-t-judge-everyone-else-by-your-own-limited-experience/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Sometimes we are limited more by attitude than by opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-we-are-limited-more-by-attitude-than-by-opportunities/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [An actor can only be limited to the talent he has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arshad-warsi/an-actor-can-only-be-limited-to-the-talent-he-has/) [Arshad Warsi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arshad-warsi/) > [You don't have to be Sigmund Freud to surmise that war has a perverse appeal for the human race, nor is the attraction limited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/you-don-t-have-to-be-sigmund-freud-to-surmise-that-war-has-a-perverse/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) ## More by Paul Ricoeur > [If it is true that there is always more than one way of construing a text, it is not true that all interpretations are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/if-it-is-true-that-there-is-always-more-than-one-way-of-construing-a/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [What must be the nature of the world... if human beings are able to introduce changes into it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/what-must-be-the-nature-of-the-world-if-human-beings-are-able-to/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [Although there has always been a hermeneutic problem in Christianity, the hermeneutic question today seems to us a new one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/although-there-has-always-been-a-hermeneutic-problem-in-christianity/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [But myth is something else than an explanation of the world, of history, and of destiny. Myth expresses in terms of the world -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/but-myth-is-something-else-than-an-explanation-of-the-world-of/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [But myth is something else than an explanation of the world, of history, and of destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/but-myth-is-something-else-than-an-explanation-of-the-world-of-2/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [Man is this plural and collective unity in which the unity of destination and the differences of destinies are to be understood through each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/man-is-this-plural-and-collective-unity-in-which-the-unity-of/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [There was a wise old owl who sat in a tree The less he spoke the more he heard The more he heard the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/there-was-a-wise-old-owl-who-sat-in-a-tree-the-less-he-spoke-the-more/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [Wisdom finds its literary expression in wisdom literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/wisdom-finds-its-literary-expression-in-wisdom-literature/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [There has always been a hermeneutic problem in Christianity because Christianity proceeds from a proclamation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/there-has-always-been-a-hermeneutic-problem-in-christianity-because/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [It is always possible to argue against an interpretation, to confront interpretations, to arbitrate between them and to seek for an agreement, even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/it-is-always-possible-to-argue-against-an-interpretation-to-confront/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [Hope, insofar as it is hope of resurrection, is the living contradiction of what it proceeds from and what is placed under the sign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/hope-insofar-as-it-is-hope-of-resurrection-is-the-living/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [Testimony should be a philosophical problem and not limited to legal or historical contexts where it refers to the account of a witness who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/testimony-should-be-a-philosophical-problem-and-not-limited-to-legal/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [The narrative constructs the identity of the character, what can be called his or her narrative identity, in constructing that of the story told.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/the-narrative-constructs-the-identity-of-the-character-what-can-be/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [Narrative identity takes part in the story's movement, in the dialectic between order and disorder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/narrative-identity-takes-part-in-the-story-s-movement-in-the/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [“The dictionary contains no metaphors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/the-dictionary-contains-no-metaphors/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) [Explore all 39 Paul Ricoeur quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) ## More Engineering quotes > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [“Nothing is easier than yesterday's solutions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-sperry/nothing-is-easier-than-yesterday-s-solutions/) [Roger Sperry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-sperry/) > [Design is not making beauty, beauty emerges from selection, affinities, integration, love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kahn/design-is-not-making-beauty-beauty-emerges-from-selection-affinities/) [Louis Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kahn/) > [Batley and Spen has a high proportion of people working in manufacturing, and we can boast the full range of industries, including high-skilled, precision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-cox/batley-and-spen-has-a-high-proportion-of-people-working-in/) [Jo Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-cox/) > [I design some of my own clothes now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiernan-shipka/i-design-some-of-my-own-clothes-now/) [Kiernan Shipka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiernan-shipka/) > [Design is a very personal thing. It's like art. Your personal choice plays a big role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gauri-khan/design-is-a-very-personal-thing-it-s-like-art-your-personal-choice/) [Gauri Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gauri-khan/) > [Worship isn't destructive, Martin. I know that. I don't. I only know it's the core of his life. What else has he got? He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-shaffer/worship-isn-t-destructive-martin-i-know-that-i-don-t-i-only-know-it-s/) [Peter Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-shaffer/) > [ Leave a cavity behind the \[wall\] facings, and on the inside build walls two feet thick, made of red dimension stone or burnt brick… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/leave-a-cavity-behind-the-wall-facings-and-on-the-inside-build-walls/) [Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/) > [Our guiding principle was that design is neither an intellectual nor a material affair, but simply an integral part of the stuff of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-gropius/our-guiding-principle-was-that-design-is-neither-an-intellectual-nor/) [Walter Gropius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-gropius/) > [Design certainly has a cosmetic, aesthetic aim. It always aims at making things beautiful. But relevance is just as important. I often say, 'If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-behar/design-certainly-has-a-cosmetic-aesthetic-aim-it-always-aims-at/) [Yves Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-behar/) > [I think the ethics and morals of genetic engineering are very complicated. It intrigues me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-spottiswoode/i-think-the-ethics-and-morals-of-genetic-engineering-are-very/) [Roger Spottiswoode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-spottiswoode/) > [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/) [Curtis W. Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/) > [My objective is to design a space that nobody else can come up with while using the material that anyone can use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tadao-ando/my-objective-is-to-design-a-space-that-nobody-else-can-come-up-with/) [Tadao Ando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tadao-ando/) > [Man's endeavour to cross even the most difficult terrain with railway lines has produced some of the most stunning marvels of engineering of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prashant-bhushan/man-s-endeavour-to-cross-even-the-most-difficult-terrain-with-railway/) [Prashant Bhushan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prashant-bhushan/) > [Of course design is about problem solving, but I cannot resist adding something personal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-crouwel/of-course-design-is-about-problem-solving-but-i-cannot-resist-adding/) [Wim Crouwel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-crouwel/) [Browse all 3,003 Engineering quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineering/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The text is a limited field of possible constructions.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Ricoeur" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/the-text-is-a-limited-field-of-possible-constructions/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Engineering" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/the-text-is-a-limited-field-of-possible-constructions/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0a/paul-ricoeur-16430_engineering_the-text-is-a-limited-field-of-possible_3134270.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0a/paul-ricoeur-16430_engineering_the-text-is-a-limited-field-of-possible_3134270.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0a/paul-ricoeur-16430_engineering_the-text-is-a-limited-field-of-possible_3134270.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The text is a limited field of possible constructions.” — Paul Ricoeur", "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": "Paul Ricoeur", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The text is a limited field...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/the-text-is-a-limited-field-of-possible-constructions/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/the-text-is-a-limited-field-of-possible-constructions/#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 } } ] } ```